EarthLab Releases Second Annual Impact Report, Highlighting Community-Led Climate Solutions and Resilience
SEATTLE, WA – November 13, 2025
The University of Washington’s EarthLab released its second annual impact report today, documenting fiscal year 2025 achievements in community-centered environmental research and action. The report highlights how trust-based partnerships are driving climate solutions across Washington state.
“This past year has reminded me that everything we do begins with trust,” said Phil Levin, Interim Executive Director of EarthLab. “Trust is what makes progress possible — not just in science, but in community, and in one another. In a time when so many are questioning institutions and struggling to believe that collective progress is still possible, I’ve seen how powerful it can be when people choose to trust — to stay in conversation, to share power, and to build solutions together.”
Key Highlights from Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025):
Training and Mentoring Tomorrow’s Climate Leaders
EarthLab’s Summer Internship Program continues to see strong demand among UW undergraduate applicants, with a roughly 5% acceptance rate reflecting significant student interest in hands-on climate justice work. In partnership with the Program on the Environment, EarthLab co-sponsored an environmental justice seminar that consistently fills the classroom with students.
EarthLab also expanded NextGen Narratives, a blog series written by and for UW students exploring what equitable climate action and hope can look like. Students pitch story ideas, work with professional editors, and publish their perspectives to over 23,000 newsletter subscribers — building valuable portfolio pieces while amplifying diverse voices on climate futures.
Investing in Research Co-Created with Community
After five years of the Innovation Grants Program — which has awarded nearly $2M to 29 teams — EarthLab conducted a comprehensive program evaluation to inform its future direction.
In early 2026, EarthLab will launch two new funding opportunities designed to meet different needs and timescales, enabling the organization to support both deep relationship building and rapid responses to urgent environmental challenges.
This year’s Innovation Grants Program case study highlights the Coastlines – Camera – Action project in North Cove, Washington. Following community-led restoration of 1.1 miles of shoreline by the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, Willapa Erosion Control Action Now (WECAN), and Wash Away No More, UW researchers and North Cove community members received a 2023 EarthLab Innovation Grant to enhance monitoring systems and amplify resident voices in coastal research. The grant upgraded photo monitoring stations, and community members have since submitted over 700 photos revealing storm-by-storm changes that would otherwise be undetectable through traditional seasonal monitoring methods. The project received additional two-year funding from Washington Sea Grant in winter 2025.
Expanding What Is Possible for Environmental Research & Action
Like mycelium sharing resources across a forest network, EarthLab’s shared services model connects over 130 researchers and staff across multiple research centers to the university resources they need to thrive.
This infrastructure has proven essential during one of the most challenging periods for climate research funding. When research teams lost federal awards with little warning in early 2025, EarthLab’s finance and administration team helped them rapidly pivot. Becca Hart, EarthLab’s Grants Manager, worked alongside researchers to identify new funding opportunities and submit proposals within weeks, allowing vital community partnerships to continue.
Last year, EarthLab’s finance and administration team supported member organizations in submitting 23 proposals, saving researchers an estimated one to two months of work annually. That’s valuable time back that researchers can instead spend in communities, conducting fieldwork, and advancing climate solutions.
“My role is to be the bridge, or the shield, or the filter — depending on the day — between researchers and the bureaucracy of the UW, state, and federal governments,” Hart said.
EarthLab also facilitated over 45 collaborative events this year, creating spaces for researchers, policymakers, and community partners to build the relationships and trust needed for meaningful climate action.
Creating Connections at UW and in Community
EarthLab met with more than 30 groups across the UW and worked with a consultant to better understand how its summer internship program could serve both student learning and community needs.
EarthLab and its member organizations brought together more than 4,000 academics, policymakers, students and community partners tackling challenges from ocean chemistry changes to wildfire response to climate change health impacts.
Following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025, EarthLab helped the Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE) organize a two-hour hybrid event connecting L.A. area experts with Washington state practitioners. The event brought together policymakers at local, county and state levels, UW students and faculty, and community members to share lessons learned for future collaboration.
“In the aftermath of a disaster, there’s not time to develop relationships, ideas and trust,” said Dr. Nicole Errett, center director of the UW Center for Disaster Resilient Communities. “Events like these are essential to creating a foundation that will allow us to collaborate to address scientific challenges when events like these occur in Washington.”
Looking Ahead
“Federal support for the climate and environment is shrinking, but local and regional leadership is growing,” Levin noted. “Across the Northwest and beyond, people are transforming uncertainty into action — finding new paths toward connection, justice, and care. The most meaningful progress rarely happens in isolation; it comes when people work side by side, grounded in respect, humility, and trust.”
EarthLab is doubling down on its strategic plan, renewing focus on equity, partnership, and action. We have a big vision to grow our programs and impact over the next several years. If our work resonates with you, we need your support.
If you would like the plain text version of the FY 2025 Impact Report, click here.
About EarthLab
EarthLab at the University of Washington connects researchers, communities, and students to address pressing environmental challenges through collaborative, community-centered approaches. Through its shared services model, EarthLab supports a network of research centers, manages competitive grant programs, and trains the next generation of environmental leaders. EarthLab’s work is grounded in trust, equity, and the belief that transformative solutions emerge when diverse knowledge systems and communities work together.
Q&A with EarthLab Grants Manager Becca Hart
On the profound ripple effect of administrative support across climate resilience research during difficult times
By Tess Wrobleski
Federal funding for climate research has been cut dramatically since the beginning of this year, and the federal landscape continues to be precarious. In the face of this uncertainty, Grants Manager Becca Hart and the entire EarthLab finance and administration team has stepped into a critical role in our shared services network — helping researchers rapidly pivot, find new resources, and keep vital environmental justice work alive.
We spoke with Becca about the impact of federal funding cuts on her work with member organizations, and why administrative support has profound ripple effects across climate resilience efforts, especially during difficult times.
Describe your role in one sentence.
My role is to be the bridge, or the shield, or the filter — depending on the day — between researchers and the bureaucracy of the UW, state and federal governments.
How long have you been in this role?
I’ve been at EarthLab for three years. I started as a grants specialist for one member organization, and then became a grants manager supporting several member organizations.
How many researchers do you currently support?
I support eight principal investigators, who lead research projects, and the scientists working on their teams. The finance and administration team supported nineteen principal investigators and a total of more than 50 scientists across all of our member organizations last year.
How have EarthLab member organizations been impacted by federal funding cuts? And what does it look like to lose federal funding?
Two of our member organizations have lost federal funding since February 2025. When a team loses federal funding, they receive an email notifying them that their award is being terminated. This means the work has to stop immediately. The impact of losing funding then goes out in ripples. One member organization had to lay off two positions, which was really difficult to see and had the most immediate impact. Sadly, the termination also ended funding for our partners and collaborators, creating a setback to them continuing this work.
Beyond the funding that has been cut, there’s a lot of uncertainty. With the grants we do have, there’s a question of how long we will have them for.
How are you and the researchers you support responding to these challenges?
In the case of one member organization, just a couple weeks after their award was terminated they found another opportunity that could support components of their work. They only had one week or so to submit the proposal, so it was a bit of a “drop everything” moment to get it completed.
While they got the scientific aspects of the proposal together, my role was to get all of the administrative pieces together so the proposal could get in as quickly and smoothly as possible.
What are the administrative pieces of a proposal that you support?
There are really two areas of administrative work. One is supporting the business elements of the proposal, like the budget and budget justification. Typically, the principal investigator will put together a budget, and the finance and administration team reviews it to make sure all the calculations are correct and that their proposal aligns with the rules and policies of the UW and the funding body.
There are also more relational aspects to proposal writing. I work within the system to make sure we get all the approvals we need from the department, the dean and the Office of Sponsored Programs. Once the principal investigator has given their approval to the grant, they shouldn’t have to be part of getting approvals from these other parties, which can involve some back-and-forth.
Tell me more about what this process would look like for a principal investigator if your role didn’t exist.
In some units, investigators have to submit proposals themselves, so they need to make sure all of the compliance elements are completed. The investigators would also be involved in the back-and-forth of getting approvals for the proposal. Our role here at EarthLab takes that responsibility off their plate.
Do you have an estimate of how much time you save for researchers each year?
A simple grant proposal takes around six to eight hours on the administrative side. A more complicated proposal takes longer, sometimes more than 100 hours. It really depends on the type of proposal and how much money, partners and requirements are involved.
Last year we helped member organizations submit 23 proposals. On the whole, we probably save our researchers somewhere between one and two months of work each year on proposals alone.
Do you think this model has been particularly important in the past year?
I do think this model has been important in the last year. There are researchers at the UW who don’t have a dedicated administrative team. So they’re doing all the administrative work in addition to looking for more funding opportunities and navigating the uncertainty around funding.
At EarthLab, when there’s a funding opportunity, it’s “all hands on deck” — we get a team together to go after it. As administrative staff, I’m part of that team. The researchers can hand me things and I will take care of them; they don’t have to worry about getting things through the system and being in compliance. I hope it alleviates some of their stress and saves them time as well. Reducing their administrative burden also gives the scientists more time to spend doing their research and supporting climate action in communities.
It’s easy to blame UW for being complex or frustrating, but following all the rules is critical to the ethical stewardship of funds. It’s also important for keeping our funding, maintaining our reputation and continuing to be eligible for future funding. Having dedicated administrators means we have people who can provide another layer of security around maintaining our compliance. This is more important than ever now, while there is additional scrutiny on federal funding.
What is giving you hope for the future right now?
The researchers at our member organizations. With everything being uncertain, they are still doing this essential work and finding ways to fund it, and that’s giving me hope. I’m very happy to support their work, and I’m always excited when they come up with an opportunity they want to apply for.
EarthLab extends Strategic Plan through 2028
EarthLab has released an updated and extended strategic plan to guide the next three years of our work. This document reflects a shared commitment aligning our diverse partners — from Tribes and nonprofits to students and faculty — around a common vision for climate action. In times of uncertainty, this roadmap helps us make decisions that honor both our mission and the communities we serve, ensuring that our efforts create lasting, equitable impact.
Our approach to climate action will continue to be organized around four action areas: creating connections at UW and in community, investing in research co-created with community, expanding what’s possible for environmental research and action, and training and mentoring tomorrow’s climate leaders. An additional priority — securing a stable funding model — remains crucial to ensuring EarthLab can deliver greater impact across all four of these action areas.
The strategic plan extension was developed collaboratively among EarthLab staff with input from our network of partners, including UW faculty, staff, researchers, and students; Tribal members and representatives; nonprofit organizations; public agencies; and community members. The plan builds on real successes: nearly $2 million in innovation grants awarded to 29 research teams, a competitive paid summer internship program that’s attracted over 950 applicants, and more than $35 million in federal grants managed while supporting member organizations across the College of the Environment and beyond.
Stay tuned for announcements in the coming months (make sure you subscribe to our newsletter) as we aim to deliver on this plan. Between re-launching an updated Grants Program that will invest in new ways to convene and respond to challenges, in addition to developing new opportunities for UW-community connections, there will be many opportunities to get involved.
With the support of our interim executive director bringing a fresh approach to the work, an experienced leadership team and core team dedicated to the cause, and passionate supporters like you making this work possible, we’re hopeful for the future of EarthLab, for a future where people and planet thrive.
A Conversation with Phil Levin: EarthLab’s New Interim Executive Director
Phil Levin has spent his career asking a deceptively simple question: How can science actually help the places and people who need it most? Since joining the University of Washington as a Professor of Practice in 2016, he’s worked to bridge what often feels like a large gap between research and real-world conservation challenges.
In late June, we announced that Levin will serve as EarthLab’s interim executive director prior to a comprehensive national search being conducted for a permanent successor. Levin will take on this role in addition to serving as the director of the United by Nature initiative.
Across his career, Levin’s collaborative approach has earned recognition through awards including the Department of Commerce Silver Award and NOAA’s Bronze Medal for his work on marine ecosystems, and the Seattle Aquarium’s Conservation Research Award for his work in Puget Sound. His work has been featured in NPR, PBS, The New York Times, the BBC, MSBNC, and The Economist, among others. With over 200 published papers in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and technical reports, Levin has demonstrated his ability to communicate complex environmental science in a way that showcases a perspective rooted in fairness, shaped by resilience and elevated by hope.
This month, we got a chance to sit down with Levin to learn more about his work and what he envisions for this next chapter at EarthLab.
EarthLab: What drew you to environmental justice work as a conservation scientist, and how do you see your scientific background (both within and outside of academia) informing your role as EarthLab’s interim executive director?
Phil Levin: I’ve always believed that conservation isn’t just about protecting nature—it’s about protecting people and the relationships we have with the world around us. Environmental justice brings that into sharper focus. My work has spanned coral reefs, fisheries scinece, and large-scale assessments like the National Nature Assessment and now United by Nature. Across all of it, the most enduring lesson has been this: science matters most when it serves those most impacted. As interim director, I see my role as making space—for ideas, for partnerships, for solutions that honor both rigor and relevance. My background gives me the tools to ask hard questions, but more importantly, to listen well and follow the answers to unexpected places.
For those who may be unfamiliar, can you share how you have supported or been involved in EarthLab’s work prior to this new role?
I’ve been involved with EarthLab since the beginning—serving on the Faculty Steering Committee and collaborating on interdisciplinary projects that span ecological science, policy, and community engagement. I’ve also worked closely with EarthLab’s leadership over the years to help shape its direction, bring in external partners, and support funding efforts. This isn’t a new chapter—it’s a continuation of a shared journey.
What does authentic partnership look like between scientific institutions and frontline communities, and how will you help foster that at EarthLab?
Authentic partnership starts with humility. It’s not about parachuting in with answers—it’s about building trust over time, acknowledging power dynamics, and letting communities define what success looks like. At EarthLab, we’re fortunate to have examples of this kind of work already underway. My job is to nurture those relationships, clear roadblocks, and make sure we’re resourcing our partnerships not just financially, but with attention, accountability, and respect.
What are you excited about working on in the next year at EarthLab?
Honestly—it’s the people. EarthLab is filled with brilliant, creative, deeply committed individuals. I’m excited to help elevate their work, strengthen our cross-campus and community connections, and sharpen our focus on equity-centered climate and environmental solutions.
What’s one environmental justice challenge that keeps you up at night, and what gives you hope about solving it?
What keeps me up is the deep inequity in who gets to shape environmental decisions—and who bears the cost when those decisions go wrong. But I find hope in the next generation of leaders: students, practitioners, and scientists who are refusing to accept that inequity as inevitable. They’re pushing all of us to do better.
How do you balance the urgency around climate action with the patience required for thoughtful, inclusive relationship building?
This is one of the most persistent tensions in my work—and honestly, one of the most important to navigate well. I’ve spent much of my career working on issues where the stakes are high and the timelines feel crushing. In every case, there’s a strong pull to move fast. But I’ve learned—sometimes the hard way—that rushing without trust usually leads to shallow solutions at best, and lasting harm at worst.
The most enduring and equitable outcomes I’ve seen have emerged from relationships, not reaction. That means making the time to listen, to build trust, and to co-create goals with the communities most affected. That kind of work doesn’t always look like “progress” on a Gantt chart. But it’s what lays the foundation for real, transformative change.
So I try to operate with urgency—but not haste. I aim to move fast when it comes to showing up, being accountable, and removing institutional barriers. But when it comes to building trust, sharing power, and shaping long-term solutions, I know we have to move at the speed of relationship. As Stephen Covey put it: change moves at the speed of trust.
At EarthLab, I see part of my role as protecting space for both of these tempos—urgency and patience—to coexist. Because we can’t afford to choose just one.
What emerging opportunities do you see in the environmental justice space that weren’t available to previous generations of leaders?
There’s a growing recognition that lived experience is a form of expertise—and that’s a big shift. We’re also seeing more funders, institutions, and policymakers willing to center justice rather than treat it as an add-on. That creates real space for innovation, particularly at the intersections of science, art, storytelling, and action.
Is there a story from your professional experience that best illustrates why bridging social and natural sciences matters for the work ahead of us?
Yes—one that changed how I think about science, place, and justice.
It comes from a study on wildfire vulnerability that illustrates how, when we consider people and nature together, we transform not just our science but our actions. Research led by one of my SEFS graduate students, Ian Davies revelaed that communities with majority Black, Hispanic, or Native American populations face up to 50% greater vulnerability to wildfires than other communities—because of where they live, the resources they have, and the structural legacies they inherit.
That statistic isn’t just a number. It’s a call to do things differently.
When I first learned about that disparity, it forced me to rethink everything: not just how we model fire risk, but where we focus our attention; not just how we communicate warnings, but who writes them; not just the ecological indicators we produce, but the social indicators we partner to understand—air quality, evacuation access, historical underinvestment, health care barriers.
In practice, bridging social and natural sciences meant reshaping the work. It meant designing interventions that didn’t just improve ecological outcomes, but also ensured support for vulnerable communities. It meant recognizing that wildfire resilience isn’t just about trees and fire lines—but about equity, infrastructure, and trust.
That shift—from single-discipline thinking to truly integrated science—does more than improve outcomes. It builds legitimacy, relevance, and resilience into our solutions.
For me, it’s a lasting lesson in how science becomes more powerful when it’s rooted in people—and why institutions like EarthLab exist to bridge those worlds.
How should organizations like ours be showing up for the next generation of environmental justice leaders?
Start by listening. Not with the intent to guide, but to understand. Young leaders know what they need—we should be asking how we can support, not shape, their paths. We also need to move resources—not just ideas. That means paid roles, shared decision-making, and a commitment to removing structural barriers. It’s not about inviting people to our tables—it’s about building new ones together.
If you could have coffee with any leader, past or present, who would it be and what would you ask them?
I’d have coffee with Louis Pasteur.
He was a scientist who bridged curiosity and public impact—someone whose work reshaped medicine, food systems, and public health, all while pursuing fundamental questions about how the world works. His legacy lives on not just in germ theory and vaccines, but in what’s now called Pasteur’s Quadrant: science driven by both a desire to understand and a commitment to serve.
That’s where I see EarthLab today—squarely in Pasteur’s Quadrant. We’re doing work that’s rigorous and relevant, rooted in research but also in community, in justice, and in the messy realities of climate action. I’d ask Pasteur how he held that dual commitment—how he stayed focused on discovery while staying grounded in service. And I’d want to know how he sustained his integrity and imagination while navigating institutional resistance.
Also, if the coffee turned into wine—ideally something fermented with a nod to his early work—I wouldn’t complain.
Crossing the Cascades: The Importance of Inclusive Environmental Communication
By Ella Gebers
Storytelling for Social Change Intern, Summer 2025
Growing up in Wenatchee meant growing up hiking in the foothills, swimming in the Columbia River, and skiing in the mountains. My love for the outdoors blossomed into a love for the environment and a deep appreciation for the childhood it gave me.
During my first year at the University of Washington, I discovered I could use my creativity to design for people with inclusivity in mind through the Human Centered Design and Engineering major. At the same time, I began taking Environmental Studies classes where I delved into climate change and the people who are disproportionately impacted by it.
It was through these classes that the concept of environmental justice was first introduced to me. The more I learned, the more the way I viewed my childhood in Eastern Washington shifted.
I began to notice how environmental challenges in the eastern part of the state create disproportionate barriers to accessing healthy environments where people can live and thrive. Reflecting on the community I grew up in, the lack of equitable access to resources became glaringly clear.
Living on both sides of the Cascades has shown me different worldviews, exposing me to a variety of perspectives on how to live and think. I decided to attend the University of Washington because I wanted to see what it was like to be in a place that felt different from the one I grew up in. You wouldn’t think it would be so different — I am from Washington after all. However, there are huge cultural and environmental differences between Central and Western Washington.
Growing East, Going West
I am grateful for growing up in a rural area that showed me a slower pace of living with an emphasis on community. However, during my time at UW, I’ve noticed there is a limited access to resources and opportunities in Eastern Washington compared to those offered to people living in the greater Seattle area.
Environmentally, the eastern part of the state is very different from the west. For example, the shrub-steppe environment is much dryer than the lush evergreen forests found surrounding Seattle. With a dryer climate comes increased wildfire exposure. In Wenatchee, wildfires are a natural companion to warm, dry weather, causing smoke to settle in the valley every year.
Growing up, my classmates and I often wouldn’t be able to play outside for recess and would instead run around our school gym. Sometimes, friends with asthma would have to go to the hospital due to the poor air quality. This summer is the first I’ve spent living in the western part of the state. I’ve noticed that I never checked the air quality index, when it was part of my daily routine during wildfire season in Wenatchee. This isn’t just anecdotal: the Washington Department of Natural Resources fights roughly 900 wildfires in a given year, with 70% of those fires occurring in Eastern Washington. My knowledge of environmental justice has given me a needed perspective in understanding the way people are disproportionately affected by the wildfires in the area. Wildfires are not just an environmental challenge, but also a social issue.
For example, agriculture is everywhere in Eastern Washington. I grew up eating fresh apples and cherries straight from the orchards. I know the people who grow and pick our food. So much of our community and economy revolves around agriculture and the people who work in the industry.
In Chelan County, Agriculture is the top sector of employment. The summer and fall harvest seasons see the largest amounts of farm labor employment, which also aligns with the wildfire season in Washington State. This puts outdoor workers at a greater risk of negative health effects from smoke and heat. In addition, resources about the health impacts due to smoke exposure are not easily accessible to the population as a whole. Nationwide, the National Agricultural Workers Survey shows that 77% of farmworkers are most comfortable speaking Spanish.
In Washington, I’ve noticed that rural communities’ voices can be lost, and the narrative is often shifted towards those living in the western part of the state. In conversation with other UW students from Central/Eastern Washington, one student stated, “Sometimes I feel like people think Washington is Seattle.”
Central and Eastern Washington face some of the most extreme climate impacts in the state, yet effective science communication is not centered around the communities that need it most.
An EarthLab Innovation Grant awarded project worked to change this. The project established the Community and Climate Impact Hub alongside Wenatchee CAFE. They created a Hootboard that shares vital climate education resources in an accessible and culturally responsive manner. Articles and infographics are provided in both English and Spanish, and effective climate impact messaging is used to strengthen community engagement and access to information.
My Summer in Seattle
Currently, I am the Storytelling for Social Change summer intern at EarthLab. I came into the experience with the hope that I could combine my love for the environment with my skills in design and communication.
Early in my college career, I explored the possibility of studying Environmental Studies alongside my major of Human Centered Design and Engineering. I was advised against doing a double major due to how different the subjects were. I was still passionate about studying the environment, so I settled on incorporating an Environmental Studies minor into my education. Earthlab was the perfect opportunity to merge my interests, create connections, and tell stories that inspire a larger community.
The reality of what the EarthLab internship program has to offer has far surpassed my expectations.
During my time at EarthLab, I’ve learned how important ethical storytelling and accessible science communication is. Telling stories from a community centered perspective and ensuring voices are heard is crucial to telling powerful climate impact stories. As I have learned more about climate and environmental justice during the EarthLab cohort meetings, I have developed a greater understanding of how to design for a diverse range of people and demographics.
My experiences in Central and Western Washington have shown me diverse landscapes and communities. The perspectives I’ve gained and the environments I’ve lived in are influencing who I am now and who I want to be in the future.
There is no singular pathway to engage in environmental work. Environmental work is deeply connected and intertwined with fields of study outside of traditional science pathways. Thinking about how to design sustainably and inclusively with a mission in mind are key factors I think about in every design project.
My future career aspirations are to design solutions to climate impact issues with a focus on environmental and climate justice. I want a career that creates a positive environmental and societal impact, and the EarthLab Summer Internship program has been the perfect stepping stone to reach my goals.
Why Now: Reflections on Joining EarthLab
When I first arrived at the University of Washington in 2016, I was drawn by the promise of possibility—the idea that science, when grounded in community and courage, could do more than describe the world. It could help change it. That same promise is what pulled me into EarthLab’s orbit as a member of the Faculty Steering Committee and a co-conspirator on activities from the Innovation Grants program, to transdisciplinary research to late-afternoon brainstorming sessions fueled by equal parts hope and coffee.
So why join EarthLab now as Interim Director, nearly a decade later?
Because I still believe in that promise. And because the world—messy, wondrous, and in no small part on fire—needs institutions like EarthLab more than ever.
EarthLab isn’t just a center or an initiative. It’s a gathering place for people who believe the future can be better—and who are stubborn enough to try to make it so. It sits at the intersection of research and reality, insisting that knowledge should not just be admired, but applied. That’s not an easy stance. It means grappling with complexity instead of simplifying it. It means building bridges when it would be easier to retreat to disciplinary silos. It means listening—really listening—to people outside the academy, and trusting that solutions to our most pressing environmental challenges won’t come from any one lab, dataset, or credential.
What excites me most about stepping into this leadership role is the chance to help steward and grow that spirit. To support scholars and practitioners who are not afraid to ask inconvenient questions. To make room for new voices, especially those that have long been left out of the conversation. And to work alongside a community I’ve been lucky to be part of for years—one that understands the power of collaboration, and the necessity of humility.
Of course, the challenges we face are enormous. Climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental injustice—none of these have quick fixes. But I’ve never believed our job is to be optimistic. Our job is to be honest, brave, and imaginative. To recognize, as Ada Limón writes, that “the world keeps opening before you,” even when it breaks your heart a little. Especially then.
I see EarthLab as a space where that kind of radical imagination is not only welcomed, but required. A place where science meets storytelling, and where the question isn’t just what’s the problem, but what’s possible.
I’m honored to step into this role. And I’m looking forward—truly—to doing the hard, hopeful work ahead with so many of you who believe that science, at its best, is a public good.
Ben Packard reflects on his leadership at EarthLab
The idea that inspired me to serve as the inaugural Harriet Bullitt Endowed Executive Director of EarthLab in 2017 is a powerful one: If we could connect the talented and curious researchers, students, staff, and faculty of the University of Washington in service of community-driven and actionable solutions, we can make our world safer and more resilient in the face of climate change.
Working with others to bring this idea to life has been one of the most challenging and fulfilling roles in my career. The experience has further illuminated for me the essential truth that we can only change systems when we are working across sectors, cultures and world views. None of us does this work alone and all of us are needed in order to develop lasting solutions to these systemic challenges.
As I pass the baton to interim Director Phil Levin on Aug. 1, I am filled with deep gratitude. Thank you to all who have supported the important work at EarthLab and for supporting me and the team as we turned this idea into reality. Eight dynamic and challenging years on, we have demonstrated how EarthLab can deliver impact, and we have a strong team in place to carry on.
It was an honor for me to serve in this role named after Harriet Bullitt, a pioneering champion of environmental work in this region. This isn’t an ending for EarthLab. Rather, it’s EarthLab stepping into its next chapter of impact. I will be cheering for Phil and the team from my new role as supporter.
Warm Regards,
Ben Packard
