Environmental Solutions

Soy proteins are used in plant-based natural polymers meant to eventually supplant plastic materials. But to compete with the petrochemical-based products, such polymers need to be stronger and less brittle.

Jason He, the Laura and William Jens Professor of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, wanted to find more efficient ways to get riches out of the rubbish.

October is one of two Active Transportation Months (ATM) at WashU hosted by Parking & Transportation, Office of Sustainability, and WUSM Operations & Facilities Management.

A cross-disciplinary team of WashU researchers has received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to expand its work studying the human health effects of flooding in communities in the Mississippi Delta and the St. Louis Metro East region of Illinois.

Imagine a world in which all types of plastic containers, packaging, carbon-fiber composite bikes and knee implants could be recycled together as a single processing stream.

The process of biomanufacturing requires engineering microbes to produce useful chemicals and materials from carbon-neutral processes. But current biomanufacturing cannot get beyond small-production scale unless it can outcompete big oil.

Elizabeth Swords’ final year as a Pathfinder Fellow involved consulting on a sustainability project for the City of Ferguson as part of the “Sustainability Exchange” course.

In Rebuilding the American Town, the Sam Fox School’s Patty Heyda helps redefine our understanding of the smaller cities that make up the urban landscape.

WashU connections abound at a restorative retreat in Playa El Coco, Nicaragua.

Working in partnership with communities, WashU launches a new initiative to improve nutrition and health locally, nationally and globally.