Community and Economic Development

Workers installing solar panels on a sloped rooftop, with safety harnesses and trees visible in the background under a low sun.

Summer 2026

Solar Schools Shine

Rural schools get solar panels and funding, through Washington State University energy office support. » More ...

Woman performing a side-bending yoga pose on a mat outdoors, photographed at sunset among trees.

Summer 2026

Yoga in the Wilds

Washington State University business alum Ella Spillane leveraged her love of yoga and the outdoors into a new business. » More ...

Man standing with arms outstretched in the aisle of a video rental store, surrounded by shelves of DVDs and movie posters.

Summer 2026

Neal Cummings

Washington State University alum Cummings retired from an iconic Astoria, Oregon, video store. » More ...

Illustrated farm landscape with rolling fields, grain silos, stylized trees, floating clouds, and a tractor driving across patterned farmland under a blue sky.

Summer 2026

Energizing Future Farms

Building a hydrogen system that could be used on farms » More ...

Woman and man standing together inside a coffee roasting facility, with large industrial roasting equipment in the background.

Summer 2026

Invest Locally—It Works.

Neighbors boost local small businesses, with help from Washington State University Extension. » More ...

Fall 2025

Philip Meech and Caffè Lusso take people on a coffee journey around the world. A coffee roaster and entrepreneur for over 25 years, he wants coffee drinkers to slow down, taste the roasted beans, and enjoy the rich variety.

Courtesy Caffé Lusso

In this episode, Philip talks with Washington State Magazine editor Larry Clark about enjoying coffee, his lifelong love of coffee, the art and science of coffee roasting, and his journey from … » More …

Fall 2025

Giving back close to home

Want to feel better? Volunteer! » More ...

illustration of coast of Washington state

Fall 2025

Really pumped

Community members on Whidbey Island banded together to put in heat pumps. » More ...

Group of people prepare vegetables in large bowls

Fall 2025

What’s cookin’

A commercial kitchen in Port Angeles reduces food waste and food insecurity, thanks to Washington State University Extension and community volunteers. » More ...

Flowering trees with evergreen trees in the background

Summer 2025

Mapping trees in Tacoma

Nelson Pham spent six hours at Tacoma’s Boze Elementary School one day last summer. Armed with the iNaturalist app and GPS tagging, he identified and mapped every tree on the school’s property.

Some trees were healthy, others were struggling. Only two were providing shade for the crowd of spectators watching youth soccer games at the school’s playfields.

“All these parents were just baking in the sun,” says Pham, a Tacoma Community College student. “I wondered where the trees were.”

By the end of the summer, Pham created an interactive database of trees at 12 Tacoma schools. The work was part of an internship with … » More …