Keeping our Garden: Faithful Attention in a Warming World

Haley Walk

Climate change can feel overwhelming, abstract, and politically charged. But at its core, it is also deeply personal, shaped by the quiet, repeated decisions we make every day about food, energy, clothing, waste, and convenience.

In Keeping Our Garden, Haley Walk brings together climate science, Christian theology, and behavioral research to explore what faithful stewardship looks like in an era of rising greenhouse gases. Drawing on foundational climate concepts, including carbon dioxide accumulation, methane emissions, and embedded carbon in consumer goods, this talk translates complex science into accessible insight. Participants will learn how everyday consumption patterns contribute to global emissions, and why many of the most impactful climate decisions occur long before a product reaches our hands.

Rooted in the biblical call to “tend and keep” the garden, this project reframes climate action not as panic or perfection, but as formation. Through the guiding metaphor of a daily “NEED vs. WANT” decision point, Haley invites participants to consider how attention, restraint, and community-centered practices can reduce emissions while also cultivating intentional living. Practical examples, from composting and reducing fast fashion to embracing Sabbath rhythms and secondhand purchasing, illustrate how small, sustained shifts can reshape both personal habits and collective systems.

Rather than offering a checklist of environmental rules, Keeping Our Garden presents a hopeful, grounded pathway: faithful attention as a climate response. Participants will leave with concrete tools, research-backed guidance, and a framework for choosing one meaningful shift that aligns their faith, their values, and the future of the planet.

Haley Walk is a Master of Marine Affairs candidate at the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, where she studies environmental policy and the legal implications of emerging conservation technologies. She previously worked as a Fisheries Observer in the Northwest Groundfish Fisheries Observing Program and currently serves as a Teaching Assistant for the Biology Program. Haley’s work focuses on bridging scientific research, environmental governance, justice, and everyday practice. Through Keeping our Garden, she brings together her academic training, personal experience, and past Christian faith to explore practical, community-centered responses to climate change.

Language, Space, and the Ways Kids Use Them

Ishaan Ambrish

We often use space as a way to help us understand and think about abstract concepts like time. As adults, we use language to describe spatial concepts seamlessly, but children have a harder time doing so. Additionally, children who speak multiple languages may be exposed to different ways of describing spatial concepts in each of their languages, which can then influence how they think about space. This talk explores how children learn to use spatial language and how communication with others can help foster spatial language use, as well as upcoming research on how being bilingual may impact how children learn about spatial concepts.

Ishaan Ambrish is a 4th year PhD candidate at the Language, Cognition, and Development Lab at the University of Washington. He is interested in researching how language impacts the way we see the world and how knowing multiple languages influences this worldview. Outside of the lab, you can find him biking on the Burke Gilman, watching movies with friends, and spending time with his cat Alice.

When Silence Isn’t Harmless: Rethinking Antibiotics After Kidney Transplant

Ralph Tayyar

After a kidney transplant, bacteria in the urine are common, especially in the first month. Even without symptoms, many patients receive antibiotics out of concern for preventing serious infection. But growing evidence suggests that treating every positive test may not improve outcomes and may contribute to antibiotic resistance. In this talk, Ralph Tayyar explores whether early treatment truly protects transplanted kidneys or unintentionally causes harm. Drawing on seven years of data from approximately 1,400 transplant recipients, he examines rejection, infection, and resistance outcomes. This presentation challenges the reflex to treat and invites a more thoughtful approach to antibiotic stewardship in vulnerable patients.

Ralph Tayyar is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Allergy & Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington Medical Center. He specializes in transplant infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship, with a focus on improving outcomes for immunocompromised patients. His research examines how antibiotic practices influence transplant rejection, infection risk, and antimicrobial resistance. He leads clinical and quality improvement initiatives aimed at aligning real-world practice with evidence-based care. Ralph is committed to advancing responsible antibiotic use while protecting the long-term success of organ transplantation.

Presented by Town Hall Seattle and UW Engage.

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