I’d go for Wash U in a heartbeat. Great school, nice location, terrific quality of life, and an extremely strong environmental biology program, especially if you are interested in botany/plant science. What’s not to like?
I am not a huge fan of the UCs for undergraduate training in the biological sciences, and I’m saying that as a UC grad. The differences in class sizes, funded research opportunities, faculty mentoring, etc. between the UCs and their smaller and wealthier peers are pretty stark. YMMV.