We are conducting interviews with graduating leaders to share their stories and inspire UMBC students for years to come. We can inspire others to enact and lead progress towards a more sustainable society.

1. In what ways were you involved in Sustainability efforts on campus during your time as a student?

I first heard about the Biodiesel club during the spring semester of my second year at UMBC. I was inspired by the club’s mission to generate energy from waste and took over the initiative that following summer. In order to teach myself and others more about biodiesel, I constructed a lab-scale reactor designed to produce a small quantity of biodiesel from waste vegetable oil.

The following semester, I was honored to be one of four students to receive an SGA sustainability intern position. This work experience helped me make connections with like-minded faculty and staff at UMBC and beyond. Throughout the academic year, the other interns and I worked together to bring about sustainable change, including single stream recycling, composting, and most importantly, heightened awareness from the UMBC community.

2. What compelled you be involved? What did you get out of the experiences?

Prior to engaging in sustainable efforts at UMBC, I had an eye-opening experience in the chemical industry. The summer after my first year at UMBC, I accepted a sustainability intern position at global chemical company. The main objective of this position was to quantify waste generated by a number of chemical plants, and the results were quite shocking. In comparison to other countries, the United States consistently generated more waste! From the beginning of my undergraduate chemical engineering career, I vowed to work toward achieving more sustainable practices. It was not long after this experience that I became more involved in sustainable efforts at UMBC.

3. What changes have you seen take place during your time at UMBC?

Recycling has improved drastically since my beginnings with UMBC sustainability. It is much more available throughout campus compared to in the past. The composting initiative was also brought to fruition soon after my gig as a sustainability intern ended. Overall, the UMBC community has become much more aware and compliant with sustainable efforts, thanks to the students’ collective voice and faculty support. Organizations like SGA and SEA in conjunction with the Climate Change Task Force have pushed forward more sustainable efforts in record time.

4. What is your vision for the state of sustainability at UMBC 5 years from now?

I am impressed with the UMBC community’s response thus far to calls for more sustainable practices. It is my hope that the community not only maintains, but increases its level of awareness and sustainable practice for years to come. It is encouraging to see new sustainable ideas and approaches capturing the attention of the community as my final days at UMBC draw near.

5. What are the most important lessons you’ve learned through your work and efforts that you wish to share with UMBC students?

Persistence is the key. There were many times that I was forced to reevaluate my sustainable goals. I was very discouraged the first few times this happened, but then I realized that each and every change in plans added a new level of resilience and “sustainability” to my original goal.

Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion – to anybody. In my early days as an SGA intern, I was terrified to truly state my opinion to faculty, staff, and advisors. However, as I watched fellow interns speak boldly, I noticed that their opinions were truly received. Over time, I gained the confidence to speak firmly and with respect. My words took me to places that I never dreamed I could go.

Laura is graduating with a major in Biochemical Engineering. She is also part of the Honors College and UMBC Cross Country/Track and Field. Thank you, Laura.

Video clip of Laura in the Biodiesel Club

When:

Fri May 16, 2014 6AM to 9AM

Where:

Santa's House (@ Catonsville Fire Station)754 Frederick Rd, Catonsville, MD 21228

What:

Participants in Bike to Work Day who stop by the event location will receive a free t-shirt, commuting guide, and a chance to win prizes. Coffee & refreshments provided. Simply bike to work, and stop by 754 Frederick Rd. Register here.

Why:

Bike to Work Day is a national event to encourage and celebrate bicycling to work and promote public awareness of bicycling and bicycle safety. Locally, it's a part of Maryland's Clean Commute Month in May. Register here.

Late Spring is the start of the ground-level ozone season, when we hear about Code Red and Orange Ozone Action Days. On these warm smoggy days, the air is dangerous to breathe – especially for the young and for the elderly. Emissions from single occupancy vehicles(driving alone) contribute approximately 20% of our region's dangerous ozone levels. Driving alone also results in increasingly congested roadways and parking issues. We can save money, protect the environment, stay in shape and have fun while biking.

Transportation accounts for 38% of UMBC's carbon footprint. In 2007, President Hrabowski committed to campus carbon neutrality.

How:

Resources onUMBC's sustainable transportation alternatives are listed at: http://sustainability.umbc.edu/transportation/

• Ride Transit
• Carpool Together
• Bike to Campus    
• Borrow a Free Bicycle
• Charge an Electric Vehicle
• Borrow a Zip Car

Who:

These sustainable transportation options have been developed and promoted by the following groups. If this topic is of interest to you, consider getting involved:

• UMBC Transportation Work Group (part of the Climate Change Task Force)
• UMBC Cycling Community
• UMBC Off Campus Student Services, Sustainable Transportation Outreach Intern
• UMBC Sustainability

UMBC scientists receive Maryland Innovation grant from TEDCO to advance bioremediation of PCB-contaminated sediments

Professor Kevin Sowers, Professor of Marine Biotechnology at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET), and Professor Upal Ghosh, at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, have received a $100,000 grant from the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII). The grant will fund research to that will ameliorate the environmental harms of PCB’s. The program is an initiative of the Technology Council of Maryland (TEDCO) created in 1998 to spur commercialization of scientific research in Maryland as part of the state’s efforts to foster economic development through academic research.

Sowers is a global leader in environmental science and has pioneered a method that uses activated carbon pellets seeded with microorganisms that degrade the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments. In recent laboratory experiments, the cultures Sowers created resulted in over 80% reduction in the PCB mass after treatment.

“Our hope is that this method for treating PCB’s will have a tangible impact in restoring previously degraded areas – both on land and in bodies of water,” says Sowers. “PCB’s have long been a harmful and largely intransigent pollutant and our work is intended to address serious health impacts these chemicals have on people, animals and the environment.”

Sowers is collaborating in this work with Upal Ghosh, a professor at the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering at UMBC. “The magnitude of PCB sediment contamination and associated water quality problems in the United States is reflected in more than 3,200 state and local advisories that have warned the public about of the health impacts of consuming contaminated fish. These warnings cover 24% of total river miles throughout the United States,” Ghosh says. “The advisories include 100% of the Great Lakes and 35% of all other lakes nationwide.” PCBs are frequently reported as the leading contaminants at impacted sites. Current remediation technologies are expensive, destructive to environmentally sensitive areas, and difficult to coordinate with local activities. The technology proposed by Sowers and Ghosh addresses existing challenges and is especially suitable for environmentally sensitive sites such as wetlands and difficult-to-reach areas under-pier structures in contaminated harbors. This technology advances an in-situ remediation approach using activated carbon that has been recently developed by Ghosh and commercialized through a startup company Sediment Solutions.

The Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) was created as a partnership between the State of Maryland and five Maryland academic research institutions (Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Baltimore and University of Maryland Baltimore County.) The program is designed to promote commercialization of research conducted between and among the partnership universities and it leverages each institution’s unique strengths.

“The MII program is critically important to our partner universities and the citizens of Maryland,” noted Russell Hill, IMET Director, “because it facilitates the transformation of basic science into practical and far-reaching applications. We are grateful for TEDCO’s support and foresight in addressing this important environmental issue and are proud of the excellent research being done by Dr. Sowers and Dr. Ghosh.”

TEDCO

The Maryland State Legislature created TEDCO in 1998 to facilitate the transfer and commercialization of technology from Maryland’s research universities and federal labs into the marketplace and to assist in the creation and growth of technology-based businesses in all regions of the State. TEDCO is an independent organization that strives to be Maryland’s leading source for entrepreneurial business assistance and seed funding for the development of startup companies in Maryland’s innovation economy.

INSTITUTE OF MARINE AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

Located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology is a strategic alliance involving scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the University of Maryland Baltimore and the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Scientists are engaged in cutting-edge research in microbiology, molecular genetic analysis and biotechnology, using marine resources to develop new drug therapies, alternative energy and other innovations to improve public health and economic opportunities. IMET also contributes to sustainable marine aquaculture and fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay and other marine ecosystems.

Who had a blast celebrating Earth Day?

We did!

Wednesday’s EcoFest event on the quad drew crowds of students, faculty, and even visitors! All of us at SEA would like to thank our wonderful performers, MCs, and on campus and off campus groups for the energy and effort that made this such a memorable experience.

Let us know who you met at EcoFest, what you liked, and what you want to see next time!

If you want to know more, we are Students for Environmental Awareness. We strive to raise awareness about the environment and justice.

We also provide opportunities for students to work for change through service and activism. Join us for one of our general body meetings: Mondays from 12-1 pm in Commons 331. We'll be at Quadmania this Saturday!

Visit our facebook page for photos, videos, and more!

Thank you so much for celebrating the Earth with us. Have a great weekend and good luck on your exams!

Along with Team Drive-Less (a proposal to install a car counter at the Commons Garage to indiciate when it is full), the proposed project, 'The Garden@ UMBC' won the top number of Prove-it votes with 70% of the students voting for the community garden. The organizers have been building momentum and partnerships and seeking approval and space for over a year. They're now asking anyone interested in a garden plot to use their Food Plot Application.

In their own words:

"We're building a community food garden on UMBC's campus. We are growing food, and a lot of it! If a Master Gardener used the space we've been provided, we could grow over $39,000 worth of food a year--that's incredible.

In addition to that we're trying to bring all of UMBC together: all majors, all interests, every kind of student to show that we all can contribute to something together. The actual space is a collaboration of Mechanical Engineering students and Linehan Visual Art Scholars, we've already had three classes from three different departments incorporate our project into their curriculum, and the Undergraduate Research Awards have already begun to be doled out.

Above all, The Garden is a model for how students can change their university. Research doesn't just exist in the lab, and service doesn't have to be at an off campus service site. We don't have to go to someone else for those opportunities. As students we can create them on our campus on our terms. We've already established the pool of campus and community partners to support every kind of engagement possible, and now we need the students.

Let's grow UMBC together."

• 7PM: Watch Dr Suess's 'The Lorax' and TED talks, and enjoy free popcorn in the Commons Sports Zone

• 11AM-2PM: Make buttons, planters, mason jars, reusable bags, and more on Commons Terrace
• 3- 4:30PM: Campus Sustainability Tour, meet at the entrance to the new Performing Arts building

• 10AM -2PM: Celebrate at the main festival, with music, games, speakers, performances, food, crafts, giveaways, and many organizations.
• 3PM: Volunteer to help us plant trees by Walker Garage. Tree planting training included.

• 6PM: Tour the trails of UMBC's Conservation and Environmental Research Area (CERA), departing from Commons Loop

• 4/23: Earth Day 5k Run
• 4/23: Sediment withdrawals and deposits, Chesapeake Bay Watershed: It’s not just banks!
• 4/25: Combined Sewer Overflows are an Important Source of Wastewater Contaminants in the Urban Environment”.

Sustainability Marketing & Outreach Intern

at UMBC Office of Administration and Finance

1. Drive awareness on sustainability efforts, including the new vegetated roof at the Administration Building, throughout campus.
2. Work in partnership with the Administration to engage and educate their peers about environmental sustainability and climate change including components of science, social justice, and social responsibility,
3. Engage and educate their peers about UMBC’s commitment to becoming a leading campus in sustainability.
4. Assist the Climate Change Task Force in facilitating behavior changes throughout the community to ensure UMBC is carbon-neutral by 2050, through participation in broader working groups.

1. In what ways were you involved in Sustainability efforts on campus during your time as a student?

2. What compelled you get involved? What did you get out of the experiences?

3. What changes have you seen take place during your time at UMBC?

4. What is your vision for the state of sustainability at UMBC 5 years from now?

5. What are the most important lessons you’ve learned through your work and efforts  that you wish to share with UMBC students?