scene
green
Spring 2021
Sustainability Bulletin 1
Inside this Issue 3 ……………….……..………………...………...Curriculum 4 ………………….……..……………..…..…..…Operations 5 ..………………..….……..…………...…….…….Research
6 ..………………………..…..………….….….Engagement 7 ..……...………………...…….……..Community Events 8-9 …………………………………………..……...Leadership 10 .....……………..…Sustainability Alumni Spotlight
@UAlbanyGreenScn
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Passion for Global Health Professor John Justino from the School of Public Health is teaching a course on issues in public health and sustainability: HSPH 259 Topics in Public Health What are some of the topics that you cover in your course? The course covers the most important global disease burden issues and how they relate to meeting the targets set under SDG 3 (good health and well-being). We also introduce the topic of sustainable development and how this underpins the development of the SDGs in general. In addition, the course covers other topics that relate closely to the SDGs: health and human rights, health equity and social justice, women’s and children’s health, and global environmental health challenges (including climate change and health). What interested you about teaching a course on global health? For much of my career I lived and worked abroad (primarily in sub-Saharan Africa) leading global public health programs with funding from a wide range of international development assistance agencies. Here at the University at Albany School of Public Health I work with students interested in global health studies and in launching global careers. So the topic of Global Health is one that I am quite passionate about and I enjoy sharing my experiences with interested students. Do you have any specific sustainability learning objectives for this course? Our main focus related to sustainability is to link the SDGs, and in particular SDG 3, the global burden of disease issues. How do you measure if students have increased their sustainability literacy? Students’ knowledge is evaluated via in-class assignments, exams, online discussion forum and in class discussions focused on key topics related to global health and their links to the SDGs (in particular the achievement of SDG 3 targets). In addition they apply their learning by developing a needs assessment paper for a selected low or lower-middle income country. Is there anything else you want students to know about this course? Given the fact that ensuring health and well-being is critical to a country’s sustainable development, this course touches on topics closely associated with many of the SDGs. For instance, our focus on the social determinants of health and health equity concerns relate closely to SDG 4, 5, and 10. The global environmental health topics covered related not only to SDG 6, but also to SDGs 10, 11, and 12. Our lectures on Health and Human Rights relates directly to SDG 16.
Curriculum
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First SUNY Fair Trade Designation UAlbany became the first SUNY campus to receive designation as a Fair Trade University last month. We join only 67 other campuses in the United States. The official designation, through the organization Fair Trade Campaigns, means UAlbany is committed to incorporating ethically produced products into institutional purchasing as well as educating students and the campus community about fair trade practices. The movement toward fair trade designation at UAlbany began in 2018 with the student organization SSTOP (Students Stopping the Trafficking of People), which works to raise awareness of human trafficking in all forms. That includes sexual exploitation, slavery and forced labor, and working conditions that are similar to slavery. The Fair Trade label on products ensures consumers the items were grown, harvested, crafted and traded with fair working conditions and in ways that improve and protect the environment. Fair trade products now available on campus include sugar and pepper at two condiment stations in the Campus Center, as well as Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, select Green Mountain coffees, Bark Thins and Lily’s chocolates available at 518 Market and at catering events on campus. Look for the Fair Trade Certified labels on products to ensure you are supporting the principles embedded in this designation. Kudos to Professor Dennis McCarty and President of SSTOP Joseph LaBarbera for their work in championing this effort and doing the work to ensure we accomplish our goal.
Look for these logos on products at 518 Market to ensure that you are buying Fair Trade!
Operations
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Visualizing Climate Change Impacts A new tool developed through the University at Albany Visualization and Informatics Lab (AVAIL) is offering an interactive way to view up to two millennium’s worth of paleoclimate data around the globe. The tool, a result of UAlbany’s ongoing $5 million Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) CREATE project funded through the National Science Foundation, includes three visualization maps, all of which are available now to the public: Tree Ring Viewer: Provides visual access to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s international tree-ring data bank, the world's largest public archive of historical tree ring data. More than 4,000 sites on six continents are included. Not only do these rings tell the age of a tree, but also the climatic conditions during its lifetime. Forest Stress Viewer: The PIRE researchers have turned to more than a century’s worth of data (from 1901 to 2012) from NOAA’s international tree-ring data bank to analyze historical tree growth. Through the forest stress viewer, users can analyze both past and future projections (from 2045 to 2060) of forest stress around the world. PHYDA Climate Globe: Visually maps 2,000 years of reconstructed temperature and hydroclimate trends onto a global interface, in turn taking an expansive database and translating it into a web-based visualization platform for streamlined presentation, customized data download options and interactive collaboration. In 2017, Mathias Vuille, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (DAES), teamed up with six institutions and 18 investigators from the United States, Brazil and Argentina to gain valuable insight on how and why Earth’s climate has varied naturally over the past thousand years. Vuille and his team utilized the Tree Ring Viewer tool to produce reconstructions of historical extreme weather events (monsoons, El Niño, etc.), analyze societal responses and make future climate projections based on past model-archive comparisons. Vuille commented on his work and said, “Just having numbers and large datasets is not going to convince most people of the real societal dangers of global climate change and we’re grateful to AVAIL for translating our work into a non-scientific language, letting people see it with their own eyes.”
Research
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Around the
Sustainable Futures Conference The Sustainable Futures Conference is a multiday virtual event that will mainstream public discourse around the concept of sustainable practice. This event will feature over a dozen international and national speakers, the conference will illuminate how sustainability and resilience are multi-sector issues woven into all aspects of civic life, including economic development, housing, health, design, urban ecology, and education. The conference will place particular emphasis on equity and climate justice, highlighting the implementation of New York State’s landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) in the Capital Region.
Over a four day period, this conference will feature 16 keynote speakers, 32 communityled breakout sessions, a Youth Climate Congress, and an Innovation Salon that will showcase the latest sustainable design and infrastructure breakthroughs (with sustainable wine drinking!) Invited keynote speakers include Mayor Enrique Peñalosa, Congressman Paul Tonko, Prof. Julian Agyeman, Leah Penniman, and Commissioner Basil Seggos. 2021 is a critical year for climate policy and practice at all levels of government! This conference will gather regional momentum by showcasing all the important sustainability work being done in the Capital Region while also helping to visualize a future where the region has become a center for renewable energy and a model of a robust, inclusive, green economy. The conference is being organized by The Future of Small Cities Institute and co-hosted by the University at Albany, SUNY and the Center for Architecture, Science, and Ecology (CASE) at RPI. See HERE for more information on the conference. Registration is free to all UAlbany students! Click HERE to register.
Engagement
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Community Around the Community ARSC Spring 2021 Falconer Lecture Series Tuesday, May 4, 7:00 - 8:00 PM, Virtual Join the UAlbany Atmospheric Sciences Research center for a virtual lecture on Recreational Impacts and Alpine Stewardship in the Age of COVID-19. The speaker is Kayla White, Stewardship Manager for the Adirondack Mountain Club. Register HERE in advance! Story of Plastics Panel Discussion Thursday, May 13, 6:30 - 8:00 PM, Virtual The Story of Plastic is a searing expose revealing the ugly truth behind plastic pollution and the false solution of plastic recycling. Watch the film in advance and then join a discussion on the topic. Register for the Zoom meeting HERE! A link for free viewing of the film will be sent out in May. Event hosted by the League of Women Voters of Albany County TRAILgating Saturday, May 15, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM This year, Albany Pine Bush staff and friends are kicking off Lupine Fest with trailgating! They’ll be parked at each of the 12 trailheads with their trunks open – but instead of barbequing, they’ll be dishing out informational materials and answering your questions before you head out on the trails! Please keep in mind COVID-19 mask and social distancing measures. This event is weatherdependent. See HERE for more information and a map of trailheads.
Events
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Student Leaders Recognized The President's Sustainability Leadership Award recognizes a student who contributes to the advancement of sustainability within the UAlbany campus and surrounding community by demonstrating a leadership role in raising awareness and increasing campus involvement in advancing sustainability. This year's recipient is Carly Lindsay!
Carly is an exceptional scholar and active member of the UAlbany community. She maintains a 3.9 GPA while holding onto leadership roles on campus including serving a President of UAlbany Students for Sustainability this year. During her collegiate career, Carly has sought out and received co-curricular designations including the Eco-Rep, My Green Lab and Climate Leadership certifications to increase her skills, knowledge and career prospects in the area of sustainability. In her role as Energy Analyst intern for our Office of Energy Management, Carly has researched several projects including co-writing Sustainable Laboratory guidelines, assisting in the development of an Energy Management Information System (EMIS), analyst for the 2020 Energy Campaign, which quantified daytime energy reduction based on a nighttime baseline, and presented findings to finance and administration leadership. Carly also received the Outstanding Senior Award. Thank you to Carly for all that you have contributed to sustainability at UAlbany. We will miss you! We'd also like to congratulate other President's Leadership Awardees who have collaborated with the Green Scene during their time on campus. August McEachern (Climate Activist, co-founder Sunrise Albany) - Great Dane Award Chidiogo Igboekwe (Eco-Rep) - Distinguished Scholar-Leader Award Bria Iman Taylor (Eco Rep) - Outstanding Woman’s Outstanding Leadership Award Benitha Muyizere (Former President UNA-USA) - International Student Leadership Award, Outstanding Senior Award Joseph LaBarbera (President SSTOP) - Jonathan Whyte-Dixon Memorial Award, Outstanding Senior Award, Justice Award Stephany Solis (former SA Director of Health and Sustainability) - The Representative John Lewis Scholarship
Leadership
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Terra Award Spring 2021 Each semester, the University recognizes the efforts of campus community members for demonstrating a commitment to advancing sustainable culture at UAlbany. The award is named for Terra, the Roman goddess of the Earth. This distinction is given based upon a nominee’s work within the framework of CORE. The acronym identifies the four main areas in which a person can effect change in the area of sustainability: Curriculum, Operations, Research and Engagement. This semester we are pleased to announce the following recipients: Undergraduate Student: Carly Lindsay for her leadership of the student group UAlbany Students for Sustainability and her contribution to energy research and operations on campus. Graduate Student: Shelby Brennan for her vital behind the scenes support on our communication efforts. Shelby is the force behind the weekly listserv emails, this bulletin, our calendar and outreach efforts. Faculty: Professor Dennis McCarty for his steadfast work on bringing the Fair Trade University designation to fruition. His collaborative spirit, mentoring of our students and passionate advocacy for the effort was key to making it a success. Staff: Dr. Martha Asselin for the multitude of programs and close partnership she has fostered between the Office of Sustainability and the Center for Leadership and Service, highlighted by the Fill It Forward Initiative. Coming soon, a leadership academy and our long-awaited faculty led sustainability themed trip! Congratulations to all of these worthy recipients and shout to all who were nominated. The committee had a very tough decision to make based on the volume and quality of our nominees and we thank them for their service. If you would like to contribute to our Earth Day appeal, providing sponsorship for student leadership opportunities, click here for instructions. Any amount is appreciated.
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Sustainability Alumni Spotlight Lynne Neveu 1. What year did you graduate? 2010 2. What was your major/minor? Public Policy 3. What was your co-curricular and student organization involvement on campus? NYPIRG, UAlbany Students for Sustainability, WCDB Albany (note: Lynne was the first President of USS) 4. What are you doing now? Where do you live? I live in Niagara Falls and am working for Planned Parenthood managing the education programs in Niagara County. I am also getting my Masters Degree from Niagara University in Secondary Education 5. How have you applied your experience with the sustainability movement on campus and involvement with the Office of Sustainability into your post-college life and career? I initially went into local government and integrated my knowledge and passion for sustainability into my work there. Five years ago I switched careers and started working in education at Planned Parenthood, which includes managing a teen center in Niagara Falls. It's been fun to integrate more sustainable behaviors into the center and to work with the teens who go there after school on projects on learning more about sustainability. We switched to reusable plates and cutlery, have started composting and gardening and are always working on beautification in the community. Most recently we had a lot of expired condoms (due to being closed for COVID for so long and not being able to give them away) and are working on a fun "project runway" style project to work with the teens to reuse them and turn them into fashion! The Office of Sustainability is proud of the successes of our alumni! They were essential in the early stages of the sustainability movement at UAlbany and have shaped where it is now. 10
