Green Liaisons Committee Update

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy so far this semester in the midst of the COVID mayhem. There are a few updates about the Green Liaisons Committee that I would like to share with you all. Moving forward we will be using a Facebook Group to connect with each other, so I encourage you all to join! If you have trouble with the hyper link above, search “University of Delaware Green Liaisons Committee” on Facebook, and request access that way. As a member of the group you will be given access to a shared google calendar that will be updated with all of the events hosted by different environmental groups on or around campus. You will also be able to utilize a directory of relevant contact information such as different campus group executive board members. I know COVID is hindering events right now, but we will try to make the best of this with online speakers and events.
I am still working out the kinks, but if you are currently on the executive board of a student group at UD and are interested in being a part of our collaborative committee, I ask that you send me an email at hdzuray@udel.edu so that I can ensure you are able add events to the google calendar. Additionally, please let me know if you would like to be included in the directory, which will only be available to members of the Facebook group. If so, please send your group name, position, and email address.
Hopefully this change will increase awareness of what’s happening on campus related to sustainability, and make it easier to get in touch will each other. This is a bit of a learning curve, so if you have any issues with the Facebook group, the calendar, or any other difficulties please don’t hesitate to reach out!

First Talk of the Semester! (Spring 2019)

On March 6, we hosted CleanBay Renewables. They are a sustainable engineering company based in Westover, Maryland, but with a few locations across the area, including in Georgetown, Delaware. It was founded in 2013 by Tom Spangler and is the only business of its kind. CleanBay Renewables uses anaerobic digestion and nutrient removal techniques to fully recycle chicken waste into clean power.

Their technology processes in a fully closed system to avoid waste stream, protecting local ecosystems from harm. This technique not only strengthens the electrical power grid, but it also provides an auxiliary for farmers. Delaware is a national leader in chicken production, so this technology is pivotal for the area.

CleanBay currently has 12 trucks functioning daily and they process 90,000 tons of chicken litter a day- enough to power 9000 homes. annually The digesters they use consume 1.5 million tons of water, but it is sustainably done so that the water returns into the ecosystem after use. Their technology produces biogas and digestate during processing, with the digestate being turned into phosphorus pellets. Given the high phosphorus in the area which hurts aquatic life, these pellets are transported to phosphorus-deficient areas in the nation to help food production.

This new and exciting technology was great to hear about and we would love to see what happens next. For more information, please go to cleanbayrenewables.com or contact us! Check out our Instagram https://www.instagram.com/udgreenliaisons/ for photos from the event!

Ali Mahdi

amahdi@udel.edu

First Lunch of the Semester!

Publicity Photo of Sue McNeil with Civil & Environmental Engineering

Sue McNeil, Photo: udel.edu

Please join us NEXT Friday, September 23rd, from 12:15-1:15PM, in the Perkins Ewing Room for our first lunch of the semester.
We will be featuring UD’s Dr. Sue McNeil, a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Public Policy, and Administration. She will talk with us about her research on how cities and regions are incorporating climate change into their disaster preparedness plans.
This topic has become increasingly relevant, especially after events like Hurricane Sandy.
All are welcome and light refreshments will be served!

New Green Guidance: UD’s Sustainability Manager Answers Student Questions on Sustainability Day

Michelle Bennett, Facilities

For this year’s Campus Sustainability Day, October 28th, Green Liaisons partnered with the Campus Sustainability Day Working Group to host UD’s very new Sustainability Manager, Michelle Bennett, for a noontime lunch.

Michelle joined UD as the pioneer in this position this past summer following a long campaign by several university parties, including some exceptionally dedicated students (see our luncheon post from early fall 2014). Students and faculty alike have been eager to hear from Michelle her vision for sustainability at UD, as well as to ask some questions of her. You can check out her talk on Youtube here!

An Earth Month Special: UD’s Solar Power Project and the Delaware Nature Society’s Clean Water Campaign

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This past April 24th, we held a special two-for-one Green Liaisons Lunch in honor of Earth Month featuring both Zach Platsis, UD’s Energy Manager, and Brenna Goggin, the Delaware Nature Society’s Advocacy Manager.

Zach led a great talk detailing the University’s rather recent solar initiative, which includes solar arrays atop Clayton Hall, 461 Wyoming Road, and the Delaware Field House.  The arrays generate approximately 1000 total Mwh each year, which is out of UD’s overall 150,000 annual Mwh usage.

We actually learned quite a bit about some lesser known aspects of solar energy itself, such as how to discern and interpret the difference between “AC” and “DC” energy output, what conditions allow arrays to function most efficiently (it should be relatively cool), and the fact that arrays cannot run on max power for very long, which means that their advertised energy output can sometimes be misleading to the public.

Zach also told us about some of the University’s new energy initiatives, such as their sub-metering project, which will, in an effort to better target energy-consuming utilities, put several individual meters where there are currently full-building meters.

Next, we heard from Brenna about the Delaware Nature Society’s 2015 campaign, Clean Water: Delaware’s Clear Choice, an effort to secure funding for cleaner waters in DE. Delaware, as Brenna explained, has had a long history of contaminated water, beginning with industries such as National Vulcanized Fiber (NVF), which operated without safe building regulations throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and thus released toxic chemicals like zinc and mercury into DE waterways that remain to this day. Delaware water also still receives a regular dose of Dupont chemicals, agricultural runoff, and combined sewer overflow from wastewater treatment plants (which especially affects the Brandywine), in addition to residential runoff from homeowner lawn management and storm drains. 11016089_346947668835679_155683031020860636_n

The problem that needs addressing now is that none of that runoff is treated: it goes straight to local waterways. The only way to remedy this on a truly effective scale would be to fund solutions (like rain barrels, best management practices, and pervious outdoor surfaces), and of course, finding that funding is the difficult part. The job of the Delaware Nature Society then, in addition to raising awareness about the state of Delaware’s water, is to secure that funding by way of an increase on property taxes. Residents would have a certain annual rate, and, although perhaps unconventional, larger, otherwise-exempt locations like the University of Delaware (which contributes a great portion of pollution to DE water) would be required to pay an appropriate fee, all in the name of making the water we interact with every single day that much safer.

Thank you to Zach and Brenna for these great talks! If you’d like to learn more about UD’s solar energy, check out the live-stream solar generation tracker, and if you’d like to learn more about the Clean Water: Delaware’s Clear Choice campaign, check out their Facebook page!

This was actually our last talk of the Spring semester, so check back with us in the fall to see what talks we have planned for next semester!

New Weekly DENIN Lunchtime Lecture Series

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Every Monday from 12:30-2:00 PM during this Spring semester 2015, the Delaware Environmental Institute (DENIN) will host a lecture concerning a relevant environmental issue in the ISE Lab. Known as the “Interdisciplinary Science Learning Laboratory Spring 2015 Lecture Series,” this event is a great way to get exposure to the environmental side of UD while interacting with like-minded UD faculty, staff, and students. The first lecture will be held this coming Monday, February 16th.

This upcoming lecture will feature two speakers: Doug Tallamy, a Professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, discussing “Why Novel Ecosystems Won’t Work,” and Annette Giesecke, Interim Chairperson of the Dept. of Foreign Languages and Professor, on “the role of the garden in defining humanity’s relationship with nature.”

The schedule and more info on this awesome opportunity can be found here!

There will be refreshments served, but only to the first 30 people–register early by emailing doucette@udel.edu!

Newark Backyard Habitat Tour

Join fellow Newark residents tomorrow, September 13th, as they explore the fifteen “certified backyard habitats” of Newark that were newly recognized as such by the National Wildlife Federation.

Each of these local backyards has been specifically designed to provide food, water, shelter, and protection for a variety of birds and animals. Owners have worked for years to attain this status, and they will now open their yards for tours. The tour tomorrow will be self-guided, last from 10am to 2pm, and begin at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Newark on 420 Willa Road.

A $20 donation is suggested, which will go toward improving habitats in city parks around Newark.

More info can be found here: http://www.newarkpostonline.com/news/article_18dfcb24-0439-535e-bee2-93834af4a1ca.html.

Photo credit: ourhabitatgarden.org.

Dumpster Detour

428533_10152810917800494_1690122514_nAre you getting ready to move out of your dorm or apartment? Do you have unwanted household items that you don’t want to lug home? No need to throw those items out during move-out week. Donate them to Dumpster Detour!

Dumpster Detour will be providing moving trucks and drop-off tables stationed throughout campus to collect items that you no longer want and will donate the collection to UDon’t Need It, who provides the items to people in need. What a great way to keep reusable items out of our landfills and help others!

Look out for orange and black signs around campus. Collections are from May 21-24.

Contact Nick Kaufman if you have any questions, nkaufman@udel.edu.

Earth Week 2014

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Earth Week 2014 kicked off last week with a wonderful performance from Climbing PoeTree. The Earth Week committee has many more great events planned for the university community. Inspired by the original Earth Day in 1970, UD is putting environmental concerns front and center through teach-ins, discussions, and other educational opportunities and events.

To learn more about the events scheduled from April 21 through April 27, please visit:  http://www.udel.edu/earthweek/.

Green Liaisons will have a presence at the Green Expo on Thursday, April 24 and we will be having our monthly luncheon on April 25 at noon in the Perkins Alumni Lounge. More details to come!

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Happy Earth Day

Climbing PoeTree

CPT by Pablo Aguilar

DENIN’s Student Programs Committee will be kicking off the UD’s Earth Week festivities on Wednesday, April 16, by hosting a performance of the Brooklyn-based duo Climbing PoeTree.

Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman, the women of Climbing PoeTree, interweave spoken word, hip hop, and award-winning multimedia theatre to tell powerful stories of liberation, state and personal violence, social, environmental, racial and sexual justice, women’s empowerment, love and human transcendence.

Climbing PoeTree will be performing segments from their acclaimed multimedia production Hurricane Season: The Hidden Messages in Water, which uses poetry, shadow art, dance, film and animation to examine the unnatural disasters facing humanity on a daily basis through the lens of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

The FREE event will start at 7:00pm in Perkins Student Center’s West Lounge.