At the University of Rhode Island, three teams of students gave proposals about how to solve climate change to a panel at the Solve Climate 2030, a worldwide teach-in at URI on March 29.
Ann Salzarulo, a communications associate teaching professor, gave an introduction saying this event was sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement from Bard College in Hudson, New York. She also said there are 350 universities from 40 different countries doing the same teach-in, as well.
“We wanted to center students in our teach-in this year, student proposals for how to make a more sustainable campus and community,” Salzarulo said.
Dylan Murdock, a first-year student studying sustainable agriculture and food systems was the emcee for the event. He said the goal of the event was to raise awareness about the importance of collective action toward a shared vision.
“I want URI to be an evermore regenerative sustainable campus and a model for the future,” Murdock said.
Then, Murdock said there was a panel of leading experts who listened to the three proposal projects of three student teams from a French class taught by Karen deBruin, a French professor and an honors program director at URI.
Murdock added that the panel consisted of Vanessa Venturini, a URI extension educator and the URI Master Gardener program leader, Mary Parlange, URI’s first lady and a Green Thinker, which is someone who actively takes steps to conserve energy and help the environment, Steve Alm, a professor of plant sciences and entomology at URI, Norbert Mundorf, a professor of communications at URI, Frankie Minor, the vice president of URI Housing and Residential Life and Pierre St-Germain, the director of Dining Services, along with deBruin.
According to Murdock, the three projects presented were composting and food systems, biodiversity and agriculture and carbon emission transportation.
The first proposal that went up was composting and food systems. The students in the group were Margaux Bedford, a third-year student studying French and marketing, Brink Erickson, a third-year student studying French and mechanical engineering and Sareena Shetti, a third-year student studying French and sociology.
The team said their plan was to add compost bins to campus, spread awareness and educate students about the composting resources at URI. They said their project will save money and contribute to the protection of the environment.
According to Shetti, composting is a natural process of decomposing organic matter through controlled conditions. The food scraps are exposed to oxygen and this aerobic process prevents methane, which doesn’t happen in landfills.
“In the future, we hope to see composting bins as common as trash and recycling bins on campus,” Shetti said.
The next team was biodiversity and agriculture. The students in the team were Shannon Critz, a fourth-year student studying international studies in diplomacy and French, Aidan Kindopp, a fourth-year student studying chemical engineering and French, Edith Martinez, a fifth-year studying pharmD and French and Shoshana Gunasekera, a second-year student studying international studies in diplomacy, French and writing & rhetoric.
The team’s plan was to find ways to support bees because they help with biodiversity on campus. Critz explained that planting native plants like red clover and creeping thyme to support bee populations. She also said we can reduce and or eliminate pesticides and convert turf to low-growing plants, which are resistant to mowing.
According to Kindopp, biodiversity is the variety of life in the world’s habitat or ecosystem. This can be divided into three levels: global, local and community.
“It’s important to learn why bees are crucial and why we should respect them,” Critz says.
The last team was carbon emission and transportation. The students were Allegra Levone, a fourth-year student studying French and theater, Carleigh Schissel, a third-year studying sports media and communications and minoring in French and Lucas Furtado, a second-year student studying computer science and French.
The team said their plan was to make URI greener and more electric. Their goals are to turn the shuttles from diesel to electric, decrease the amount of gas in the air with better quality and create lower running costs over time.
According to the National Geographic Society, carbon dioxide is a trace and a greenhouse gas produced by humans, burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. It is the number one source of global CO2 emissions.
“We want to try to lower our carbon footprint as a University,” Schissel said.
After each presentation, the panel asked questions and gave comments about their proposal.
Parlange gave a comment on the biodiversity proposal, talking about what he wants to do to support the bees.
“What I would like to do is make a demonstration garden in the area of native pollinators and put an educational spot for education opportunities for people coming to campus,” Parlange said.
The event concluded with Emily Diamond, a moderator and assistant professor of communications and marine affairs, giving thanks to everyone who came.
“Thank you for all of these great ideas and for everyone coming today,” Diamond said. “This is our third year doing some variation of International Solve Climate Day. I found this very successful.”