Iowa City Summer of Solutions reps attend Grand Aspirations Gathering

Posted on September 24, 2012 by George

Sharing this blog post from Tom Frakes of Iowa City Summer of Solutions, a great organization that has done so much for the Iowa City community. Tom shares his experiences at the Grand Aspirations 2012 August Gathering in Hartford, Conn. This year’s gathering brought together roughly 60 individuals from SoS programs nationwide as well as leadership from Grand Aspirations and other allied organizations.

These individuals came together from a variety of ages, backgrounds and beliefs in order to build community, share best practices and debrief both challenging and empowering experiences our programs encountered through their work this summer.

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Chris Page: Twenty Candles

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Hailey

Uppasanti Pagoda in Naypyidaw, Myanmar

A blog post from Chris Page, a recent graduate of the University of Iowa. He updates us on his excursion through Asia and his insight into sustainability:

One hundred and twelve pounds of carbon dioxide is what you would emit each year if you lit your home with five candles, four hours a day. Providing 91,500 lumens of light for the year, you wouldn’t be able to read a book or run a business with that little amount of light. Over several years of use, there is a good chance they would start a fire, or give you lung cancer from the benzene, soot and other carcinogens that they emit into the air.

In August, I began work with Proximity Designs in Myanmar to sell d.light solar lanterns to rural households in the country’s Ayerawady Delta and Dry Zone. Before I moved, the carbon emissions, health hazards and lighting capability associated with candles would have seemed trivial. But for the 95 percent of rural villagers in Myanmar without access to electricity, candles and diesel lamps are the only source of light at night. For them, a solar lantern can mean they can shop for farming tools in the evening, or that their children can pursue an education. In short, solar energy has the potential to transform the rural countryside in Myanmar.

The lights, which are as affordable as $10 per light, pay for themselves within a few months of savings from not buying diesel and candles. Built to last, they can survive a fall from a coconut tree, or a dip in the river. And perhaps most significant, they produce the same amount of light as twenty taper candles, all the while emitting no indoor air pollution or carbon dioxide.

Myanmar’s carbon emissions are negligible as a result of 40 years of military rule that stifled economic growth. People here deserve the same quality of life that Americans enjoy, and should not feel guilty for emitting carbon emissions to light their homes. But for most of the villagers with whom I interact, preventing carbon emissions is a major selling point. When they buy the solar lamps, they feel part of something bigger – something global. With the hard work of the Office of Sustainability and other environmentalists’ work throughout Iowa, I feel grateful that they are.

Chris Page, a 2011 graduate of the University of Iowa, welcomes all visitors passing through Asia. For more information on Myanmar, visit his blog at piablogs.princeton.edu/cpage

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Sustainability Certificate: what it means to University of Iowa students (Pt. 2)

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Ryne

For the Earth Month Sustainability Festival in April, a Career Preparedness Abstract Competition was held asking students to answer one of two questions:”What the Sustainability Certificate means to me” or “What does Sustainability education and research at Iowa mean to me.” Here are the top two submissions:

Chelsea Krist, Josh Meier and Becky Kohles, winners of the sustainability abstract contest.

Josh Meier clinched first place and $500 dollars with the gripping way he writes about his grandparents, the land they have owned for 70 years, and how his certificate will be used to change old habits from abundance to balance.

“I see it in my grandfathers aging eyes as he looks across the land. Where for seven decades he offered his heart and soul. Here my father’s bare feet ran through the fields. Here, mine did the same. We’d  been entrusted as caretakers. Yet there’s a hint of uncertainty in his gaze.

“You can’t feed the world on organics…” he rationalizes. I wonder if he believes that. In some ways he must, but the tone belies his pride. Those eyes reveal a swirling conundrum in wake of presumed obligation, digested propaganda and seasons of pressure to obtain bumper yields.  It’s been hard on the farmers.

 It’s been harder on the land.

“It’s not so different than the way things used to be,” counters grandma, referring to the Depression- era practices they were both raised on: Don’t be wasteful. Look out for one another. Work hard to do what’s right. Grandma remembers when you could fill a jug and drink water from the stream. Somehow, over her lifetime we’d lost that. Somewhere it seems we’ve lost our way.

But if we’ve lost our way, we still haven’t lost hope.  For beneath that golden dome that’s long stood sentinel over this countryside, a revival is born.  In the name of Sustainability, the University of Iowa is training leaders of tomorrow with values from long ago. Teaching us to value balance over abundance. Advocating equal social, economic and environmental consideration. Seeking clean energy and reducing consumption. Conserving resources for tomorrow, and inspiring the individual responsibility necessary for global change.

If there’s solace to offer my grandparents, it’s that we will take it from here. The University of Iowa is educating people who are going to change the world, including those of us who plan to start right here at home.”

Second place was awarded to Chelsea Krist with her entry titled “Sustainability, the Spoken Word” and for her efforts, Chelsea won $250. She graduated this May with a degree in geography and a minor in anthropology.

Sustainability, the Spoken Word

We look for open doors in life, and go outside.

Sustainability surrounds me.

To the student, an education centered on studies of sustainability plants

knowledge that fixes The Three Spheres as one,

a circle that surrounds me.

Environmental stewardship, economic sensibility, societal prosperity:

these once bifurcated bubbles are bonded by the dynamic winds of change,

the breeze of sustainability inside the student’s breadth;

a current that surrounds me.

It blows to sew the thoughts of systems; cycling,

resurfacing seeds of antiquity we may have dropped along the way.

Perhaps they were gifts of our grandmothers; there saved, they endure,

awareness that surrounds me.

 The student prone to possibility is directed by The compass,

it points to past from present ‘till tomorrow, encompasses. 

Germination is ever, in sight and in lightening, restoring.

By(e) the bated path of a life-linear, the student trues their tendency;

a movement that surrounds me.

 The ends of the line, topline and bottom-lines, are brought together.

Tethered to around and around and around, and a round begins to resonate,

echoing the cyclical nature of nature-all things, reinforcing.

Sustainability, in occupation of the student’s consciousness, cultivates story-

telling of purpose, perception, preservation and perseverance in

alliteration that surrounds me.

Mindful of sustenance, we plant stories, plant place.

Where we are permanent students, minds-full, sustainability is and it becomes-

a permaculture that surrounds me.

In native tongue, the story’s told tall; tales of action and brilliant novation.

Through crafting compassion from inside and out, our crusades close the loop.

Knotted by opportunity, we are tied to grand ambition: grandchildren, biodiversity,

a presence that surrounds me.

 The students who pre-pone proactivity, re-defy language in a celebration of learning,

they prove,

that sustainability surrounds me.

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Sustainability Certificate: what it means to University of Iowa students (Pt. 1)

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Ryne

As part of the Earth Month Sustainability Festival in April, a Career Preparedness Abstract Competition was held asking students to answer one of two questions:”What the Sustainability Certificate means to me” or “What does Sustainability education and research at Iowa mean to me.” Students enrolled in the Sustainability Certificate program were eligible to submit up to 300 words describing their understanding of the significance of sustainability studies. Prizes were awarded and arranged through the sustainability curriculum advisory committee. The prize money awarded to the contestants was graciously donated by business professor Sarah Rynes-Weller. We are dedicating the next  blog posts to the top three entries for the Career Preparedness Abstract Competition.

The third-place entry was by Becky Kohles, who won $100.

Becky Kohles, right, won thrid place the sustainability abstract contest.

Her piece was about the importance of her Certificate in Sustainability and finding solutions to improve the future of the environment while stimulating the economy and business:

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”  These sensible words spoken by Isaac Newton can be applied to more than just physics.  These words speak of systems, systems such as our planet.  Every action that takes place has an impact, even if it goes unseen.  Wastes from industries affect the health of those around them.  The materials used in everyday objects affect the lives of people halfway around the world.  Emissions from cars and factories have impacted the planet so much as to affect our global climate and environmental quality.  Sustainability can fix these imperfections and change the negative impacts into positive ones.  Being a sustainable world is essential to our present and future society, economy, and environment.  In order to be a sustainable planet, we must be armed with knowledge, passion, and acceptance of change.  Sustainability allows businesses to thrive, society to retain equality and human rights, and the environment to be free of pollution and degradation.   Sustainability inspires innovation, creativity, and holistic thinking.  Sustainability brings healthy environments, education, and prosperity to all.

Completing the Certificate in Sustainability has opened my eyes to the true meaning of sustainability.  I now realize that sustainability is not just about doing what is best for the environment, but it is finding solutions that will sustain the economy and benefit all people.  It has taught me to not just consider one part, but to see the whole picture.  The Certificate in Sustainability has sparked a passion to engineer solutions to these issues that will enhance and shape designs for the future; designs that will not only improve environmental quality but stimulate business growth and enhance the quality of life for people.  I will continue to have sustainability influence my future actions and endeavors.”

 

 

Posted in Academics | 1 Comment

Year-End Donation Drive Diverts furniture, clothes, housewares from landfill

Posted on May 18, 2012 by George

As part of the University of Iowa Year-End Donation Drive nearly two tons of furniture, clothing, housewares, and other items were diverted from the Iowa City Landfill during Residence Hall move-out May 9 and 10.

As UI students and their parents loaded cars and trucks with personal belongings acquired over nine months of living on campus, student volunteers were happy to help carry and collect unwanted items that could be reused.

The two-day event netted 3,733 pounds of material from three locations. Students donated off 1,500 pounds of material at the collection site in the Quadrangle courtyard, 440 pounds at Mayflower Hall, and 1,833 pounds at the Burge Hall site.

The effort was organized by UI Housing, Office of Sustainability, City of Iowa City, Goodwill of the Heartland, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and the Crisis Center of Johnson County.  The Crisis Center collected over 3,000 pounds of food and hygiene items this year in the lobby of each residence hall during move-out week This was a great help for families as school ends and their children no longer have access to Free and Reduced Lunch. The ReStore accepted small appliances such as microwaves and mini-fridges.

Andrea Uhl, a graduate student in the UI School of Urban and Regional Planning, started the move-out collection drive last year as a project for her Sustainable Systems class.

Uhl returned this year and brought together representatives from Goodwill of the Heartland, Habitat Restore, the Crisis Center of Johnson County, UI Housing, UI Office of Sustainability and UI Facilities Management to once again coordinate the drive. Students

from several campus organizations, including the UI Environmental Coalition, helped collect items and load them onto Goodwill trucks.

The Crisis Center  collected nonperishable food, unopened hygiene items, and cleaning supplies in the lobby of each residence hall during move-out week. The ReStore accepted small appliances such as microwaves and mini-fridges.

The weight of the material collected was down from last year,  but Facilities Management staff reported that far fewer items were placed in the dumpsters this year.

Posted in Green Event, Volunteers | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Video You’ve Got To See: “Why I must speak out about climate change” by Dr. James Hansen

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Liz

The UI’s own Dr. James Hansen is making news with his latest video on TED:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/james_hansen_why_i_must_speak_out_about_climate_change.html

 

 

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Did you know… the University of Iowa is pretty Green.

Posted on February 21, 2012 by George

From the Under the Dome UI Student Blog, here are some ways the UI is striving to maintain an energy and cost-efficient campus that is helpful to the environment. The University of Iowa is one of the EPA’s Green Power Partners! We burn oat hulls from the Quaker Oats factory in Cedar Rapids. We reduce our coal consumption by 20%!

  • From 2004-2010, the University joined the Chicago Climate Exchange. The UI made a commitment to reduce GHG emissions for a better planet.
  • In 2009, the University opened a student garden.
  • The Building Commissioning Program at the UI strives to make sure buildings on campus operate at optimally designed conditions for less energy waste.
  • The Landscape Services at the UI manages the planting of over 300 trees/year. We are the first University in Iowa to receive the Tree Campus USA designation.
  • Many groups on campus support recycling and energy renewal such as the UI ECO Hawks(don’t hesitate to join and do your part!).
  • Facilities Management on campus uses green-certified, recyclable janitorial materials and supplies whenever possible for a better living environment.
  • The University of Iowa maintains the standard for LEED Silver certification for new buildings and renovations.

 

Posted in Energy Efficiency, Environmental, Renewable Energy | 11 Comments

Water Management in Rural India

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Meredith

Before leaving the University of Iowa, I decided to end my undergrad career with a final course in India.  This blog entry recounts my journey with full detail about my experiences in India, a country of contrasts. 

Around 3:30 a.m. on December 27, 2011, I arrived in Gurgaon, India. I went to India with the University of Iowa’s India Winterim Program.  The India Winterim is a three-week course in which students spend their winter break studying far from home in India.  Students can pick from several three-semester hour courses to learn first hand about pressing global issues such as sustainability, poverty, rural development, and public health.   Each course is partnered with an NGO to strengthen students’ experience as well as give them an opportunity to put their knowledge into action during their stay in India.

Women collecting water at the well

To fulfill a project course requirement for my sustainability certificate, I enrolled in International Perspectives in Water Sciences and Management.  The course’s objective was to gain a deeper understanding of both the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of climate and land use change on the quality and quantity of water in agricultural landscapes by using case studies in the Mewat District of Northern India, a rural district less than two hours away from the bustling capital of India.  The Mewat District is home to more than one million people living in an agrarian, backwards society.  Most of the water in the Mewat District is saline; less than 60 villages out of 491 have access to fresh ground water sources. Villagers face several problems stemming from lack of fresh water including low education/literacy rates, poor sanitation, increased morbidity and mortality rates, and overall decrease in quality of life.

IRRAD, Institute for Rural Research and Development, hosted our group of fourteen students from various academic backgrounds to tackle water management issues in Mewat.  IRRAD “envisions rural people across India empowered and motivated to make their lives more secure and prosperous through education, better health, improved skills, and supportive governance.” Our class worked closely with IRRAD’s water management program.  The first few days of our journey we visited several IRRAD intervention sites in Mewat.  Immediately, we learned IRRAD has spent a significant amount of time and money in Mewat to improve water quality through education programs and introduction to filtering technology; they have worked to preserve and retain freshwater pockets through construction of recharge wells and check dams. IRRAD has also made an effort to provide access to fresh water by building community tanks and tube wells throughout the Mewat District.  Even though Mewat’s problems appeared to have been significantly mitigated by IRRAD, there is still much more work to be done and issues to be addressed through new technologies and research.

IRRAD's community tank in Patkhori

After returning to Gurgaon from a weekend trip to Roorkee and Haridwar, we started working in small groups focusing on specific water management efforts in Mewat.  My group’s objectives were to analyze the impact of water intervention by making a comparison between Patkhori, a village with IRRAD intervention and Chainpori, a village with no IRRAD intervention.  Our other goal was to show if bacteria were present at the source and/or at the point of use, ie. storage containers, because water quality may worsen with transportation and storage. In the days following, we gathered necessary information through water collection efforts and subsequent interviews.

Our group of four plus a translator and an IRRAD field worker spent three extra days in the villages.  I helped fill vials with water samples from IRRAD’s community tank and hand pump in Patkhori.  In Chainpori we were unable to test the source water because their water relies on electricity and while we were there the electricity was not running.  After testing the source water, we walked household to household to interview women villagers.  The women were asked if they had a latrine, their source of income, recent illness, and their process of collecting drinking water.  Simultaneously, we collected water samples from their storage containers.  To see if the water was fit to drink, the water samples were tested for salmonella, citrobacter, coliform bacteria, and other pathogens.

collecting water samples at a hand pump

After compiling the data we learned only 6 percent of the 29 respondents had a latrine in the household, a majority were experiencing illness, 100 percent transport and store their water in the same bucket/bowl, and less than 25 percent wash their storage containers with detergent.  More importantly we learned that 42 percent of the respondents’ drinking water in Patkhori were contaminated and not fit to drink.  In Chainpori, 50 percent of the respondents’ drinking water samples tested positive for bacteria and therefore, not fit to drink.  The source water for Patkhori also tested positive for contamination.  We did not have a significant amount of data showing difference in water quality between intervention and non-intervention villages.  However, our tests and interviews proved these villagers have a serious problem with drinking water contamination.

While collecting samples, villagers proclaimed water is the main crisis.  Many said they need more healthy drinking water.  I learned most of the women spend their entire day fetching water; some even wake at 2 a.m. to collect water.  At home we take water for granted.  Thus it surprised me that these villagers’ lives revolved around collecting fresh drinking water.  As we were about to leave, a man started yelling at us.  In Hindi he said, “You come, take samples of our water and leave! Why do you come and leave?! We need your help, we need water!”  This man’s words struck a chord in me.  I knew I would not be coming back.  However, I wanted my experience to make a positive difference in their lives.

We finished with a final power point summarizing our goals, methods, results, and recommendations for IRRAD.  My roommate, Kristina Craft, and I made sure to leave something tangible for the villagers, though.  We created a poster informing all villagers how to improve their water quality with simple steps. Please see the final product below.

The poster reads… Illness>Why?

Water testing by U.S. students

Results>

Water contaminated-causes sickness

What can we do? Women,  you can stop illness and are responsible for removing it!

This is simple!           1.Clean your water by: cloth, boil, solids  2.  Wash with soap-hands and bowl

3.  Use ladle to pour drinking water

4. Use latrine

5. Raise your voice about your needs

Posted in Academics, Activism, Environmental, Lifestyle and Health, Study abroad | 4 Comments

Biomass comes to University of Iowa Research Park (Oakdale) Campus

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Ferman

For over a year the University of Iowa has been working to plan, design, bid, and install a new biomass boiler in the Oakdale Renewable Energy Plant. This project replaced the oldest boiler in the plant. Working in an existing plant substantially complicated the design and construction of project. It’s like putting a new electric hybrid engine in your 1967 F-150 pickup…….not something for the faint-of-heart.

The efforts of our project and plant staff, engineers, consultants, and vendors paid off on December 8 when we successfully established the first biomass (wood chip) fire in the boiler. “First fire” is a most significant event in constructing new boilers – a lot of work remains before the boiler is fully tested and operational. Our wood chips for the boiler are being supplied from a nearby saw mill. This means that the money we were spending on natural gas to make steam, can now be spent in the local area, rather than going out-of-state. The new boiler will be producing more and more of the UI Research Park Campus steam demand after it is fully operational.

Ferman

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Biomass Partnership Project Update

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Ferman

Partners discuss biomass fuels at a December meeting at the University of Iowa

 We have been working with a wide variety of folks to define how we are going to supply energy to meet our UI Vision 2020 Task 2 (2020T2)  goal of greening our energy portfolio.   2020T2 requires us to be using 40 percent renewable energy.  We intend to do this by replacing coal with biomass in our solid fuel boilers at the main power plant, and converting the University Research Park to biomass and landfill gas.

Twenty-six people attended a Biomass Parntership Project update meeting on campus last week.  They came from UI Office of Sustainability, Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, John Deere, Amana Forestry, Iowa DNR, National Resource Conservation Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Iowa Flood Center,  UI College of Engineering, and UI President’s Office.

We worked on sourcing our renewable fuel from dedicated annual energy crops such as miscanthus, switch grass, and prairie grass; as well as supplies from tree plantations of poplar, aspen, and maple.  There is a wealth of information technical and practical information available on this topic – as well as experts in Iowa.  Some of our next steps will be to gather this information and make projections and business models for this type of fuel supply.  We also hope to plant test plots in the local area as a demonstration of what can be done with dedicated energy crops.

Invasive plant species such as reed canary grass and thick stands of willow and poplar are a real problem in wetlands.  These are lands that flood frequently.  The flood kills the native vegetation, and the invasive species take over.  The invasive species are not conductive to wildlife enhancement. They don’t produce seeds (food), and the ground cover is difficult for animals and birds to use for shelter.  Agencies responsible for managing these lands are most interested in removing the invasive species, and restoring the land to native vegetation. It is not an easy process; but there may be an opportunity to build a compatible use of the land for wildlife improvement and a source of biomass fuel for UI.

Timber stand improvement (TSI) is used to improve the performance of forests and woodlands.  It involves going into wooded areas and identifying what trees and vegetation can be removed, such that the remaining trees are able to thrive.  Forest area that undergoes periodic TSI will produce better timber for commerce (logs), wildlife habitat, and recreation areas.  We hope to demonstrate what this process looks like next winter.

There are other sources of fuel, such as tree trimmings,opportunity wood from storm damage, used wooden pallets, unused corn and soy bean seeds, and organic industrial by-products.

Look for periodic updates on this blog as we move forward with defining how we will achieve 2020T2.

Ferman

Posted in Environmental, Renewable Energy, Research + Discovery | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment