A number of students, staff, and Environmental Science faculty members presented at the 2015 Annual Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC), “Building Bridges,” at Pennsylvania State University in State College.
Carissa Lange ’17, Elia Sherman ’17, Jonah Raether ’17, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Brittany Davis, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Benjamin Haywood presented “Composting Conundrum: Evaluating Food Waste and the Effectiveness of Compost on College Campuses,” which described a course project that revealed that 94 percent of the items in the trash and 36 percent of the items in the recycling bins in campus dining halls could have been composted. Results from this study initiated changes in the dining hall that are reducing this waste.
Bennett Gould ’17, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Beth Choate, Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Casey Bradshaw-Wilson, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Ian Carbone, and Eric Pallant, Christine Scott Nelson Professor of Environmental Sustainability, presented “Reducing Campus Electricity through Cooperation and Fun,” which describes Allegheny’s successful annual four-week energy challenges that have funded purchase of solar panels for the college.
Bennett Gould ’17, Isaac Pallant ’17, and Sustainability Coordinator Kelly Boulton ’02 presented the poster “Allegheny College Bike Share,” which explores the development of the Allegheny College Bike Share program.
Beth Choate, Paige Hickman ’17, and Erica Moretti ’17 presented “Diversity and Abundance of Native Bees on a Land-use Gradient in Meadville, PA.” Their work investigates the influence of land use on diversity and abundance of native bees.
Rebecca Anderson ’17, Keri Tucker ’16, and Carrden Director Kerstin Martin presented “The Community Wellness Initiative,” a community garden collaboration among Allegheny College community partners.
A poster by Kerstin Martin, Eric Pallant, and Sarah Swartz ’16, “The Wonder of Bread,” documented the educational and experiential process of harvesting, threshing, winnowing, milling, baking, and enjoying bread on campus from wheat grown in the Carrden.
Isaac Pallant ’17—along with Dan Conant ’06, Laura Nagel ’06, Meadville Mayor Christopher Soff, Meadville City Manager Andy Walker ’01, and Professor of Environmental Science Richard Bowden—presented “Basking in the sun: Can solar power work for the municipality of Meadville PA?” which addressed the feasibility of photovoltaic (PV) use for Meadville.
Sadie Stuart ’15 and Richard Bowden displayed “Carbon Athletic Conference,” which explores the environmental and social costs associated with travel for athletic events.
Environmental Science Professor and Geographic Information Systems Laboratory Director Chris Shaffer presented “Sustainable Forest Management: Identification and Prioritization of Forest Landowners in NWPA in Support of Targeted Outreach Program.” The project identifies forest landowners within the region to gauge interest in sustainable management practices.
Director of Creek Connections Wendy Kedzierski and Creek Connections Pittsburgh Director Laura Branby presented a poster on Creek Connections, describing the program’s educational efforts.