Union students propose ways to make campus operations more sustainable

Hannah Gardella and Nicole Julich

On Monday, students in Prof. Anouk Verheyden-Gillikin's and Jeff Corbin's Intro to Environmental Studies (ENS100) class presented posters describing proposals to make Union College's operations more sustainable. This poster session is always a highlight of the term, as it shows students' creativity and often is the germ of ideas that the College later adopts. Each of the posters presented not only a specific project and how it would be carried out, but also calculations as to the energy and/or monetary savings relative to the cost of installation. We hope that we'll be seeing some of them implemented in the near future!

Bonsal Brooks

Proposed projects included installation of hand-driers in residences, a fee system for laundry, heat-exchange in shower drains, grey-water collection and use, and an expansion of Octopus' Garden, just to name a few!

Hopefully, the next step for at least some of these projects is that they'll apply for some of the $25,000 that is available for student-proposed projects that save energy - the Green Fee!

Super-thanks to Meghan Haley-Quigley, Fred Puliafico, and Paul Matarrazo of Facilities for their help and willingness to answer many many questions.

The projects:
A Better Future is Biomass - Ali Smith, Karyn DeFranco and Victoria Cannillo

Ben Forman describes his poster

Davidson Hall Rain Water Collection - Maya Whalen-Kipp , Sonia Sandoval, and Jay Foster-Grover

When they remodel Humanities, let’s build a Green Roof! - Liz Devine, Yixin Hu and Bonsal Brooks

Feasibility of Greywater Systems and Alternative Water Saving Methods - Mathias Whitmeyer and Rachel Ross

Who Likes Hot Showers? U DO! - Benjamin Forman, Malory Bichunsky, Rachel Wyman and Matthew Gottlieb

Chad Laustrup

The Expansion of Octopus’s Garden - Jackie Goldenberg and Olivia Powers

To dry or Nott to dry? - Lauren Coryea, Victoria Cullinan and Elora Weil

Sloan Aqus Greywater System - Nicole Bartlett, Alex Tancrell-Fontaine and Alison Troy

Water Refilling Stations: A More Green Union - Chad Laustrup and Alec Weiss

Waterless Urinals - Dan Hurwitt, Gregory Bel and Todd Fichman

Olivia Powers and Jackie Goldenberg

Decreasing energy use through pay-per load laundry alternative - Nicole Julich, Hannah Gardella, Daniel Tinklepaugh and Alex Husain