Millersville University
08/26/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/26/2024 12:33
Meet the Winners of the Positive Energy Fund
Each year, Millersville University receives money from utility rebates created by the University's energy-conserving Lombardo Welcome Center. The Lombardo Welcome Center is the first building in Pennsylvania to be certified as a zero-energy building by the International Living Future Institute and only one of about 100 zero-energy buildings in the country.
The rebates fund faculty, staff and student-led projects that contribute positively to local and global communities using the Global Goals for Sustainable Development structure. Called the "Positive Energy Fund," faculty, staff and students are welcome to propose any project that addresses one of the global goals of sustainable development.
Up to $2,500 can be awarded to the winning applicants for projects that advance one of the global goals. Applications must include a detailed narrative that describes the project's implementation and intent.
[Link]Kaitlynn HamatyMU's sustainability manager, Kaitlynn Hamaty, explains how the fund aims to support a wide variety of academic programs while having local and global reach. "The Positive Energy Fund allows for innovation and community connection, as the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are expansive and include many focus areas or degree concentrations. Millersville wants to put our energy savings back into the community and find ways to combat local challenges, whether environmental, economic, social, etc. The Office of Sustainability is excited to have this opportunity available to all students, faculty and staff and encourages everyone to apply."
Here are some of the recent Positive Energy Fund recipients:
Sustainability Through Native Perennials
Dr. Dominique Didier, professor of biology, had one of the recent winning projects, titled "Growing and Planting Native Perennials for Sustainable Landscaping." Her project works to meet the global need for conservation and environmental sustainability. Didier is partnering with Homefields, a local organic farm, and with their help, she will replace the blueberries grown there with Saskatoon berries, an extremely hardy species of berry able to adapt to drought and extreme temperatures. "The impact of planting native perennials includes providing a natural habitat for native insects and bees, which increases the sustainability of the entire ecosystem," she explains.
Other native perennials will be available to the local community, and Didier plans to donate some of the plants to MU. These native perennials will be planted in campus gardens, both beautifying the University and conserving a threatened species of flora. Didier hopes that visitors to the school will grow their appreciation for natural sustainability plantings and further educate the public on the importance of conserving native species.
Didier's plans to use her grant money are as follows: "This spring, we purchased and planted 20 Saskatoon berry bushes, and in the fall, we will purchase 500-800 native perennial plants. These will be 'grown up' and tended until they can be explanted into gardens during the 2025 planting season. The grant money will also support the purchase of planting medium and pots for growing the plants, and an MU student intern to help plan gardens and plant perennials on the MU campus."
Solar-Powered Learning Opportunities
Winning applicant Dr. Len Litowitz, professor of Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology, proposed a project called "5kW Photovoltaic Installation for Student and Community Education," which addresses the global goal of creating affordable clean energy, which factors into the global goal of creating sustainable cities and communities. Litowitz's project involves the installation of a small solar array on campus, which will be used to teach students the basic mechanics of solar power, how to use the technology for collecting data, and how to install solar arrays themselves.
Litowitz plans to use his grant money to supplement the cost of the 5,000-watt solar array. While Litowitz acknowledges that the solar energy produced from the array is only a small contribution to the campus community, he hopes that his students who learn from the demonstration will use what they've learned to advance the goal of affordable and clean energy in their future endeavors.
A Nature Trail Educational Experience
Graduate assistant Elizabeth Rickrode's project, "Millersville Nature Tracks: Passive Education Within the MU Nature Preserve," addresses the global goal of environmental sustainability, specifically the goal of accessible clean water sources. Rickrode plans to place signs along the nature trail next to the Watershed Education Training Institute, which will explain concepts of what makes an ecosystem healthy, from the amount of damage invasive species can cause to how vegetative zones on the edges of a stream can serve to prevent pollutants from entering the water, also known as a riparian buffer.
Rickrode hopes that her signs will provide a "passive education" opportunity for visitors to the trail and believes that by encouraging community members to learn about their local ecosystem, broader environmental awareness can be achieved. She will use the grant money to design, purchase and install her educational signs.
Bringing Cultural Activities Into the Classroom
Dr. Christina Williams, director of the Gateway Scholars Program, designed the project "Mi Orgullo Latinx," or "My Latinx Pride," to help provide Latinx students in the School District of Lancaster with ways to connect with their culture and learn about their heritage in an educational setting. Approximately 67% of students in the School District of Lancaster are Latinx. Williams saw an opportunity to advance the global goal of quality education by adding a cultural education to a traditional academic setting.
Williams plans to use her grant money to cover the cost of the cultural programs for students. "I am currently discussing the project with some college-bound organizations and a school in the School District of Lancaster that I attended as a student," Williams explains. They are interested in being the site where the project will take place. I am also looking to hire a Latin dance instructor who will provide dance classes and an art teacher who will expose students to Latinx culture and art."
For more information on the Positive Energy Fund,click here.