Tag: Environmental Leaders ARC

Reducing Plastic Straw Use on the University of Oregon Campus

Presenter(s): Nozomi Yamada

Co Presenter(s): Alexandra Urrutia, Riley Roefaro

Faculty Mentor(s): Peg Boulay & Sarah Stoeckl

Poster 177

Session: Environmental Leaders ARC

In the U.S alone, approximately 500 million plastic straws are used everyday. Earlier studies estimate that about 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute the beaches around the world (Gibbons). Most plastic debris end up in the ocean and in the bellies of wildlife creatures, compromising the welfare of marine ecosystems and organisms. Because plastic is not biodegradable, it remains in the ocean and the environment for years. Our mission is to create an environment for students to consider taking action to reduce plastic straw use. Our project works to try and minimize the use of plastic straws on campus so that less waste is produced and that students will rethink their lifestyle choices by considering what role plastic plays in their lives. Using the results of our recently conducted survey, we will make flyers about plastic straws and promote the issue of plastic pollution on campus. Our goal is to propose a policy change that will make plastic straws available on request only at all dining halls. In regards to our survey results, 75.2% of the 234 respondents are in favor of such a policy. By proposing a straw upon request only policy statement, we will be helping make the University of Oregon a more sustainable campus.

A Sustainable Growing Method for Everyone

Presenter(s): Cristoff Ligon

Co Presenter(s): Gavin Bradley

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Stoeckl

Poster 176

Session: Environmental Leaders ARC

During the Winter 2019 term and the Spring 2019 term, the Community of Environmental Leaders hydroponics team has been hard at work building and maintaining hydroponics systems in the University of Oregon GrowPod. Hydroponics is an easy and cheap growing method that does not require the use of soil to raise plants, more specifically food such as leafy greens, mint or any other edible plant organically and with a minimal impact to the environment. The hydroponics team built three Deep Water Cultures in order to grow lettuce, mint and tomatoes. We used five-gallon buckets, small air pumps, plastic baskets and finally Growrock, a lightweight, expanded clay aggregate as the growing medium. Our result was beautiful, lush and not to mention delicious leaves of lettuce and will most likely result in tomatoes and mint in the near future. Hydroponics can easily be integrated into any home as it is inexpensive, easy to maintain, very sustainable, and requires little knowledge of how to grow food traditionally. This will inspire and educate people to add hydroponics into their home so they can achieve a smaller carbon footprint and live a more sustainable life.

Proposal for Textile Recycling at the University of Oregon

Presenter(s): Courtney Kaltenbach

Co Presenter(s): Alli Eroh, Stella Augustine, Caitlyn Mccall, Racheal Maloney, Maggie Craven

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Stoeckl

Poster 17

Session: Environmental Leaders ARC

We are in an age of fast fashion in which clothing is produced unsustainably on a massive scale. College campuses are where many trends develop and are expressed.While there are many opportunities to buy and sell used clothes near campus and in the greater Eugene area, there is a lack of clothing recycling and repurposing in Eugene, especially among college students. Once clothes develop holes, become stained, or become unwearable in any way, we struggle to find a use for them. We are going to create a proposal to begin a textile recycling program through the Student Sustainability Center in which there will be a permanent bin that anyone can bring any sort of textile to. We are hosting a pilot event at a freshman dorm in which we will be collecting unwanted clothing and textiles, handing out an educational zine, screening a documentary about fast fashion “The True Cost”, and leading an upcycling craft with unwearable clothes. We will use this event to collect data on the type of things donated and gauge the interest of college students with textile based activities. The goal of this project is to get students passionate about recycling their materials, specifically their clothing. We hope that through our pilot event and project proposals we will convince students and organizations around campus to lengthen the lifespan of their clothes and think critically about purchasing new garments.

Companion planting at the University of Oregon Grow Pod

Presenter(s): Anabelle Huffman

Co Presenter(s): Isabel Mosley, Sydney Gastman

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Stoeckl & Peg Boulay

Poster 174

Session: Environmental Leaders ARC

Our project explores the method of companion planting as an alternative way to produce food. Companion planting is the process of growing different plants together in order to enhance growth, increase pollination, and control pests. We are using the methods of companion planting in order to explore the success and effectiveness of this alternative to monoculture farms. To explore companion planting we have been working in the Grow Pod at the University of Oregon. The Grow Pod is an old shipping container that has been converted into an indoor greenhouse in order to explore the experimental methods of indoor agriculture. We have combined the experimental nature of indoor agriculture with companion planting in order to explore alternative methods which may be the future of agriculture. Within the Grow Pod we have been able to consult Alex, a master gardener, who has the background and expertise to guide our companion planting experiment. As our work with companion planting progresses we are looking to see how this method of agriculture impacts our produce through either supporting or infringing on healthy plants. Through our exploration of companion planting we are hoping to explore whether or not this method is more effective as a solution to stray away from the harmful forms of agriculture in that are currently in use in the future.

Diet and the Environment

Presenter(s): Alice Floyd-Preston

Co Presenter(s): Jay Lopez, Zach Colligan, Jordan Hankins

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Stoeckl

Poster 173

Session: Environmental Leaders ARC

In the sphere of sustainable living, veganism is hailed as the ideal diet to reduce environmental harm and degradation because plants require fewer resources and veganism does not contribute to the animal agriculture industry. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that a vegan diet emits less carbon than a traditional omnivorous diet but these studies are flawed because they do not consider all of the foods vegans consume. Many vegans supplement their diet with vegan substitutes that are often made with imported ingredients and rely on intense food processing and transportation to get to consumer. The goal of this research project is to analyze the ingredients and transportation of vegan substitutes and compare them to their non-vegan counterparts to determine if these alternatives are really better for the environment. In this research project, our primary indicator of sustainability is carbon emitted per pound. While carbon emissions does not illustrate the full picture, it is the easiest way to quantify environmental damages. Going into this project, our hypothesis is that the biggest indicator of environmental harm would not necessarily be the carbon emissions of the food itself, but how far it had to travel to get there. We thought vegan foods would have lower carbon emissions but since they had to be transported longer distances, they might have similar emissions to their non-vegan counterpart. The conclusions of this paper will add nuance to the discussion of diet and the environment and help consumers make more educated decisions.

Tour de Friends

Presenter(s): Jack Buechler

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Stoeckl

Poster 172

Session: Environmental Leaders ARC

Eugene, Oregon is one of the most bike friendly cities to live in. Due to the high number of bike paths and bike lanes, the League of American Bicyclists awarded Eugene and Springfield as a ‘Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community.’ Since biking is a widely loved activity which provides many benefits, we decided to initiate a ride group to both familiarize riders with the numerous bike paths in Eugene and to encourage people to use them safely. We advertised to both the student body at UO and the community within Eugene through flyers and Facebook. Tour de Friends meets once a week on Thursday afternoons, and usually rides for approximately an hour. We change the route weekly in order to help people, mainly students, gain increased exposure to the different areas within the city. By getting more people to choose to ride their bikes over driving a car, we can hopefully help to reduce emissions caused by vehicles.

Yerba Mate—Production Analysis and Education of Sustainable Alternatives

Presenter(s): Cian Whalen—Environmental Studies

Co-Presenter(s): Sarah-Anne Bedrosian, Garren Lum

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Stoeckel, Kathryn Lynch

Session: Environmental Leaders ARC

Students at the University of Oregon are highly reliant on prepackaged food and drinks to keep energized throughout the day . Many students consume multiple caffeinated beverages each day, often served in a single use container . Due to its popularity on campus, we are using Guayaki brand Yerba Mate as a case study to exemplify the impact of the high consumption of single use products . We hypothesize when analyzing the environmental harm and pollution created by the production of packaging materials, packaging for loose leaf tea will have an overall lower environmental impact than glass bottles or aluminum cans . Our group will research the production analysis of glass bottles, aluminum cans, and packaging of loose leaf tea looking at the embodied energy, waste materials, and overall environmental impact from production . The research will be presented in a video presentation that will educate the UO population about the production analysis of aluminum cans, glass bottles . We argue consumers should consider purchasing loose leaf Yerba Mate and brewing their own tea instead of creating waste by consumption of the drink in a glass bottle or aluminum can . By exploring the production analysis and the environmental, social, and economic components of the different variations of Guayaki Yerba Mate, we hope to educate the student body on the implications of their consumerism and prompt them to make more sustainable consumer choices .

The T-shirt Problem: Environmental Issues Caused by Fast Fashion and Simple Ways to Upcycle a Cotton T-shirt

Presenter(s): Megan Rangel-Lynch—Environmental Studies

Co-Presenter(s): Grace Kowalski, Freya Rhodes, Isaac Wasserman

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Stoeckl, Kathryn Lynch

Session 1: Environmental Leaders ARC

The t-shirt is a clothing item that fills all people’s drawers, but when not sourced or disposed of sustainably, can have serious environmental impacts . This project aims to explain the negative environmental impacts of the fast fashion industry, a system of rapid production of on trend items using low quality materials, focused on high consumption rate . We are focusing on the t-shirt because it is a simple item almost everyone owns, and there are easy ways to use the fabric to upcycle, create new products, and reduce additional waste other products create . Our project will present alternatives to throwing away unwanted clothing items by upcycling shirts into reusable bags and plant hangers . Our tutorials provide a reusable alternative to products that create waste and ultimately emphasize a more sustainable way of upcycling items instead of buying new ones . Through researching the impacts of the T-Shirt and product alternatives such as plastic bags we will represent our research and our solutions through DIY instructional videos and an analysis of the data found from our research . By creating a video that discusses our research and gives DIY alternatives to clothing waste, we hope to educate viewers on the negative implications of buying into the fast fashion industry and prompt them to make choices emphasizing sustainability and upcycling old clothing resources .

Redefining Menstruation: Awareness through an event that creates a tangible reusable menstrual pad while facilitating conversation around stigma, menstruation, and the life cycle of period products.

Presenter(s): Abigail Gravatt—Environmental Science

Co-Presenter(s): Olivia Holah, Payton Lagomarsino, Abigail Daffner

Faculty Mentor(s): Taylor McHolm

Session 1: Environmental Leaders ARC

This project explores and redefines what it means to be a person who menstruates in a society believing that only women menstruate; aligned with a focus on non-reusable menstrual products advertised to women . Through a virtual workshop we will demonstrate that to break down stigma revolving around those who menstruate and single use products there needs to be education and active engagement with the creation of reusable products . Those who menstruate cannot ignore their periods making a zero waste lifestyle challenging . How do we shift from a dependence on single use products to recognizing reusable products? First, education is necessary to deconstruct both the stigma around menstruation, and the cleanliness of reusable products . Second is a tangible reusable menstrual product that will serve as a tool to get people closer to our goal of destigmatizing the uncleanliness associated with menstruation . To achieve these goals, we will create a virtual workshop . We will advertise this through our website and Instagram; increasing our target audience . Putting our video online for the public to view will allow us to reach hundreds of individuals . Out of this digital event we will record information and data on participation, feedback via comments and outreach from viewers, and tangible products created . Ultimately, our virtual workshop will serve as a platform for discussion and inclusivity around reusable menstrual products .

Demonstrating the Importance of Implementing Reusing, Recycling, and Sustainable Practices in Creative and Accessible Ways

Presenter(s): Garrett Bunkers—Computer Science

Co-Presenter(s): Michael Chung, Isabella Flynn, Anna Jatsura, Hannah Weaver

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Stoeckl

Session 1: Environmental Leaders ARC

Sustainable and zero-waste lifestyle practices are stereotypically portrayed as expensive, inaccessible, and difficult to maintain . Our project demonstrates that this is not necessarily true — we plan on making a video to teach people how to use discarded, recyclable, household materials as a base in creating personal planters . We will use local recyclable, or unwanted materials of variable sizes and show our own personal decorations . We will include prefered type of soil and a lesson on how to find fertile dirt in your backyard . We will be working in tandem with both the Sustainability Center and the UO Zero Waste program . In collaborating with the Sustainability Center we will have the opportunity to effectively teach the students and families about at-home sustainability and recycling with easily accessible and safe materials such as used containers of varying material types . The UO Zero Waste program can inform us where the recycled materials are transported after they are recycled and provide insight on what material would be best for a planter . We plan to inform friends, families, and classmates about the video we will post . Our goal is to educate people on recycling, repurposing from a creative perspective, and inspiring them to do similar projects at their homes . We believe that people should frequently be reminded about sustainability, and, through environmental consciousness, challenge their creativity . When people are taught to be sustainable while also igniting their imaginations, they can continue to grow into excellent environmental leaders in their household