In 2007, LaGuardia celebrated Earth Day for the first time with only a $250 dollar grant from the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling and the desire of a few dedicated employees and students to promote a greener and healthier campus. Five years later, this one-day affair has turned into a three-day extravaganza featuring funds generously supplied by the College Association, and ten-fold the participation from both the College and local NYC Community

Green Week 2012 was all about Taking Action for the Environment. At the tabling event on April 17, the Environmental Science Program, Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, and Sustainability Council, among others engaged students and staff in hands-on projects and activities while groups such as MillionTreesNYC, and the Community Environmental Center recruited students for internships and educational workshops.

On April 18, a multi-disciplinary seminar about hydraulic fracturing had the whole College abuzz in the Little Theater- kudos to Coordinator/ Moderator Leslie Ann Aarons of Humanities. This was followed by a screening of the movie “Gasland” during club hours, which, although chilling at times, was very well received by students.

Green Week 2012 concluded on April 19, with a fund-raiser for Operation Migration in their efforts to help protect wild whooping cranes. This event was the brainchild of TELC instructor Wayne Kennedy, and proved to be a great success. Many students stopped by to share stories of the devastating effects that environmental degradation has had on wildlife in their own countries.

The accomplishments born of Earth Day and subsequent Green Week celebrations at the College have relied solely on collaborative effort. This year, more than 20 Departments and Programs got involved, and more than a dozen community-based groups and organizations. Another huge contribution to this annual event has been the appointment of a College Sustainability Director- Anthony Lugo, and a much more active Sustainability Council- co-chaired by Anthony and Shahir Erfan, Executive Director of Facilities Management and Planning, which was in the pupal stages at the time of the College’s first Earth Day. The involvement of student advocacy groups such as the Student Government and Campus Improvement Association has been invaluable in the recent achievements of Green Week.



The real drive behind the success of Earth Day and the culture of change it has led to at LaGuardia is reflected in new Programs such as an Environmental Science major and Green Jobs Training Program offered through NY Designs/ ACE, water bottle filling stations in (soon to be) every building on campus, Meatless Mondays in the cafeterias, Fit-Pick stickers on vending machines, the installation of solar faucets in bathrooms, and other great initiatives such as the Community-Supported Agriculture program in Dietetics. LaGuardia has fostered an environment where the adage of “reduce, re-use, recycle” has become the norm.

Judi O’Toole is a Chemical Hygiene Officer in the Natural Sciences Department.

Green Week, the three-day extension of LaGuardia's annual Earth Day event is back – this year’s theme is “Taking Action for the Environment.” Events will take place from April 17-19 including a fundraiser, film screening and green projects exhibit. All students are welcome and encouraged to get involved!

Green Week 2012 will kick-off with an all-day tabling event on Tuesday, April 17 in the E Building Atrium. There will be artwork, posters, media, and other interactive projects to display the hard work and creativity of students and faculty who strive to protect our natural resources. Local community advocates and organizations will also be present, sharing their own green initiatives.

An event dedicated to Hydraulic Fracturing Education will be held on Wednesday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Little Theater with a screening of the film “Gasland” from 2pm to 4pm. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydrofracking, is a relatively new development in natural gas extraction that has environmentally devastating effects. Hydrofracking is a hot topic in New York right now as environmental advocates are working to ban the practice in the Catskills. More information can be found at frackfreecatskills.org.

Finally, Green Week 2012 will conclude with a fundraiser for the majestic Whooping Crane from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 19 in the Cobblestone Courtyard (weather permitting, otherwise it will be held in the entrance to the E Building atrium). The Whooping Crane is known for being the tallest bird in North America and one of only two crane species found on the continent. Its plight became well known in the 1960's but efforts to protect the species from over-hunting and habitat loss were relatively ineffective until the re-establishing of migration routes by the non-profit Operation Migration in 2001. They use ultra light aircrafts to lead the birds along their annual migration routes. This program is accredited with bringing the birds back from the brink of extinction. More information can be found on operationmigration.org. Any donation, large or small, is more than welcome during the fundraiser.

Green Week at LaGuardia is in its fourth year. It is a collaborative effort between the LAGCC Sustainability Council and its supporters: the Student Government Association, Natural Sciences Department, Business Office, College and Community Relations Office, and Marketing and Communications Office.

For more information on this year’s events or to participate in Green Week, please contact Chemical Hygiene Officer Judith O’Toole at jotoole@lagcc.cuny.edu. Students interested in participating in the tabling event should reply no later than March 30.

 Little known to many Brooklyn and Queens residents, Newtown Creek, a tributary of the East river that splits the two boroughs, is the site of one of the world’s largest oil spills. In addition to sewage, chemical and toxic waste dumping and runoff, the 3.8 mile creek is the site of an underground oil seepage that has left an estimated 17 to 30 million gallons of oil in the water and surrounding soil. While Newtown Creek has finally gained media recognition in the last year, being designated a federal Superfund site in September 2010, a group of students and faculty at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens have been monitoring the contaminated water for over two years. Under the direction of Dr. Sarah Durand, professor in the College’s Natural Sciences department, they are now working to begin natural remediation of toxins from the creek long before the Environmental Protection Agency begins its clean up.

 A Murky Past

If you have ever crossed the Pulaski Bridge from Long Island City into Greenpoint, you’ve gone over Newtown Creek. The creek is an estuary that is affected by the tides and contains five smaller tributaries: Dutch Kills, Maspeth Creek, Whale Creek, the East Branch and English Kills. Although it is hard to imagine now, before the Civil War the areas surrounding Newtown Creek and its tributaries were home to beautiful green marshlands. Beginning in the middle of the 1800s, it became home to oil and kerosene refineries, and according to the Newtown Creek Alliance’s History site, “By the 1920s and 30s, the Creek was a major shipping hub and was widened, deepened, and bulkheaded to accommodate bigger barges, destroying all its fresh water sources.” Because the government wasn’t closely regulating what was dumped into the water, hundreds of businesses along the creek used it as an inexpensive disposal for industrial waste.

Equally disturbing is the fact that Newtown Creek continues to be inundated with sewage when combined sewage overflows or CSOs are piped into the creek. Many City dwellers do not realize that when it rains, all of the rain runoff that is collected through storm drains combines with the sewage that is disposed from our toilets. Because the antiquated pipe system can only hold so much water, the excess water – feces and all – is dumped into the rivers surrounding the city in 460 locations. “We are releasing our sewage directly into the environment that we live around,” says Greg O’Mullen who is a professor at Queens College and Columbia University and who works with Riverkeeper, a New York advocate for clean water. “And yet, you typically don’t hear about it on the nightly news.” For Newtown Creek, this is an especially big problem not only because of the other forms of pollution, but because the estuary is no long receiving a flow of fresh water.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that the Federal Government noticed the giant plume of oil coming up from the bed of the creek. It was even more recently that the oil spill was brought to public light in a 2004 lawsuit filed by Riverkeeper against ExxonMobile who claimed to have removed at least half of the oil spilled. According to the suit filed by Riverkeeper, only 3 million gallons of oil had been remediated. Finally, after a good deal of fighting from community residents, Newtown Creek was put on the EPA’s Superfund list, which secures it federal funding and clean-up efforts. The community was also awarded $10 million dollars by the New York Attorney General’s office for the failure of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to abide by their water quality standards.

The EPA’s initial investigation and testing at the creek began this fall and will be paid for by groups considered liable for the pollution, including BP America, Phelps Dodge Refinery, Exxon, Texaco, National Grid and the City of New York. “We first have to define the problems, and there are many, before the actual cleanup can begin,” said Remedial Project Manager Caroline Kwan at an October 27 community information session. The remedial investigation is estimated to cost between $20 and $25 million and will take five to seven years to complete. The entire cleanup process is projected by the EPA to cost $300 to 400 million and could take an additional 15 years or more. In the meantime, a group of dedicated faculty and students at LaGuardia Community College are using a portion of the $10 million award, administered by the City Parks Foundation, to get cleanup started right away.

Grassroots Remediation

Professor Sarah Durand’s work never ceases. Each time we’ve met, she has been in the midst of carrying out a bold initiative to help Newtown Creek, while writing letters, drafting proposals and applying for grants for another bold initiative to help Newtown Creek. It all started in 2009, when Dr. Durand heard about the work that Professor Greg O’Mullen of Queens College and Columbia University was doing with Riverkeeper. Professor O’Mullen had been testing water in various parts of the Hudson to contribute to Riverkeeper’s Swimmable River Campaign. Dr. Durand hoped to start a similar project at Newtown Creek, engaging LaGuardia students, and she called on O’Mullen for guidance. After an initial trip to the creek with O’Mullen, and after purchasing the necessary equipment with a Title V grant, Dr. Durand began recruiting students to help her monitor Newtown Creek. “It was all word of mouth,” she says. “By asking individuals who I know were interested in research, who were strong in science and who were activists, this is how we got a small group together.”

Since the summer of 2009, Dr. Durand, Adjunct Instructor John Landers and a handful of LaGuardia students have been visiting Newtown Creek twice a week to monitor the water’s temperature, pH, oxygen levels and salinity and to gather water samples that they test in the lab for turbidity and for Enterococcus and E. Coli, which are coliforms found in sewage. For over two years, the group has been dedicated to the work, uploading their results to a data spreadsheet.

“It was a big surprise when we first started going down there, how much life there actually is,” says John Landers. “You see this amazing potential,” Dr. Durand says describing the numerous inter-tidal species she’s spotted at the creek. “We’ve seen burrowing worms. I once saw a fiddler crab dash across the mud.” Although she points out that you wouldn’t want to eat the mussels or crabs found there, the signs of life that the group spotted were both encouraging and inspiring. Dr. Durand was inspired to take her work a step further, conceiving of a plan to use wetlands like those that once surrounded the creek to remediate oil and toxins from the water. This fall, Dr. Durand’s proposed “Constructed Wetlands Pilot Project” was awarded half a million dollars from the $10 million Newtown Creek Environmental Benefits Program, and it is already underway.

The “Constructed Wetlands” are lightweight, terraced shelves that will be installed on the bulkheads along the creek and will contain filter feeders, sediments and Spartina grasses, all of which will naturally absorb and store toxins from the water.

“These suspension feeders are so effective at removing and storing contaminants,” says Dr. Durand, pointing out that a single adult mussel can filter 50 gallons of water daily. “So, the more wetland you can restore along the bulkheads, the higher the quality of water is going to be.” Placed strategically, the trays will even filter CSOs as they empty into the creek. “If this works well, we can move it anywhere,” Dr. Durand says. “We can move it into the Gowanus, into the East River, anywhere. It’s a pilot project.”

Bulkheads on Whale Creek are possible site for constructed wetland trays.
Made of lightweight steel tubing, the wetland trays will be moveable and will not interfere with any of the work that the EPA is doing to clean up the creek or the many boats and barges that navigate the creek. In fact, Dr. Durand has been asked to join the EPA’s Community Advisory Group. “There’s a lot of traffic on the creek and we would not want to impede that in any way,” she says. “The EPA is making sure that they have everybody in the community who has a concern about the creek on board with the vision of what ultimately will be obtained.”

Right now Civil Engineer David Bishop is designing the trays with input from Dr. Paul Mankiewicz, a biologist and plant scientist who works at Lehman College and is the Executive Director of the Gaia Institute. Meanwhile, Dr. Durand is selecting specific sites for the wetland trays. She is also looking for a site for an Education Shed funded by an award to LaGuardia Community College from the Hudson River Foundation that will house specimens found at the creek as well as two foot-pedaled kayaks recently purchased by the College.

For Dr. Durand, an integral part of all projects underway at the creek is student involvement. “The entire effort can only be enhanced by different components of the College coming in,” she says. Engineering students will be involved in the construction of the wetlands, Continuing Education Construction students will help to build the “Ed Shed” and Environmental Science students will have a hand in each. Even the College’s Commercial Photography program is interested in getting out on the creek. “Everybody is focusing on the same purpose,” says Renata Bermudez a LaGuardia research student in the National Institutes of Health Bridges to the Future Program.

While these projects are underway, Dr. Durand has not stopped looking further into the future. She already has her sights set on Dutch Kills, one of the creeks tributaries that is not used for commercial purposes. “That whole area could be converted into a beautiful marshland,” she explains. Until then, the constructed wetlands will be the first step. “If we can restore the wetlands, even build some steps there, life can get a toe-hold.”
 

To read the EPA's October 2011 Community Update, click here.
 

To view the EPA's invitation, click here.

 

The Brooklyn Grange, which was started by engineer and urban farmer Ben Flanner, is open to the public and has over 50 different vegetables; including lettuces, peppers, tomatillos, herbs, kale, and 40 different types of heirloom tomatoes; as well as breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline. The organic produce is sold to restaurants in New York City and at farm stands in both Queens and Brooklyn, one of which is held the lobby of the building.

 

The farm keeps growing. This year, it has more bees; two hives with over 50,000 bees in each. According to Gwen, the Italian bees pollinate plants on the farm and fly up to five miles away each day to pollinate other plants in the neighborhood. Also new to the farm is a group of chickens, whose fresh eggs are being sold at the farm stand.

The students learned about the science of rooftop farming, composting and how the farm uses natural methods to keep pests away, such as planting flowers that attract ladybugs amongst crops to control aphids.  

 

Before leaving, the inspired students inquired about how community members can get involved, since volunteers do a large part of the farming at the Grange. For information about how you can visit or volunteer at Brooklyn Grange, visit: http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/get-involved/ 

Top photo, from left to right: Judi O'Toole of LaGuardia's Natural Sciences Department, Missary Arredondo, Dan Campbell, Donavan Borington and Brooklyn Grange's Gwen Schantz.

  
Ashley Balavender ’10, is a Staff Writer in the Office of Marketing and Communications. She is currently pursing a BA in English and Journalism at Brooklyn College.
 

 

 We can all learn something from the incredible work being done by the students and faculty at the Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School. Their passion and intellectual curiosity drove this comprehensive, multidisciplinary study of Newtown Creek in an effort to help make the community and the world a better, cleaner place.

 

Ashley Balavender ’10, is a Staff Writer in the Office of Marketing and Communications. She is currently pursing a BA in English and Journalism at Brooklyn College.

 

Enter the fast-growing green industry! The Green Jobs Training Program at LaGuardia Community College, offered in partnership with Queens Botanical Garden, is a series of free training courses that will introduce you to the principles of sustainability and provide the skills necessary to work for companies that have or want to develop a green focus.

The first area of the program will be waste management, training participants in sorting, recycling, composting and material reclaiming to save on disposal costs and reduce the impact of disposal on the environment. The training will help prepare participants for jobs as facility maintainers, custodians, laborers and related positions. The program will also help trainees develop job readiness skills, prepare them to apply for green jobs and connect them with employers in the green sector.

The next Waste Management Training will take place October 17 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at LaGuardia Community College at 29-10 Thomson Avenue (Room C-760), Long Island City or at Queens Botanical Gardenat 43-50 Main Street, Flushing, NY.

For more information, including program requirements, call (718) 730-7331.
 

Are you a student interested in the environment? Do you want to get more involved with the EPA and sustainability efforts on campus? You can be an EPA OnCampus ecoAmbassador!

You can choose from a variety of events and projects, all of which are based on projects from EPA program offices, and utilize EPA resources to plan environmental activities. Past ecoAmbassadors have improved recycling efforts, organized Earth Day celebrations, initiated composting programs and certified campus buildings as Energy Star compliant. To get involved, select an activity and a professor or administrator as your school sponsor, register your project or activity online, then organize your event and report your results.

You will not only help in greening your campus, but will also develop valuable leadership and project management skills. The most active ecoAmbassadors will have the opportunity to interact with EPA employees at the Regional offices, Headquarters, and lab facilities.

Registration begins on September 1st and any individual or student organization can participate. Students must register their events on the EPA website. Check out the links below for more information.

http://www.epa.gov/ecoambassadors/
http://www.facebook.com/epaoncampus
 

 

Want to enter the fast-growing green industry? For those who are interested, LaGuardia Community College is holding informational sessions now through November on its free training programs.

Participants will be provided information on training programs in the following sectors: green maintenance (for jobs as janitors, custodians, porters, and house and handy workers), waste management (for jobs as drivers, equipment operators and laborers), sustainable landscape ( for jobs as gardeners and landscapers), and green building and design (for jobs as construction workers). The classes will help trainees develop job readiness skills, prepare them to apply for green jobs and connect them with employers in the green sector.

The free two-to-three week training classes, which will run from September through June 2012 depending on the program, will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at LaGuardia Community College at 29-10 Thomson Avenue (room C-760), Long Island City or at Queens Botanical Garden at 43-50 Main Street, Flushing, NY. For more information on the informational sessions including dates and the training program (requirements and schedule), call (718) 730-7331.

 

Text and photos by Ashley Balavender

There is no doubt it’s spring with all the planting going on in the College community. For the first time, LaGuardia students are contributing their bright ideas and wielding green thumbs in the campus courtyard.

It all started with Dean for Academic Affairs Paul Arcario’s “Garden of the World” contest, in which students were asked to submit a research presentation on plant suggestions for the Cobblestone Courtyard.

“In preparation for the 40th Anniversary, I thought sprucing up the garden would be an educative and fun project for students, and that we should represent the College’s diversity with plants from around the world,” said Dean Arcario, who is an avid gardener.

To gear up for a student planting day, when the winners of the contest would be awarded, Anthony Lugo, director of auxiliary services and sustainability arranged a student visit to the Queens Botanical Garden on May 6. Students from the Green Actions for Sustainable Practices (GRASP) and the Campus Improvement Association (CIA) met with Gennadyi Gurman, senior museum instructor, who taught them about plant propagation, suggested plantings for the LaGuardia campus and gave a planting demonstration.

Finally, on May 13, the students got their hands dirty, planting impatiens, alyssum, and gardenias in the Grass Courtyard garden, and Dean Arcario announced the winners of the contest. First prize, a Nook reader and $200 Barnes & Noble gift card went to Stasia Grabowski, a Commercial Food Service major, and second prize, a $100 Barnes & Noble gift card, was awarded to Tara Gragg, a Legal Studies major.

“I thought it was incredibly challenging,” said Stasia of the contest, “but I learned more about my own garden from the research.”

The plants presented in the “Garden of the World” contest are being ordered and will be planted in planters in the Cobblestone Courtyard early this summer. In the meantime, you can enjoy the students’ hard work in the Grass Courtyard right outside the E building lobby. 

The College has been running it’s cooling system at a slightly higher temperature and has shut down any electrical equipment or lighting that is not currently serving public areas.

You can also help ensure that our electrical grip keeps running safely, by putting your air conditioner on the “energy saver” setting, turning off lights in any unoccupied room, and unplugging any unused appliances.
 

 • Combine errands into a single trip.
• Postpone unnecessary trips.
• Take the subway, bus or train instead of driving.
• Avoid letting your vehicle idle, such as at the drive-thru.
• Forward this message to family and friends.

To learn more about improving air quality, visit CleanAirNY.org.
Clean Air NY is sponsored by the New York State Department of Transportation in support of regionwide air-quality efforts.

 

by Laura Hofmann

As both a board member of the Newtown Creek Alliance and student of LaGuardia Community College, it was quite exciting for me to be part of the Urban Studies Symposium put together by Professor Steve Lang. The focus of the symposium was on the "past, present & future" of the Newtown Creek, a highly contaminated water body whose tributaries are literally yards from our campus. The event was well attended by LaGuardia students, who seemed to be both surprised and interested to learn about the school's part in a local environmental movement to clean up massive contamination in the Newtown Creek community.

The symposium was a wonderful forum for representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection, the Newtown Creek Alliance and others, to share their knowledge and vision of the Newtown Creek community with LAGCC students. The event also highlighted the community based environmental work that our college professors and students are doing to effectively bring the issues of Newtown Creek into school and bring the school out to the creek. Professor Lang who is a Newtown Creek Alliance board member is bringing much needed local environmental awareness to LAGCC. Likewise, Doctor Sarah Durand who kick started a LAGCC water-monitoring program of the Newtown Creek, along with her students, are collecting valuable data regarding the water quality and benthic inhabitants of the creek.

To learn more about how you can become involved in the local environmental movement to revitalize, restore, and reveal the Newtown Creek, visit http://newtowncreekalliance.org or email Laura at laura.hofmann@live.lagcc.cuny.edu

 

By
Judi O’Toole

This year, LaGuardia proudly expanded its annual Earth Day celebration into a three-day event. Coordinated by the Sustainability Council and sponsored by the College Association, Green Week 2011 had it all: student presentations, volunteer opportunities, holistic wellness workshops, and even food samplings!

On April 12, students, faculty and staff came together to celebrate Earth Day in style- in green “Join the Green Side” tee shirts, that is. LaGuardia students representing groups such as the Campus Improvement Association, Occupational Therapy Club and Dietetics Program rubbed elbows with guests from Clean Air NY, 511 NuRide, and the Tzu Chi Foundation. Some highlights included a creative collage from the Early Childhood Learning Center, green tee-shirt give-a-ways in exchange for “ecological footprint” calculations by the Sustainability Council, Meatless Monday menu samples courtesy of MBJ and the College cafeteria, and free Reiki sessions from SPARK volunteers.

During the “Green Expo” event on April 13, all participants had their own green agenda. Companies like Grainger and PepsiCo used the forum to promote eco-friendly product lines. A few tables down, Master Composters from Queens Botanical Garden demonstrated worm bin construction while affiliates from MillionTreesNYC took signatures for local tree-planting events. And across the atrium, programs like the newly developed Environmental Science major and the Planting Contest sponsored by Academic Affairs took the opportunity to engage the student body. And members of the recently formed GRASP (Green Actions for Sustainable Practices) student club recruited, handing out re-usable water bottles and pens made of 100% recycled material with the insignia “Go Green at LaGuardia.”


The GRASP club students are: (back) Avani Oguaro, president; (middle left to right) Evelyn Diaz, Solaine Coquillon-Master, Vice President, and Sonny Amaya, Treasurer; (front left to right) Aden-Francis Sinclaire, and Claire Taylor, Secretary.

On April 14, the Green Week 2011 events culminated with “GreenEd Workshops” in the Poolside Café, in collaboration with Global Conversations. President Mellow commenced the day’s proceedings, noting the timeliness of the beautiful weather coinciding with the conclusion of LaGuardia’s annual Earth Day events. Presentations followed from an array of topics including sustainable nutrition and agriculture from the Quantity Food Production course led by Instructor Cindy Pierce, an alternative energies demonstration from a LYCEE participant and high school student alongside mentor Dr. Zahidur Rahman of the MECS Department, and an explanation of the Water Footprint calculator by H2O Conserve Policy Analyst Kai Olson Sawyer.

Additional speakers on the 14 included Dan Miner, Director of BeyondoilNYC.org, Lilia Marquez, RN, who, along with SPARK Co-Founder Dave Gorczynski, demonstrated relaxation techniques and gave an inspiring speech about the power of the human mind, body and spirit; Alison Kling from Solar Map NYC and David Pierce from Con Edison. Rounding off the day were creative presentations from Sustainability Council chairpersons, the Campus Improvement Association, and Information Technology, as well as a sustainable pledge from the Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality Club.

LaGuardia’s Green Week event was a fun and educational way to promote awareness about sustainability on and off campus, and we hope that the message continues to spread well beyond Earth Day. In a community as vast as ours, it’s always a pleasure to see so many of College’s working parts unite for a greater and “greener good.”

Judi O’Toole is a Chemical Hygiene Officer in the Department of Natural Sciences.
 

May 9 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Little Theater at LaGuardia Community College. The event is free and open to the public.

Newtown Creek, a 3.5 mile polluted industrial waterway right in LaGuardia’s backyard, has been getting a lot of attention lately. This once pristine waterway was transformed into an ecological wasteland after years of relentless industrial negligence. However, the creek is in the midst of a waterfront renaissance. After years of struggle on the part of citizen activists and community groups to reclaim and revitalize the toxic creek, there are of signs of hope and renewal. Come learn more about community and government efforts to clean up the creek and join in a discussion about classroom projects, activities and ways that LaGuardia can become more involved in revitalizing Newtown Creek.

 Revitalizing the Waterways and Waterfronts 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

This panel will exam strategies to improve the city’s water quality and to reclaim the waterfront along Newtown Creek, which has historically been off limits to the community and its residents. The focus will be on issues of sewage treatment, green infrastructure and how the constantly expanding recreational boating and kayaking community is transforming the way people think about and connect with their waterways.

Panelists: Kate Zidar, SWIM coalition; Jim Pynn, DEP Newtwon Creek WPCP; Erik Baard, Founder, Long Island City Community Boathouse and Newtown Pippin Restoration and Celebration

Environmental Politics and Sustainability 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

This panel will discuss community-based struggles to address the unequal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits in and around Newtown Creek. It will focus on recent environmental victories that will facilitate the remediation of the creek and the greening of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Panelists: Philip Musegaas, Hudson River Program Director, Riverkeeper; Katie Schmid, Chairperson Newtown Creek Alliance; Mike Heimbinder, Founder and Executive Director of HabitatMap

Newtown Creek Futures 1:00 - 2 p.m.

This panel will address the process by which citizen activists, community groups, students and educators are working to transform this toxic waterway into an ecological treasure.

Panelists: Dr. Sarah Durand, Natural Science Department, LaGuardia Community College; Noah Kaufman, Long Island City Roots; Laura Hoffman, Greenpoint environment activist and Newtown Creek advocate; Mitch Waxman, local historian and author of Newtown Creek for the Vulgarly Curious
 

Help beautify LaGuardia and have a chance to win a Nook reader and a $200 Barnes & Noble gift card!

In order to beautify the Cobblestone Courtyard garden in time for LaGuardia’s 40th Anniversary in September, the College is creating a “Garden of the World.” We invite you to help research which plants to include in the garden for a chance to win.

Your recommended selection of plants (trees, shrubs, perennials or bulbs – no annuals or edibles) must:

• Represent at least 4 continents: Africa, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America and South America. Each continent should be represented by at least one plant, and higher score will be given for those including more than four continents.
• Be suitable for growing in the “USDA Plant Hardiness Zone” in which LaGuardia is located.
• Be suitable for the Cobblestone Courtyard in terms of ultimate size and required growing conditions (shade/sun preference).
• Provide, in terms of the entire selection, interest in multiple seasons, especially in the winter, as the garden currently looks rather bare at that time of year.
• Not require large amounts of maintenance.

The deadline for submission is May 1, 2011 and the winning entry will be selected by Dean Paul Arcario.

For entry forms and more details, contact Elizabeth Lopez (M400) at ellopez@lagcc.cuny.edu

 

Sustainability Facts about LaGuardia

 As Green Week at LaGuardia approaches, it is time to look back on all of the College's achievements in becoming sustainable. Since winning one of the first CUNY Sustainability Awards in 2008, the College's green efforts have continued to grow, including increased energy savings, water conservation, recycling and more. Take a look at LaGuardia Community College's updated Sustainability Fact Sheet.

Energy Savings
• Smart lighting systems shut off on sunny days in M student lounge, M cafeteria and Hall of Flags
• New building management systems - save 300 thousand kilowatt hours of electricity per year
• Shenker Hall basement light fixtures use 50% less electricity
• Coolroof - C-building roof was painted white to reduce AC usage, saving energy
• Solar trash compactors in courtyards
• 3 solar street lights are situated by the parking lot on 47th Avenue
• Replacing steam traps in Shenker Hall saves 33,264 gallons of oil per year
• Use of Energy Star equipment

Water Savings
• Solar faucets in restrooms
• Low flow water faucets and flush-o-meters
• Pint urinals in M-building bathrooms save water

Waste Reduction & Recycling
• Print management system in library and open labs – saves over 240,000 pages per month
• LaGuardia recycles 160 pounds of batteries annually
• Reusable microfiber mops, cloths and wipes – eight times more usage and less
chemicals
• Reduced hazardous waste generated by 21%

Sustainable Purchasing
• All printers purchased print double-sided
• Paper made out of 30% recycled post consumer waste
• Laptops and Computers made out of 60% recycled materials

Transportation
• 86% of LaGuardia students use public transportation to reach campus

Sustainable Dining & Nutrition
• Vending machines feature Fit Picks/healthier choices
• Meatless Mondays initiative in cafeterias

Education and Outreach
• Students work with Natural Science faculty to revitalize Newtown Creek
• New Environmental Science Program
• NYDesigns offers green training courses in collaboration with US Green Buildings Council
• Student Campus Improvement Association
• LYCEE High School program conducts student solar and wind projects

 

Discover Your Green Side

Please join us as we expand our annual Earth Day Celebration to a three day Green Week event in 2011! From April 12 to 14, LaGuardia's Sustainability Council, in conjunction with local businesses, nonprofit organizations and College departments and programs, will be showcasing sustainable projects, promoting eco-friendly products and offering green workshops and outreach opportunities to the College community.

April 12 is our Earth Day Celebration which will kick off Green Week. Earth Day will include information tables, student expos, food samplings, giveaways and more. Students, companies and nonprofit organizations will show the College community how they're staying sustainable and promoting sustainability.

April 13 will be LaGuardia's first ever Green Expo. College departments and programs, along with industries and nonprofit organizations have been invited to tell students about what they're doing in the field of sustainability, their vision for the future, and how that can translate into opportunities for students such as courses, training, volunteer work, internships or even jobs.

April 14 will feature opening remarks from President Mellow along with student, faculty and staff presentations, as well as presentations from outside organizations and agencies.
 

Some of the participants this year include:

CleanAir NY
Dietetics Program
English Department
ECLC
LYCEE Program
Million Trees NY
MBJ Food Services
Pepsi
Student Government Association
Sustainable CUNY

To find out how you can participate or for more information, please contact Judi O'Toole at: jotoole@lagcc.cuny.edu



 

By Anthony N. Lugo, Director, Campus Auxiliary Services & Sustainability

In an effort to make the College more sustainable, IT has reduced the amount of paper printed in the Library and study hall by approximately 60%. The amount of printing being done in the Library has been a major concern with rising enrollment, with nearly 300,000 pages being printed in the Library in any given month during the 12-week semester.

During the Fall I semester, IT uploaded security software onto computers in the Library, study hall and faculty lab as part of a pilot program. The software requires users to enter a valid student or faculty ID to print, and printers in these areas have also been set to print double sided to further the initiative. So far, the software Library has saved 125,000 pages per month.

Previously, lack of a login requirement meant that anyone, including people from the outside the College community, could print anything and everything with no limitations – which, at times, turned out to be business flyers, reports, and catalogs. In addition to a user ID, the software will not release a job until the user confirms the job, lessening multiple print jobs that typically come with revisions. As a result, the number of print jobs in the study hall was reduced by 51,000 per month.

With this success, IT has since purchased the software, and LaGuardia has decided to institute a printing allowance for students beginning Spring I. Students begin the semester with a balance of $400 and will pay two cents per sheet at the Bursar after surpassing their allowance. LaGuardia joins other CUNY schools that have print management systems in libraries and labs that compel students to be more mindful about what and how much they print, knowing that their actions have an impact on the environment. Faculty and staff are asked to do their part, as well. Those who print in the faculty lab, E-256, are limited to 15 sheets per day. These initiatives not only help educate the College community while saving paper, but also cultivate a campus mindset that sustainability is feasible and affordable.

 

Greening the City: Sustainability for Whom and for What Purposes?

 Vice President Richard Elliot accepted two awards on behalf of the College; one for the Bursar’s Office Text Message Project and the Energy Efficiency in Facilities award for the resource saving replacement of steam traps and upgraded lighting in Shenker Hall.

"I was once again thrilled to receive the productivity award on behalf of the Division of Administration. What a team! We've won it every year since its inception seven years ago," he said.

LaGuardia, a longtime advocate of sustainability, was one of the first colleges to win a CUNY Sustainability award in 2008, for its campus wide comprehensive approach to sustainability. LaGuardia was a pioneer in using environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and piloted the use of "solar" powered batteries to operate automatic faucets.

“In these challenging times, we each need to look at how we can save money and reduce energy usage. At LaGuardia, we are pioneering creative strategies that allow us to direct our resources where it matters most: to the classroom. My congratulations to LaGuardia’s Vice President for Administration, Richard Elliott, and his staff, for once again bringing home CUNY Productivity Awards to LaGuardia,” said Peter Katopes, Interim President of LaGuardia Community College.

The Text Message Program, created by Thomas Hladek, Executive Director of Business and Finance, and implemented by the Bursar’s Office,  alerts students of cancellation status faster, while going paperless and reducing man-hours. With text messaging becoming a primary form of communication for many college students, the program’s aim was to effectively reach students in the hope of reducing cancellation and increasing retention. It worked! In the spring of 2010 there was a 31 percent decrease in cancellations. This increased the number of students paying their tuition bills, in addition to the $37,000 saved in phone calls and mailings.

Yury Fastovsky, Director of Building Operations, and Richard Ng, Director of the Campus Facilities Office, together led another project that is saving the College money and energy. In 2009, Building Operations began replacing old steam traps as part of its preventative maintenance program. Many of the traps were over 40 years old and allowed steam to escape, resulting in a loss of water and consequently higher energy needs to heat and cool the College. So far, 217 steam traps have been replaced, saving 3 million pounds of steam per year. This effort saves water, saves the College money and makes it easier for building temperatures to be controlled.

Another sustainable initiative that began in 2009 is the upgrade of the lighting system in the once dark basement of the M-building. Old light fixtures were replaced with brighter, energy efficient light fixtures, the walls were painted and ceiling tiles were replaced. “It brightened up the place,” said Anthony Lugo, Director of Auxiliary Services and Sustainability. “Before we were using so many lights and it was still dark.” The project also reduced the number of lamps by 2/3, lowering the overall waste of the College and saving LaGuardia about $58,000 per year in energy, materials and labor.

“Given our track record, the last seven years, it’s gratifying,” said Shahir Erfan, Executive Director of Facilities Management and Planning. “It’s also something that tells us that we’re on the right path; we are looking for ways to become more efficient and improve quality of life on campus.”

At the awards presentation, Executive Vice Chancellor Dobrin acknowledged all the recipients at LaGuardia, including Shahir Erfan, for all their hard work and foresight. LaGuardia is setting an example for how an investment of time and upgrades today, will ultimately save both money and energy in the future.

Photos: The Shenker Hall basement before the lighting upgrades and after.

Photos: Borough President Marshall and Rep. Maloney urge support for the Queens side of Newtown Creek; Overlooking the murky waters of the creek towards Queens; Queens leaders and community members discuss Newtown Creek.

NYDesigns, a business incubator for design entrepreneurs at LaGuardia Community College, recently hosted a “Designers Accord NYC Town Hall” meeting entitled “Design + Sustainability + Profitability,” with a number of speakers from socially and environmentally conscious design groups in New York City.

With questions submitted in a passed top hat and through Twitter, the creative and tech savvy speakers and attendees were all there to discuss the benefits and problems associated with integrating sustainability into design and marketing.

The Designers Accord is concerned with just that. As stated on its website, it is “a global coalition of designers, educators, and business leaders working together to create positive environmental and social impact.” Design firms, corporations and educational institutions can become members of the coalition if they adopt the “five guidelines that provide collective and individual ways to integrate sustainability into design.”

“I think the future of design is going to be about sustainability, energy and ecology,” said the moderator for the evening, Neil Chambers, who is a green building expert, owner of Chambers Design Inc., author and blogger. He pointed out that there is a growing potential for profitability in the “green” market.

However, other speakers also talked about how confusing the “green” terminology can be. “Green is becoming less of something that is making people choose one product over another,” said J.F. Grossen, of Frog Design, a “product innovation firm.”

Don Carli, Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Communication, stressed that the Federal Communications Commission is currently revising their guidelines for such terminology in marketing. “The green guides are to help people understand where the line is so that they can stay on the right side of it, avoid misleading consumers, and avoid creating a state where there is no credibility in any 'green' marketing plane; which is kind of where we are today,” he said.

Beyond encouraging designers to comment on the FCC’s changes, Carli gave his own example of “sustainable communication media” in a t-shirt. “You don’t just wear it; it says something,” Carli said. His t-shirt, which reads “Do Something,” is made entirely from recycled plastic bottles, lowering waste, using less water than cotton, and avoiding the child labor associated with cotton production; it is printed instead of dyed, which saves water and avoids water pollution; it is made in the U.S. in factories that support human rights; and its proceeds support an education scholarship fund. It is called the ECO360 t-shirt and Carli used it to drive home the point that, “sustainability demands of us that we look beyond the aesthetic; that we see, if you will, the invisible; that we look beyond the obvious, to the life cycle.”

While each presenter targeted a different area of the design field and offered varying examples of “sustainable design,” each came back to this idea. As Grossen put it, “It’s not about marketing anymore; it’s about really understanding how to find those points within distribution and marketing to make the product better.”

 
For More info on NYDesigns visit www.nydesigns.org 

Photos by Ashley Balavender

 

There are two additional ways to access the site:
Library Homepage; http://library.laguardia.edu/ee/
1) Find a research guide by topic
2) Common Readings
3) Fast Food Nation

LaGuardia Community College Homepage; http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/home/
1) I am a Student
2) Academic Essentials
3) First Year Experience
4) Common Readings (list is located on the right hand column)

If you have subscribed to the Common Reading, you can pick up your copies of the text in room C-740.

If you have any questions or concerns contact Michelle Pacht at mpacht@lagcc.cuny.edu.
 

 Welcome to the Brooklyn Grange farm. Don’t be deceived by their name; the group’s first farm is located here in Queens, not too far from LaGuardia. Started by Ben Flanner, an engineer turned urban farmer, Brooklyn Grange is a commercial organic farming business that delivers produce to small businesses throughout the boroughs. However, it is also an organization working to connect New Yorkers to the food they eat and the farmers who grow it.

“In short, it just makes sense to use all of this space in a way that is positive for the environment and for the city,” says Mr. Flanner.

The farm, which is open to the public, has over 50 different vegetables; including lettuces, peppers, tomatillos, herbs, kale, and 40 different types of heirloom tomatoes; as well as breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline. The produce is sold at farm stands in both Queens and Brooklyn, one of which is held in the lobby of the building where the farm is located.

“It’s sustainable in that the vegetables don’t need to be transported a very long distance. They are produced where they are consumed,” says Mr. Flanner, who recently bought a car that runs on filtered vegetable oil for making his deliveries.

The benefits of buying locally grown produce extend from the community to the kitchen. Lettuce I bought at the Brooklyn Grange farm stand stayed fresh far longer than any I’ve ever gotten at the grocery store because it was harvested right before it was sold and didn’t have to travel cross country in a refrigerated truck. Green roofs also reduce heat and rainwater runoff, while producing oxygen and attracting wildlife.

The Brooklyn Grange farm has a drip-line irrigation system beneath the soil. “As we continue to prove this works and garner more attention, it makes sense to do more,” Mr. Flanner said when asked about the future of Brooklyn Grange and city rooftop farms, “It’s crazy, but it’s also pretty simple. You just have to make sure you have a roof that is strong enough to hold it…and make sure it all tastes good.”

For more information on Brooklyn Grange, visit their website and blog at: http://brooklyngrangefarm.com 

   Text and photos by Ashley Balavender 

Polluted water at Newtown Creek
 

Text and photos by
Ashley Balavender

While updates on the Gulf of Mexico Oil spill are reported daily, the oil that spilled into Newtown Creek in Greenpoint Brooklyn for over 50 years is still largely ignored. The spill, which is one of the world’s largest to date, started in the 1950s, was discovered by the Federal government in the 1970s and was brought to public light by Riverkeeper, an advocate organization for clean water in New York, in 2002.

 
While the Newtown Creek awaits status as a Superfund site, which would award it federal funding for cleanup, LaGuardia’s Natural Sciences Department and dedicated students have been monitoring the water weekly and compiling the data.

During my second visit to Newtown Creek, on July 27, 2010, the weather was beautiful, but the water looked worse than before. Kitami Elmsox, Keishan Ragoo, Andre Agboti and August Williams-Eynon have been going to monitor the creek water every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the summer, and explained to me that the oil slick is more apparent in the heat.
 

The students spent about an hour at Newtown Creek, recording the water’s salinity, temperature, pH and oxygen level. Afterwards, in LaGuardia’s science lab, they worked for about three hours testing the water for E.coli and enterococcus, coliforms found in sewage.

Clockwise from top: Kitami Elmsox, Keishan Ragoo, Andre Agboti and August Williams-Eynon 

 Under the guidance of Professor Sarah E. Durand, the team, which includes another group who samples the creek water on Saturdays, has remained dedicated to observing and recording the pollution in Newtown Creek. Their hope is that one day soon, this body of water, just a stone’s throw from LaGuardia, will receive the attention and funding it desperately needs.

For a more in-depth history and look at the pollution in Newtown Creek, I recommend Leonard Lopate’s interview with Riverkeeper President Alex Matthiessen on WNYC. The show is called “Underreported: Update on the Newtown Creek Oil Spill” and can be heard at: http://beta.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/2010/may/20/underreported-update-newtown-creek-oil-spill/ 

To get involved in LaGuardia’s efforts to revitalize Newtown Creek, contact Dr. Durand at sdurand@lagcc.cuny.edu

Center for Immigrant Education’s Green Week Inspired by the efforts of LaGuardia’s Sustainability Council and CUNY's initiative to promote sustainability, ACE's Center for Immigrant Education and Training is having its first Green Week.
 
From June 1-7, CIET will offer two workshops to educate Center faculty, staff and students about Saving Water and Recycling. CIET classes are encouraged to attend. For Civics teachers, this can count as an activity to complete programmatic goals.
 
For a.m. classes:
June 1: NYC Water Conservancy presents "Saving Water"] 12- 1pm, room C-324
June 2: NYC Recycling presents: "What to do with your garbage" 12-1pm, room C-324
 
For p.m. classes:
June 2: NYC Recycling: "What to do with your garbage" 6-7pm, room C-246
 
Space may be limited so if you are planning to bring your students, please RSVP to Pmichelin@lagcc.cuny.edu or call 718-482-5067.
 
ACEis also offering a set of ESL lessons on environmental issues for low level and intermediate students. Download them from Blackboard, or check the CIETResource Room for a binder with the lessons.
 
You can also participate by:
* Signing your email with a phrase to promote sustainability such as:
"Be environmentally friendly, print only if necessary"
* Avoiding plastic utensils; bring your own washable fork and spoon
* Using the air dryer Instead of drying your hands with paper
* Using recycle paper to print your documents
* Carrying a cloth bag with you to use when shopping
 

Today Is An Air Quality Action Day

The New York State Department of Transportation declared Friday, June 4, 2010 an Air Quality Action
Day in the downstate metro area due to high levels of ground-level ozone pollution in parts of the region. This means that people can go about most of their normal activities, however, driving may be one of the most polluting activities that you do today, and we encourage everyone to leave their cars at home if possible.

Ground-level ozone is a respiratory irritant that can trigger asthma attacks and aggravate emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments. Children, people with pre-existing respiratory or heart conditions, people doing strenuous outdoor work or exercise and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ozone.

Here are several simple steps you can take on Air Quality Action Days to prevent pollution:

Combine errands into a single trip, rather than separate trips. This can help save time and reduce the amount of pollution emitted from your vehicle.
Take the subway, bus or train when possible.
Postpone unnecessary trips. Avoiding motor vehicle trips on Air Quality Action Days will prevent the formation of air pollution.
Refuel your vehicle in the evening when it’s cooler outside.
Avoid letting your vehicle idle, such as at the fast food or bank teller drive-thru.
Postpone using gas-powered gardening equipment such as lawn mowers on Air Quality Action Days.
Wait for a day when air quality is better.

To learn more about improving air quality visit CleanAirNY.org or call 1-877-ILUVAIR (1-877-458-8247).

Clean Air NY is sponsored by the New York State Department of Transportation in support of regionwide air-quality efforts.

By
Liesl Fores

There’s a new product that’s poised and ready to explode on the U.S. market this spring, and you can find the prototype at LaGuardia’s NY Designs.

The award-winning CMYK Elektric Bike is a collapsible, plug-in bicycle that’s perfect for running errands and neighborhood trips, or for use in between modes of public transportation. It weighs 20 pounds and can be easily carried or stored.

Manuel Saez, founder and CEO of neomovil, a product design and branding company that creates and markets environmentally sustainable modes of personal transportation, has developed an electric bike ideal for urban dwellers, right in his studio at NY Designs, a business incubator for designers, housed in the College.

The bike won top prize at the 2009 SparkAwards, an international design competition, and was a finalist for the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s 2009 People’s Design Award. It’s one of just a few electric bikes on the U.S. market and has a price tag of $1,200. “What makes the bike unique is that it’s folding and electric,” says Mr. Saez. “People tend to ride in a car because in many cases the bus or subway is far from home. Our bike aims to bridge this gap and provide an alternate for the first and last mile of a commute, allowing users to take public transportation and leave the car at home.”

Currently available through his web site, www.manuelsaez.com,the entrepreneur is planning a large-scale launch of the bike in late spring. Accessories include a helmet, headlight and safety light, folding and non-folding pedals, cushioned seat, lock, backpack and messenger bag. “It’s a whole package,” he says, “but you can buy the bike or any of the accessories separately.”

Noting NY Designs’ mission of offering business training and counseling as well as affordable studio space, Director Natalia Arguello adds, “One of our most important commitments is to build awareness about sustainable processes, technologies, and materials in the design world. By inspiring our clients to create greener products—like the electric bike—we impact the quality of life in our community, while helping designers build stronger companies and a better future for everyone.”

“NY Designs provided everything, from low-cost rent to training to support from the staff. It’s like a family,” Mr. Saez comments.

With warm weather just around the corner, the CMYK Elektric Bike is sure to start hitting the streets and catching the attention of environmentally aware New Yorkers.

Lisels Fores if the Director of Communications for the College’s Adult and Continuing Education Division (ACE)

At LaGuardia’s Vision Summitin February 2009, members of the College community voted unanimously to seek out and implement initiatives that would reflect the College’s commitment to provide leadership for a sustainable world. LaGuardia’s dedication to a green future for all predates CUNY’s recent mandate that all colleges and universities develop sustainable campus strategies; our Sustainability Council was created two years ago to find ways to engage all members of the College community in LaGuardia’s efforts to dramatically reduce the College’s carbon footprint.

This website showcases how LaGuardia students, faculty and staff are doing just that: lessening their impact on the environment and carrying the message of the importance of sustainable practices -whether on a large or small scale- to others. Humans only get one life to lead, and one planet to live it on, we should cultivate both with care and wisdom.