Hanley Sustainability Institute
The Hanley Sustainability Institute at the University of Dayton has released an impact report covering the calendar years of 2018 through 2020, which included a major expansion of HSI, which was founded in 2014. “A growing role at UD” summarizes key events during the span which includes hiring of its executive director, adding faculty and staff, introducing a fast-growing sustainability major and graduate certificate, student leadership and experiential learning, national recognition as a sustainability leader and being part of an award-winning paper on the path to carbon neutrality at UD.
University of Dayton sustainability program director Rebecca Potter and fellow Hanley Sustainability Institute sustainability scholar Vincent Miller will be on a panel discussing the works of Margaret Atwood, who won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize 2020 Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award. The Humanities Commons online panel discussion, “Peace, Literature, Democracy: Dayton Literary Peace Prize,” is 7-8:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, and is free and open to the public. Click here to register.
The rest of the lineup for the Clean Energy Speaker series presented by School of Engineering professor Kevin Hallinan has been announced. From 7 to 8 p.m. on March 4, Mohammad Pakravan of Green Empowerment will discuss “From data to insight for development of low-resource communities.” Zoom link. Emily Burns, RE-volv, from 7-8 p.m. March 11; Nichole Hanus from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, from 7-8 p.m. March 15; and Zach Denning from artificial intelligence firm Hank, from 7-8 p.m. April 6 will round out the series.
Below are the first-draft definitions of sustainability and the vision and mission statements for which HSI seeks feedback. Please consider filling out this short Google form questionnaire about this language
Sustainability: Sustainability entails an enduring shared responsibility to care for our common home by preserving the vitality of Earth’s fragile ecosystems while advancing social justice, both now and for every generation.
Vision statement: Cultivating a just transition to a sustainable future that protects and preserves humanity and the planet.
Mission statement: HSI's mission is to be a dynamic learning community that advances sustainability by educating and mentoring transformational leaders, building caring relationships with local and global communities, prioritizing transdisciplinary research that leads to action, and promoting sustainable practices at UD.
A pilot program offering reusable containers for takeout food from University of Dayton dining services has begun at Marycrest Hall. The containers - which can be returned unwashed and using the honor system - are one way UD students can take part in a zero waste initiative.
“The typical reduce, reuse, recycle motto should be a hierarchy,” HSi graduate assistant Christopher Baldasare said. “Reducing is better than reusing, and reusing is better than recycling. Since the containers reduce the need to produce more recyclable containers, they are more sustainable. Recyclable containers still have to be constantly made and recycled. The reusable containers do not need to be constantly made or constantly recycled.”
A city of Dayton program to educate children about the importance of living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle recently won a $50,000 grant from the United States Conference of Mayors. The grant for Dayton Sprouts, part of the Childhood Obesity Prevention/Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards, was written for the city by University of Dayton graduates Meg Maloney and Sarah Richard. It was one of nine grants awarded nationally by the mayors’ conference and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America (ABFHA). “Each week, we will have a different theme and activities that will go with that theme,” Maloney said. “At the beginning of camp, each child will receive a passport which is an activity booklet that will help guide them through the program throughout the summer."
Dayton Regional Green invites interested parties to attend a Zoom Hot Topics and Coffee event from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 21. The topics are “So. What is the Green New Deal?” and “Why Is the Dayton Arcade ‘The Most Transformative Project in America?’” Registration is free.
Thanks to aggressive retrocommissioning of buildings across campus and other energy initiatives, the University of Dayton’s Facilities Management team is saving about $1 million annually. Matthew Worsham, UD’s energy efficiency and renewable energy manager, credits hard work from facilities management staff, students and UD’s partners in the energy industry.