CFAES students offer sustainability solutions to Columbus mayor’s ‘Green Team’

EEDS courseStudents in the CFAES course “Assessing Sustainability: Project Experience” received hands-on training this semester on preparing and presenting research to policymakers. The class, co-taught by Elena Irwin and Greg Hitzhusen, recently presented research findings to the city of Columbus’s Mayor’s Green Team. The students’ work will contribute to the development of the Green Team’s “Green Memo III,” the city’s next five-year plan for sustainability that the mayor will unveil in 2015. Read the full story …

Want to study, get a job in solar energy? 1 day till Wooster’s green fair

solar panel installation“Employment of solar photovoltaic (PV) installers is projected to grow 24 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook. If you’re interested in studying and getting a job in solar energy, come to the Wooster Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair tomorrow, April 22 — Earth Day. Faculty from the Renewable Energy Program at CFAES’s Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster will staff an exhibit and will be happy to talk with you!

What’s the matter with honey bees? Find out April 24

honey bee 2CFAES’s Reed Johnson, who studies apiculture (beekeeping) and pollinator toxicology and genomics, presents “What’s the Matter with Honey Bees” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at the First Amendment Public House, 150 W. Liberty St., in Wooster. Free. It’s the final talk of the semester in the Wooster Science Café series sponsored by the College of Wooster and CFAES’s research arm, OARDC. (Photo: USDA-ARS.)

Toot toot, chugga chugga, compact maybe-red-but-definitely-green car! 4 days till Wooster’s green fair

chevy voltOn Tuesday you’ll see ways that “green is for life,” including for getting around. The Wooster Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair, April 22 at OARDC, will have eco-friendlier rides among its 60-plus exhibits. Among them: The Chevy Volt, the extended-range electric car. The Honda Accord Hybrid, rated at 45 mpg highway, 50 mpg city. The Buehler’s grocery chain’s “greasel”-fueled (waste vegetable oil) Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Ford’s more fuel-efficient Transit Connect commercial truck. And compressed natural gas-powered vehicles run by Smith Dairy and the Wayne County Engineer’s Office. A lot to see and sing about! (You’re gonna hear that all day long.) (Photo copyright: General Motors.)

What time is it? 5 days till Wooster’s green fair

sundialHere’s the copy and pastable, clip and saveable, abundantly hyperlinked schedule of events for Tuesday’s (April 22) Wooster Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair: 11-11:45 a.m., opening ceremony with keynote talk, “Energy Independence for Wayne County Residents,” by Brandon Miller of Carbon Vision. 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., exhibits, recycling and food vendors. 1-4 p.m., Akron Zoomobile. 1:30-2:30 p.m., local food cooking demonstration. 3-3:30 p.m., tree planting ceremony. 4-5:30 p.m., presentation and question-and-answer session on using compressed natural gas as vehicle fuel.

This could be you: Still 6 days till Wooster’s green fair

ecstatic kidOK, so besides getting outside, having some fun and seeing new ways to be greener, Tuesday’s (April 22) Wooster Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair will give you a chance to WIN. FREE. STUFF. Which is nice. And responsible, reasonable green stuff to boot. For instance: Trees. Apples. Bio Blocks. A wheelbarrow. Wild orange essential oil. A women’s hybrid road bike. Reusable grocery bags. A biscuit and honey gift pack. And, if you’re one of the first 200 people to drop off items at the recycling center, a $2.50 coupon good for use at any of the food vendors, all serving fresh, local eats.

Three ways to dig into science: 6 days till Wooster’s green fair

children in natureNext Tuesday’s (April 22) Wooster Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair will spotlight students in the S in STEM. The fair is sponsoring three science competitions for kids in grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8, all aimed at knowing the planet better and properly aligned with Ohio’s Next Generation Science Standards. If you’re able to make it to the fair, try to stop by to see what they’ve done.

Harvest the sun: How to add solar power to your farm

sun on farmCFAES will host a free workshop on using solar power on farms on April 21 in Norwalk. The speakers will be farmers who are already using solar power on their farms and CFAES and industry experts. “Farmers have the tradition of being stewards of the land,” says a 2011 USDA report, “and their investment in renewable energy supports their role of protecting the land, air and water.” The program will cover the hows and why of making such an investment.

Saturday: Do something great. And blue. And green. Heron-y, too, one could say

great blue heron at wetland for GBCFAES’s Wilma H. Shiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park will host a volunteer cleanup of the Olentangy River from 10 a.m. to noon this Saturday, April 19. The event is an early celebration of Earth Day. The park is at 352 W. Dodridge St. in Columbus. Activities will include planting trees, picking up trash and removing invasive honeysuckle shrubs. Everyone’s welcome. Free breakfast at 9 a.m.; free lunch at noon.