Thinking green at Cincinnati State
March 27, 2009
“Think green…be green.’’
Click here for more photos from the event.
That was the theme of a day-long event at Cincinnati State that recently brought scores of high school students to the campus.
The program featured presentations from faculty members and outside experts on a range of environmental topics.
Some included hands-on activities. For example, Don Brannen, Director of the Vision Trek Leadership Program in Northside, brought in some of the students he mentors to demonstrate how to construct rain barrels that capture water from downspouts for use in gardening or other around-the-house purposes. But Brannen didn’t just tell the students how to do it – he had them install the necessary components. Then each school was able to take a rain barrel back to their respective campus for use.
The Vision Trek program is a long term mentoring initiative that focuses on inner city teens and pre-teens who struggle in other programs. Vision Trek provides community based leadership and skill building opportunities for these students. It is offered through the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.
The day also featured demonstrations by faculty member Martha Brosz on purifying drinking water and by Larry Feist on renewable energy. Toyota sent a representative, Jana Kemp, to display its latest hybrid vehicle –a full-size Camry.
But that was just the start. The day also featured sessions about the conversion of the former uranium processing plant at Fernald into a nature preserve (complete with a LEED-platinum visitor’s center); air quality and solid waste; vegetated roofs; remote instrumentation and federal occupational safety regulations.
The program was organized by Dr. Ann Gunkel, program chair for Environmental Engineering Technology at Cincinnati State, and Ann Fallon, an instructor in the Environmental Engineering Technology program.
In addition to Brosz and Feist, other Cincinnati State participants included Gail Quinlan, Shannon Raines, Jerret Holman, Jeremy Begley, Kathy McClusky and Ashlee Decker.
About 200 students and teachers from local high schools including Scarlet Oaks, Live Oaks, Wayne, St. Henry and Diamond Oaks attended the event.
