The University Sustainability Office at NC State recently recognized one student, staff and faculty member for outstanding achievement in the field of sustainability on campus with the 7th Annual Earthwise Awards. The 2010 awards were made possible through a generous donation from CREE. The awards were presented by Charles D. Leffler, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business and John Palmour, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Advanced Devices at CREE. Each recipient received a recycled glass plaque, $200 cash and a pair of tickets to a football game, courtesy of the Athletics Department.
The 2010 faculty recipient is Dr. Francis de los Reyes, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. Dr. de los Reyes was nominated for his efforts of innovation and collaboration to further sustainability in the field of engineering. Dr. De Los Reyes started a local NC State University TED group, TEDxNCSU, designed to spark additional creativity and innovation on NC State’s campus. He was also named a TED India Fellow, a highly competitive honor. Dr. De Los Reyes’ water resources and environmental engineering research additionally works to create sustainable solutions. Current research projects include the analysis of the microbial processes in industrial and domestic wastewater treatment systems, landfills, and groundwater remediation sites.
The 2010 staff recipient is Jude Davis, Information and News Services Coordinator for the Office of Information Technology (OIT). Jude was nominated for her integral role in helping the Office of Information Technology put green IT onto its agenda. She serves as the primary liaison between OIT and campus sustainability efforts, promoting the use of information and communication technology to enhance individual and campus-wide conservation efforts, while at the same time encouraging green IT practices. Jude also authored a white paper that captures the ways OIT is working to assist NC State with its efforts to be a leader in environmental sustainability. Jude has led efforts to get OIT involved with the Campus Environmental Sustainability Team (CEST) and has worked to make sure IT is appropriately considered in development of the campus Climate Action Plan.
The 2010 student recipient is Ariel Fugate, a sophomore in Fisheries and Wildlife Science, Wildlife Conservation and student intern for Waste Reduction and Recycling. Ariel was nominated for this award by her professor, research advisor and faculty advisor for her interest and involvement in knowing more about sustainable agriculture and how to get more locally-based and sustainable food on campus. She formed a small active student group that led the development of the first farmers market on NC State’s campus and she currently serves as the Campus Farmers Market manager. Ariel also initiated student farm visits to the producers that participate in the market and has started documentary-style farm profiles as a way to educate others. Ariel is also doing related research on a full sustainable food assessment of the university, understanding the challenges of getting local foods in the campus cafeteria and composting food wastes. Ariel is an honors student and Caldwell Fellow.
The University Sustainability Office would like to thank all those who nominated, voted and otherwise participated in the 2010 Earthwise Awards. The 2010 recipients represent a high standard of excellence for individual achievement in sustainability and leaders such as these are helping make our campus more sustainable.