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News Release

Last modified: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

IU sustainability interns will present projects Aug. 3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2012

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Students in Indiana University's Summer 2012 Internship Program in Sustainability will showcase their completed projects on Friday, Aug. 3.

The Summer Sustainability Internship Symposium will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, 275 N. Jordan Ave. It will include oral and poster presentations and a lunch prepared by Indiana Memorial Union Catering, featuring local and organic foods, some of which will be grown in IU's Campus Garden. Those interested in attending the symposium should register online. This event is free and open to the public.

Interns will share the products of their projects, which include creating a green events certification process, promoting sustainability to first-year students, long-range research and implementation projects conducted in conjunction with the Campus Sustainability Advisory Board's seven working groups: academic initiatives, energy and the built environment, environmental quality and land use, food, resource use and recycling, sustainable computing and transportation.

Intern biographies and project descriptions can be found on the Office of Sustainability website.

"Working collaboratively with dedicated faculty and staff mentors, these brilliant young innovators create new initiatives that conserve precious resources while enhancing the quality of campus life," IU Director of Sustainability Bill Brown said. "They work easily across academic and operational boundaries, transforming the campus into an integrated learning lab. It is no wonder these students are snapped up by employers, including three former sustainability interns who now work for Indiana University."

In addition to showcasing the interns' work, the Office of Sustainability sees the Sustainability Internship Symposium as an opportunity to showcase green event planning on the IU Bloomington campus. IMU Catering will construct the symposium menu around fresh food available locally during the summer. Some of the produce will be sourced from the intern-led Campus Garden at Hilltop Garden and Nature Center. Invitations will be sent electronically, and programs will be printed on 100 percent recycled paper. Additionally, the Neal-Marshall Center and IMU staff are working closely with the sustainability office to reduce the carbon, water and waste impacts by providing reusable dishware, composting, recycling and other services at the event.

"The Sustainability Internship Symposium provides us with a unique opportunity to share this groundbreaking student research, program development and scholarship with the campus and Bloomington community," Assistant Director of Sustainability Emilie Rex said. "But the event itself has been an important student sustainability project. Over the past six years, our students have brainstormed new ways we can 'walk our talk' through low-impact event planning. We've been enormously impressed by the support we've received from the IMU and Neal-Marshall throughout this process. "

The IU Office of Sustainability was established in March 2009 by then IU Provost Karen Hanson and Vice President for Administration Terry Clapacs. The Campus Sustainability Advisory Board is co-chaired by Michael Hamburger, professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, and Peggy Maschino, associate director for business affairs in the physical plant. Its mission is to develop and implement initiatives to advance sustainability on IU's Bloomington campus.

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