Sustainability News

Each year, the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3), and NYS Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) provide two $5,000 awards to New York State University and colleges who are members of the NYSAR3 College Council.

RIT scientists have developed the first three-dimensional mass estimate to show where microplastic pollution is collecting in Lake Erie. The study examines nine different types of polymers that are believed to account for 75 percent of the world’s plastic waste.

A federal grant matched by New York state and RIT is enabling university researchers to study a competitive solution to polyethylene mulch and identify a more sustainable alternative to conventionally used plastics in farming.

The Community Grants Program is part of the NYSP2I’s ongoing efforts to continue improving the health and environmental quality of New York state. Eligible applicants are invited to apply for funding to support community-based projects that promote public awareness, understanding and implementation of pollution-prevention practices

RIT is leading an effort involving local companies and healthcare experts to produce a prototype ventilator designed to help meet the continuing surge of respiratory cases as a result of the coronavirus.

RIT's Golisano Institute for Sustainability co-hosted an innovative, half-day workshop with the REMADE Institute and Empire State Development.

The New York Times talks to Nabil Nasr, associate provost and founding director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, and Michael Thurston, research faculty in the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, about remanufacturing and privacy concerns.

WROC-TV talks to Kalathur Santhanam, professor in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, and Reeba Thomas, a materials science graduate student, about a device that measures greenhouse gases in real time.

Patricia Wright, a world-renowned conservationist, will give a talk, “Building Forests and Saving Lemurs with Technology in Madagascar,” on Feb. 27 at RIT. Wright has long been a pioneer in using new technologies to solve conservation problems, and partnerships with RIT, the Seneca Park Zoo Society and others will advance these efforts further.

Tourism has surged in Croatia in recent years, bringing with it direct economic benefits but also challenging the preservation of the natural systems that make the Adriatic Coast region so attractive to visitors. Callie Babbitt, an associate professor in RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability, is using a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to study sustainable solutions addressing the growing challenge of food waste management along Croatia’s Adriatic Coast.

Waste Dive talks to Nabil Nasr, associate provost, founding director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability and CEO of the Reducing EMbodied-Energy And Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute, about REMADE's efforts to reduce energy usage and carbon emissions in manufacturing.

WXXI’s “Connections” program features Harshita Sood, assistant director of campus sustainability.