Sustainability

As the Schatz Energy Research Center settles into its new building, researchers have welcomed a new piece of equipment as well. The machine–a torrefier–is on loan from Renewable Fuel Technologies (RFT), a San Mateo, Calif., start-up business, and is used to transform biomass into renewable energy. RFT and the center are expected to have the machine up and running in late March.

Alan Hastings, Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis, will deliver the second annual Lamberson Ecology Lecture at Humboldt State University on Tuesday, April 5 in room 162, the Native American Forum in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Building.

Humboldt State University undergraduates are busy investigating local water quality, marine sedimentation and ocean nutrients under a CSU pilot project that harnesses federal work/study funds. Student research is under way at multiple locations, including Humboldt Bay, the Eel River and off Trinidad Head.

After its first year, a new Pay-for-Print policy has reduced overall paper use in student computer labs by as much as 66 percent.

Humboldt State University Economics Professor Steve Hackett has produced a new and completely revised edition of his wide-ranging textbook, “Environmental and Natural Resources Economics.”

Humboldt State University lecturer and alum (’88, ’92) Jeffrey Dunk will deliver a free public lecture on conservation and learning on Thursday, January 27, at 5 p.m. in Van Duzer Theatre. An informal reception in the theatre lobby will follow.

Friday, January 28 is the last day to register for the 2011 Economic Fuel Student Business Challenge.

Humboldt State University’s JackPass Program, which allows students unlimited free rides on all Humboldt County buses, celebrated its 1 millionth rider on Thursday with the arrival of the 2:24 p.m. Arcata & Mad River Transit’s Red Route.

Humboldt State University won the top spot among college campuses looking to reduce water use in residence halls as part of the inaugural Campus Conservation National competition.

Whether it’s a busted space heater or an old cell phone, most people have electronic waste – or e-waste – taking up space in their homes. What most people may not know is that recycling e-waste properly can have a positive impact on social and environmental conditions throughout the world.

The Department of Sociology’s Master’s Degree in Public Sociology, Ecological Justice and Action at Humboldt State University, one of only two such programs nationwide, has been reaccredited until 2017 as a “very innovative and successful” curriculum.

Hands-on fuel cell research at HSU just got a hand up. The Schatz Energy Research Center has been granted an additional $15,000 from the Department of Energy for its Hydrogen Energy in Engineering Education, or H2E3, program in partnership with UC Berkeley.

Humboldt State Wildlife Management Professor Matthew Johnson, HSU’s 2009/2010 Scholar of the Year, will deliver a free public lecture, “Farms & Feathers: Linking Bird Conservation, Agriculture, and Education,” on Wed., Oct. 27, at 5 p.m. in Van Duzer Theater. An informal reception will follow in the theater lobby.

Kicking off the public side of the 2010/2011 Book of the Year program, Humboldt State University will sponsor a conscious-eating film series starting Wed., Oct. 13, and HSU and College of the Redwoods will host the authors of Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet at CR’s Science Night at its Eureka campus on Fri., Oct. 22.

Humboldt students are aiming to take the top slot in a new national energy competition this November. The name of the game is the Campus Conservation Nationals. And to win, they must “compete to reduce.”

With an eye toward reducing waste, the recycling program on campus has a new name. The Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP), formerly the Campus Recycling Program, has changed its title to better reflect the focus of its work.

Not every master’s thesis turns into an award-winning sustainability enterprise. But that’s just what happened for alum Alex Eaton (’09), who earned his master’s degree in Environmental Systems.

A team of scientists at Humboldt State University and UC Berkeley has begun an ambitious effort to understand how redwood forests respond to changing climates.

When BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, it left thousands of oiled sea birds in its wake. This summer, HSU Wildlife junior Stephany Helbig joined the rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

Portions of Humboldt County need more food stores, expanded transportation and greater spending power to supply threatened families and children with adequate food and healthy choices, according to the California Center for Rural Policy at Humboldt State University.

A bit of luck helped HSU senior Tawny Neal secure her summer internship saving endangered birds with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery project.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded over $45,000 to Humboldt State’s Rangeland Resources program to help recruit students, assess course materials and adopt new technologies.

Richard Engel, an engineer with the Schatz Energy Research Center and an Environmental Resources Engineering alum ('88), is back at HSU after serving as a Fulbright scholar to El Salvador. Engel spent a semester teaching and assisting with renewable energy projects in the region.

With the start of the new academic year, Humboldt State University has activated a pay-for-print system in all student computer labs that will curb costs to most users and save thousands of pages of paper wasted each semester.

Humboldt State University has been named to a new research institute created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will conduct major studies of Pacific climate change effects on coastal ecosystems.