Sustainability

Humboldt State University President Rollin Richmond, Representative Mike Thompson, and Schatz Director Peter Lehman will preside at the building dedication and open house of Humboldt State University’s new Schatz Energy Research Center on Friday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. The new structure sits just west of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Building and the dedication is open to the general public as well as the campus community.

When it comes to environmental literacy, Humboldt State students are ahead of the curve according to a spring 2011 study conducted by HSU students.

In mid May, after finals, classes end and summer begins. But for many HSU students, the hard work and important lessons continue.

One-third of the waste created at Humboldt State is from food. And soon, that waste will be producing renewable energy for the community.

A Humboldt State University team in Bhutan has completed the first installation of Smart Grid devices called GridShares with the specific purpose of enabling rural electricity users to stabilize their own electricity grids and curb damaging brownouts.

Five Humboldt State University alumni will join other experts in the waste management field and luncheon presenters Assemblyman Wes Chesbro and Maggie Gainer of Gainer & Associates at a Zero Waste Innovation Forum at noon on Friday, Aug. 19, at Arcata’s D Street Neighborhood Center at 13th & D Streets.

Three Humboldt State University science students are summer interns in the Woods Hole Partnership Education Program at the seaside village of Woods Hole in Falmouth, Cape Cod, MA.

Humboldt State University, Green Diamond Resource Company, Korbel, CA, and 10 other partners are teamed under a $5.3 million federal research and development grant to evaluate forest biomass-timber slash and other harvesting waste-as an energy-efficient source of feedstock to produce biofuels and other bio-products.

Steven Smith, an HSU alumnus, has been named Dean of the College of Natural Resources and Sciences (CNRS).

Humboldt State University's Schatz Energy Research Center, long-established internationally with links to Asia, Africa, Central America, Europe, Canada and Mexico, is making its first technology transfer to the Middle East.

Humboldt State University is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S.A. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com). The well-known education services company selected HSU for inclusion in the just-released second annual edition of its free downloadable book, “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition." This is the second year that HSU has been recognized for its commitment to sustainability.

In conjunction with Earth Week, Apr. 17-23, Humboldt State University will host “Encounters in the Open Sea: An evening with Rick Rosenthal,” at the John Van Duzer Theatre, Humboldt State University, Apr. 19, 7-8:30 p.m.

Spreadsheets, research groups and a large portion of the class grade were not the only outcomes of the second research project in Lonny Grafman’s ENGR 308 class.

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.