Black Soldier Flies

Diana Li here to talk about my work with black soldier flies.

Black soldier flies (BSFs) are typically found in subtropic and warm temperate climates. BSFs are utilized by many agriculturalists, as the grubs are voracious feeders and are known for their ability to incorporate high amounts of food into biomass. Adult flies are benign to humans, since they cannot bite.

The use of BSF larvae as an instrument in waste management has two benefits. Fixation of carbon from food scraps into high quality BSF larvae reduces carbon emissions. The on-site treatment of food waste also alleviates monetary investment in waste disposal.

Creating a self-propagating system in the New York climate is a major concern for the implementation of a large-scale system. The goal of this project is to define efficient environmental conditions for a BSF composting system at the college. We have purchased a BioPodTM and several thousand larvae. Food waste from the dining halls serves as feed. By monitoring environmental conditions and growth rates, we aim to determine if this system can reduce carbon emissions of food decomposition at Geneseo.

Recently, we have begun implementing composting of the flies’ leachate. We have also determined that the flies can handle animal products, as we have begun including meat and dairy in their food supply with positive results.

An adult fly enclosure has been constructed and, hopefully, the adult flies will emerge soon.

As I am about to graduate, Ashley Peppriell will be taking over the project with Dan DeZarn this summer and next fall.

Public Relations Internship

Hi there! Justine here, to talking about my recent experience interning with the Office.

Now that the semester is wrapping up, things have picked up at the Office of Sustainability. There has been more of a push to make progress on projects, especially as several of the interns are leaving and looking to get their positions filled by newcomers.

I’ve spent the spring 2015 semester as a public relations intern at the office. This position has involved attending a host of sustainability-related meetings as well as calling a few of my own, corresponding with different people and organizations involved in sustainability-related projects, and finding ways of communicating news of these projects to the student body, faculty, and more. The chief method of getting the news out has been through The Lamron, Geneseo’s student newspaper. I have served as a liaison between the office and The Lamron, for which I simultaneously worked as Arts & Entertainment Editor. News of the E-Garden, the Green Map, and many more office projects have been published in The Lamron this spring.

Other methods of raising awareness have included social media, press releases, emails, discussions with professors, and word of mouth. I have also helped maintain the office blog (this beauty right here!) by creating posts about our internship opportunities. This internship has given me a lot of insight into the often long and frustrating process of making change happen. Over the course of the semester, I’ve learned a lot about the different sustainability-oriented projects on campus. I also learned a lot about real-world concerns, including funding and grants as well as communication with an administration and campus facilities.

While being an advocate for the environment is not always easy, it is certainly rewarding—especially considering how many things have been accomplished since the office was created last semester! Looking ahead to the fall, my new role as News Editor of The Lamron will prevent me from returning to my intern position. Still, I am confident that news coverage of sustainability-related projects, issues and events will remain considerable.

Justine Talbot

Tree Mapping Project

Hi! Interns Sarah and Victoria here to talk about our Interactive Field Guide!

The interactive tree mapping project has recently picked up speed in the last few weeks with the arrival (finally!) of spring. Buds are beginning to appear, which makes trees a lot easier to identify.

In general, the tree mapping project is an attempt to create an interactive field guide using geographic information system (GIS) mapping technology paired with in-depth knowledge about the trees, their interactions in the ecosystem, and various other facts about their use and history. The field guide will hopefully allow students to learn more about their surroundings and connect with nature on a deeper level.

We started the project at the beginning of the spring 2015 semester. Since then, a majority of the work has involved field experience in a winter setting, which included identifying bark types and the shape of trees out in the snow. Now that the snow is gone we are moving full speed ahead. We have begun to list all the trees on campus in a database with specific information that we will use in the future for the field guide application.

 If you happen to see us walking around looking at trees, don’t hesitate to ask us about what we are doing. We have already learned so much more about trees that we thought possible and would love to share our newly acquired knowledge with you!

Sarah Kowalski and Victoria Roberts