One Hundred and Sixty-Nine Students Make Presentations and Host Exhibitions on Sustainability Efforts in Their Schools
A green redesign of a local high school and a car that runs on vegetable oil were two innovative proposals presented by high school students at the Sustainability Learning Center, a new component of the annual Accelerate Conference. Honeywell was a key sponsor of the learning center.
One hundred and sixty-nine students from 11 area high schools and one middle school made presentations and hosted exhibitions on sustainability efforts in their schools. Students covered topics ranging from environmentally friendly initiatives at the local level to programs that can affect the entire planet.
Daniel Kolinski, a senior from West Genesee High School, opened the conference with comments during the Honeywell-sponsored breakfast and announced the Sustainability Learning Center.
Students participating in the learning center came from Cicero-North Syracuse High School, Corcoran High School, Fowler High School, Henninger High School, Nottingham High School, Cazenovia High School, West Genesee High School, Liverpool High School, Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Manlius Pebble Hill High School and Tully High School. Students from the Johnson Center and the Onondaga Earth Corps also participated. The youngest sustainability scholars came from H.W. Smith Middle School. Representatives from the Baltimore Woods Center for Nature Education and the WorkKeys Center at Syracuse University also participated in the Sustainability Learning Center.
Run by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County, the Sustainability Learning Center provided an opportunity for the students to interact with members of the business, manufacturing, technology and environmental communities.
At the booth hosted by West Genesee High School and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) representatives from the two schools described their joint effort to explore environmentally sustainable solutions that will help restore areas around Onondaga Lake. Working with Tony Eallonardo from SUNY-ESF, students at West Genesee High School planted 500 plants from two species. The species are unique to saltwater marsh communities and could help restore habitat and reduce erosion. Honeywell helped bring these organizations together and provided funding to support their activities.
Other student presentations included:
The Accelerate 2008 Conference was a joint collaboration among F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse, the Manufacturers Association of Central New York, the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, the CASE Center at Syracuse University, the Central New York Technology Development Organization and the Syracuse Center of Excellence.
For more information on the Onondaga Lake cleanup, visit www.onondaga-lake-initiatives.com.