News
Recent News
Dr. Joseph W. Dorsey
Breastfeeding: A Cornerstone of Healthy Sustainable Diets
In September, Dr. Joseph W. Dorsey and PCGS alumna Marian E. Davidove published a research paper titled "Breastfeeding: A Cornerstone of Healthy Sustainable Diets," in the peer-reviewed Journal of Sustainability. The paper focused on breastfeeding’s cultural impact on health and its impact on the environment, society and the economy on a global scale, and contextualizes breastfeeding as a national and global issue through economic, social and environmental lenses. Also, it presents a historical perspective as to why breast milk was replaced by infant formula in the past 100 years.
Dr. Brooke Hansen
Sustainable Tourism Students Complete Ocean Friendly Certification Training
In September, PCGS students from the Sustainable Tourism concentration received training
as auditors for the Ocean Friendly Certification, a locally grown program started
by Ocean Allies that works with tourism and other businesses in the Tampa Bay region
(http://oceanallies.org/). In the two day training, participants (including Dr. Brooke
Hansen) learned how to conduct an audit and sign up approved businesses, community
and non-profit organizations that procure and use hundreds of ecological products
from cleaning supplies to compostable tableware.
Under Dr. Hansen’s direction, PCGS students, Evelyn Williamson and Jacob Anderson,
are working on certifying PCGS as Ocean Friendly, which means getting rid of single
use plastic at College events.
PCGS Students and Faculty Pitch In for Ocean Allies Beach Clean Up
On October 5, students and faculty were among hundreds of volunteers for the Ocean Allies Clearwater Beach Cleanup. After sorting the items for weighing, the group of ten, including Sustainable Tourism Director Dr. Brooke Hansen and her husband Dr. Jack Rossen, counted their finds which included almost 450 cigarette butts, along with plastic containers, water bottles, beverage caps, and wrappers. The after-party was sponsored by Sheri Heilman at the Beachcomber Restaurant where the PCGS crew got a behind the scenes tour of the restaurant’s sustainability operations and Ocean Friendly Certification practices.
Clean the World: Promoting Sustainability Practices in Tourism and Saving Children’s Lives
On October 11, a group of students and faculty from PCGS, led by sustainable tourism student Erin Jaszczak, traveled to Orlando to volunteer at the non-profit organization Clean the World (https://cleantheworld.org/). Dr. Brooke Hansen accompanied the group, which included international PCGS students from Indonesia, Fenny Tomatala, Arnoldus Sailang, and Lidiah Iwo. For two hours, the group sorted soap remnants and airline toiletries that the organization uses to provide hygiene services to those in need in over 127 countries around the globe. In addition to disaster relief kits, Clean the World operates a UN WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) program teaching children how to wash their hands and thereby reduce childhood illnesses. They have aligned themselves with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offer internship opportunities at their main office in Orlando.
Dr. Thomas Culhane
Waste Not, Want Not: Sustainability Superheroes Investigate the STEM and Economics of Food Waste and Composting
On October 7, Dr. T.H. Culhane spoke at the Waste Not, Not Want Not conference held at the USF Stavros Center. The conference centered on helping those in the education sector learn about key sustainability issues in order for them to educate their students on these issues. The event served to give teachers access to resources for them to implement sustainable practices as part of their curriculum.