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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.

Click here to read the paper

Dr. Brooke Hansen

Sustainable Tourism Students Complete Ocean Friendly Certification Training

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Dr. Brooke Hansen and her PCGS students in the Sustainable Tourism Concentration program Sept. 2019

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

Dr. Brooke Hansen, Students & Faculty at the Ocean Allies Clearwater Beach Cleanup Oct. 2019

Dr. Brooke Hansen, Students & Faculty at the Ocean Allies Clearwater Beach Cleanup
Oct. 2019

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

Dr. Brooke Hansen & a group of students volunteering at Clean the World Oct. 2019

Dr. Brooke Hansen & a group of students volunteering at Clean the World
Oct. 2019

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.