Happy Fall 2020 everyone! My name is Joseph Weeks, GreenLight’s new VP of Projects and Internal Development Intern. In this post, I will be giving a brief intro on everything GreenLight Solutions is up to for the Fall 2020 semester. Be sure to like us on Facebook to stay up to date on everything we are doing moving forward! The Leadership Team and I are ecstatic to be joined by many talented new Solutioneers as well as our returning members for another semester of exciting projects!

One way GreenLights achieves its mission of educating and empowering students and professionals is through our student chapters. Here are some projects our talented teams of students will be working on this semester:

Fall 2020 Projects:

This semester’s roster of Student-Led Projects is incredibly exciting in terms of the variety, scope, and impact of the projects.

The projects we are working on this semester are listed below:

  1. We will be working with Valley Metro on the third phase of a project aiming to bring shade structures to light rail stations across the valley. This final phase of the project focuses on analyzing/reporting data from previous semesters and developing the best practices manual to inform decisions moving forward.
  2. GreenLight will be leading a project to teach high-school students circular economy principles through a virtual ‘hands-on’ experience. The first phase of the project involves implementing a cap collection program on the ASU campus and other locations. The team will then utilize a 3D printer and filament extruder donated by Microsoft to build off the cutting edge research of former ASU Ph.D. students research on converting plastic bottle caps into 3D printer filament to print school supplies over a live teaching session.
  3. Students will be working with Shape Up US to develop sustainability-themed educational materials for K-5th grade students and parents to enjoy at home. Shape Up US is focused on educating K-6th grade students and parents on nutrition, environmental, and holistic well-being. With various activities, illustrations, and stories based around Shape Up’s other educational curriculum. These booklets will then be distributed across the United States to give many families the knowledge to live a green lifestyle at home.
  4. Students will be working with a forward-thinking start-up called Utopia Smart Cities on a project utilizing emerging block-chain technologies for community engagement in energy efficiency. This project will involve researching methods for implementing incentivization schemes that will lower the cost and consumption rate of energy use. This foundational research will then be further developed in future semesters into viable systems that can be implemented in Utopia Smart Cities sustainable condominiums.
  5. Another student-led project with Utopia Smart City will involve analyzing and developing a sourcing strategy for building materials and shipping containers for project construction purposes. With factors such as lead times, mobility, and the ability to be re-deployed playing significant roles in consideration.
  6. We will be working with Fresh Food Colab to initiate our first project based on the MCC campus in collaboration with the ASU chapter. The Fresh Food Collab is a collaboration between Urban Farming Education, Green Living Magazine, Agave Farm, Witnessing Nature in Food, and Amici Catering, among more community partners. The Collab’s mission is to reduce food waste, feed those in need, and provide healthy food education. The GreenLight Project Team will assist with establishing new partnerships and coordinating logistics for fresh food box distribution, including outreach to new neighborhoods that are the most in need. The team will also create social and environmental metrics to help the Fresh Food Collab tell their story better and quantify the project’s social and environmental impacts.

Fall 2020 Events:

  • Fall 2020 retreat:
    • GreenLight hosted our Fall 2020 [virtual] retreat in early September. During the retreat all current solutioneers, project leads, leadership team, project mentors, foundation interns, and board of directors will meet to create momentum for the new projects. Our team made progress on projects, developed plans for the semester, strengthened our organizational culture, and built community.
  • Mastermind sessions:
    • Our team will be investing time into professional development throughout the semester by gaining insight into the career path of various sustainability professionals. With the first being Trish Kenlon the founder of the web site, Sustainable Career Pathways, who will go over her journey and how to take advantage of sustainability opportunities. Another spotlight is Steve Sargent, the head of State Farm’s Leadership Dojo, who will highlight various essential considerations for building experience and skills in leadership.
  • ASU USP Viewer’s Choice Award Nomination:
    • GreenLight Solutions have been nominated for a viewer’s choice award presented by ASU’s University Sustainability Practices department during their State of Sustainability Summit. An event that will celebrate collaborative efforts and achievements in sustainability from across the university and is open to students, staff, alumni, and the general public. Award winners will be chosen based on votes from attendees during the event, so stay tuned for a blog post detailing the event’s results!

How you can get involved:

 

 

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