SUNY Morrisville celebrates World Sustainability Day

The SUNY Morrisville campus came together to celebrate World Sustainability Day on Wednesday, Oct. 30, with presentations and demonstrations, which included turning sunflowers into oil for biodiesel, installing owl boxes along a nature trail and prepping a wildflower pollination meadow.

Sustainability Day raises awareness of the importance of sustainable living and promotes environmental stewardship.

It's a common theme on the SUNY Morrisville campus, where faculty, staff and students are leading the charge, investing in various sustainability efforts.

During Sustainability Day, students had the opportunity to visit other programs and areas of campus, including the Agricultural & Clean Energy Technology (ACET) Center, where Jeremy Scibetta was turning sunflower seeds into oil for biodiesel.

"I think the nature of Sustainability Day is a great eye-opening experience for anyone who attends," Scibetta said prior to his presentation in the ACET biofuels lab. A 2015 graduate of the renewable energy bachelor's degree program, Scibetta is the college's offshore wind outreach coordinator and an adjunct professor.

The sunflowers, used in his demonstration, were donated by Critz Farms and harvested by the college's students for use in labs.

Students aren't the only ones getting a view of what's going on in the renewable programs at the ACET Center. The biodiesel lab hosts high schools and BOCES programs, giving demonstrations of seed press and oil into biodiesel, among others.

Assistant professor Adam Olinski and his students also led a sustainability effort to celebrate the day - prepping a hill and seeds near the Spader Horticulture Complex, which will blossom into a Northeast native wildflower pollination mix meadow.

Seeds they prepped will be planted in the spring. Olinski discussed how the meadow is sustainable, along with the importance of sustainable landscaping. In addition to lowering emissions with less mowing, the habitat pollination garden will benefit bees.

Additionally, the day's celebration included installing owl boxes, which were built by dozens of students. This research project, initiated by the college's Sustainability Council and Environmental Sciences Department, was promoted during Morrisville Earth Day, which is celebrated across campus in April.

Classes of students gathered at the college's Callahan Brook Nature Trail at the Aquaculture Center to install a portion of the boxes, which help cavity-nesting owls whose loss of nesting has threatened their survival.

Professors Elisa Livengood, Rebecca Hargrave and William Snyder's students collaborated on the project, with their classes taking different roles in either building, mapping the location and installing them.

"The more we install, the better the chances they will get occupied," said Snyder, professor of environmental science. Down the road, students will place trail cameras to monitor them.

"This is a well-rounded experience which teaches us why projects like this are so important," said Emily Sommer, a horticulture student watching the installation. "The ecosystem we are part of is so important."

"This is great that you get to be a part of something to make our mark in the ecosystem," said Meredith Hunt, an environmental & natural resources management bachelor's degree student from Buffalo. "It is also nice to collaborate with other classes and classmates to help the environment."

In addition to Sustainability Day, the campus celebrates its sustainability efforts during its annual Earth Day celebration. The tradition gives students, faculty and staff a chance to partake in acts of kindness that tie into sustainability and inspire them to protect the environment.