What Happens Here Matters
Manhattanville Gets Active During “Conservation Week”
Manhattanville College held its annual “Conservation Week” during the week of March 26. The week of special events was sponsored by the Manhattanville College student organization “Achieving Conservation Together” (A.C.T.), and included a film, recycling competition, stream cleaning, Environmental Fair, sea glass jewelry sale, goods exchange, and a dinner and lecture with special guest speakers. See News 12 coverage of the event http://www1.mville.edu/streaming/news/Environmental%20Fair.html
On Wednesday, March 28, associates from John Todd Ecological Design, Inc. gave a tour and demonstration of the “Eco Machine” created for the College’s Ohnell Environmental Park. Students Matt Neff and Kamy Miller from the ACT organization and Professor Nancy Todd and Michaela Walsh, Director of Global Student Leadership, took the tour. Ecologist Jonathan Todd, creator of the “Eco Machine” at the Environmental Park is the president of John Todd Ecological Design, Inc., a leading firm in the development of ecological technologies for food production, waste purification, environmental restoration and systems integration for architecture and eco-industrial parks.
Manhattanville unveiled its new Ohnell Environmental Park last September. The showpiece of the Park is the classroom designed by Maya Lin and John Todd that is a LEED-certified non-invasive structure made of recycled building materials and sustainably harvested and reclaimed wood. Lin also restored an historic lady’s chapel on the site. Following the talk, several students participated in a cleanup of the stream that runs in front of the Environmental Park and along the historic Ophir Farm walking trail.
Thursday’s “Environmental Fair” was the highlight of the week and took place from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Reid Castle. At the Fair, Joseph “Bud” Nicoletti, Commissioner, City of White Plains Department of Public Works (DPW), gave a presentation on alternative fuel and modified design vehicles and then exhibited some of these vehicles in front of the Castle. The White Plains DPW is offering examples of ways to implement fuel alternatives so that other local municipalities follow their lead and incorporate hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles into their fleet of commercial vehicles. The Environmental Fair also featured exhibits by various environmental groups and organizations from Westchester County.
Thursday’s festivities culminated with a Conservation Week dinner in the East Library. Special guest speakers were Sean Peter O'Rourke of the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities, Division of Solid Waste Management; Jill Gruber, President of the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange; and Kevin Lyons, Ph.D., Director of Purchasing, Rutgers University.
On two of the days during Conversation Week students from ACT organized a mass recycling effort that collected a total of 601 pounds of paper, glass, plastic, and aluminum materials that will be recycled. Students also submitted art projects made of recycled items for a competition sponsored by A.C.T. In addition, members of the college community signed a petition to have a recycling program formally instated at Manhattanville.