Montgomery County Community College’s Foundation received a $10,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank^®, to continue helping disadvantaged Pottstown middle school youth get involved in science through participating in the College’s Green STEM summer program.

The College launched this Green STEM program, “How Scientists View the Environment,” in 2011 as the result of a $10,000 grant received from the TD Charitable Foundation. The free program encourages youth to learn about science and explore careers in this high-demand field.

During the week-long program, 20 Pottstown area students will be introduced to the basic concepts of scientific methodology and data analysis through hands-on activities and experiments. The students will work with faculty from a variety of STEM fields, including biology, chemistry, geology and mathematics. Each activity will focus on an environmental issue relevant to the local community, and the students will present their findings and recommendations at the conclusion of the program.

“It is important to get students involved in programs like this because once they experience success, they want to continue,” said Green STEM Summer Program Director David Gonzales, who is excited that the TD Charitable Foundation is continuing its support for the program.

The participants will benefit from the faculty expertise and facilities that are a unique part of the College’s Environmental Science degree program. Introduced in 2008, the Associate in Science program prepares students for transfer to a four-year college or university in preparation for careers in such areas as ecology, hydrology, air and water quality compliance, regional planning and interpretive education in the private, governmental and non-profit sectors.

“At TD Bank, we are committed to supporting our customers, employees, the communities we serve, and the environment,” said Geoffrey Brandon, Regional Vice President for TD Bank. “We are proud to be a part of this opportunity for kids to learn about the environment while introducing them to potential careers in science.”

According to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, students in the United States are shying away from careers in science and technology in part because of inadequate high school science preparation. The gap becomes greater for students who live in lower socio-economic areas. In the Borough of Pottstown, approximately 16 percent of residents and 13 percent of families live below the federal poverty level, and the per capita income is just over half that of the county.

Pictured at the check presentation in the front row, from left, are: TD Bank Vice President/Blue Bell Store Manager Patrick J. Owens III, College President Dr. Karen A. Stout, Biology Associate Professor and Green STEM Summer Program Director David Gonzales and TD Bank Regional Vice President Geoffrey Brandon. In the back row, from left, are: Microbiology Instructor James Bretz, College STEM Student Timothy Solomon, Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Steady Moono, Director of Dual Enrollment Initiatives Cheryl Taylor-Mearhoff, and Assistant Dean of Math, Science and Advanced Technology Andrew Ippolito. Photo by Diane VanDyke

About the Montgomery County Community College Foundation

The Montgomery County Community College Foundation is the designated tax-exempt, charitable arm of the College. The Foundation’s purpose is to raise funds to assist the College in developing programs, facilities, and services to enhance and enrich student life and to maintain a tradition of educational excellence.

About the TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank N.A., which operates as TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank^®, and is one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. The Foundation’s mission is to serve the individuals, families and businesses in all the communities where TD Bank operates, having made $83.7 million in charitable donations since its inception in 2002. The Foundation’s areas of focus are affordable housing, financial literacy and education, and the environment. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including an online grant application, is available at www.TDBank.com.

About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank^®

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 7.8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,280 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized wealth management services through TD Wealth, and insurance products and services through TD Insurance, Inc. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Portland, Maine. To learn more, find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDMoneyLoungeUS, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US, or visit www.tdbank.com.

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America and one of the few banks in the world rated AAA by Moody’s. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD.” To learn more, visit www.td.com.

Hopefully, the answer is to make a positive change, and I don’t just mean on our wallets, or because that purse made out of recycled yoga mats is soooo cute!  Seriously, I encourage everyone to be a healthier, greener person and would never want to discourage anyone, from anything green EVER. Instead, I ask that we all be more contentious, and to make educated decisions. That is the strongest statement you can make:          BE INFORMED!

Thanks to the booming green trend we have more ways to “save” energy than ever before. Priuses. Energy Star appliances. Everything organic: even makeup? Clothes made of hemp, flax, recycled plastic. There have never been more ways to wave your green flag! Do your thing!

Ok, fine.... I love the salad dress!!!

What I would like to call to attention is the backward way I see more and more people “saving”. Being green is a very viable way to save money, for instance buying in bulk, turning off the air, carpooling, or cutting back on your paper product consumption are all ways to save some scratch. Now more importantly, what are you doing with the extra money you save? Are you spending that money is a way that consumes energy? More often than not, the answer is YES!

In an article that Ryan (our courageous director/bossman) recently sent me, the effects of saving energy are discussed. CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE HERE! The author, Maggie Koerth-Baker, and I seem to agree. We save money, to spend money. To me, this is a very flawed plan and requires some reflection.  If we buy more things with this saved money, things which require energy to be made, shipped, used, etc. What are we really saving? So, we have to ask ourselves questions, and vote with our dollars.

We need to revisit the fundamentals of environmentalism:

Learn it. Love it. Live it.

Reuse is the most popular of the 3 these days with everyone on the internet, including me, telling you ways to up-cycle everything around the house from shirts to onion skins.

Recycle is the easiest. Add another bin, take outside. It’s not hard. About 75% of your trash is recyclable.

Reduce is the one we have the biggest problem with. We cut back on electricity, driving, plastic bags, but in other ways we have not cut back at all. 

FOR INSTANCE: Is it green to drive 40 minutes away to buy fresh organic milk?

Im gonna go with no on that. You may be buying that organic milk, good for you, but you are still hopping in your car, burning through gas, and letting off emissions in your effort for said natural, organic, fresh milk. While that far-away milk may be awesomely fresh and organic, there are probably several places closer to you that offer store-brand FDA-certified-organic milk to you at a competitive price. It may not be exactly the same, but we have to figure out what is important to each one of us. Neither of these things is empirically better. You just have to think it through and make the informed decision for yourself.

OR: Isn’t it green when I recycle all my plastic water bottles and tiny soda cans? Isn’t that enough?

Yes and NO, but if this is a question you are asking, you are MISSING THE POINT! This is my point though! While, yes, it is wonderfully green of everyone to recycle, we need to go beyond that. Bottled water is a luxury, and admittedly, sometimes a necessary evil. If you were trying to make an effort to be a greener person, I would recommend a water filter of some sorts. (I love my Brita!) Tap water is often tested more frequently and is held to a higher standard than expensive store bought water. It is estimated that Americans spend over $100 BILLION on bottled water a year. This makes it no surprise that plastic bottles and bags are one of the most prevalent sources of pollution, especially in our oceans.

The brain trust, discussing this heated topic

Do you understand what I am getting at, folks?

I am proud of allllll of your green activities, but I encourage you to do them in the most informed and thoughtful manner. Think twice about something you buy, not just for your BOA account, but for the environment. Is it a single use item that will live in a landfill? Do you even need it?

I would like to recommend some incredibly helpful websites to help you be the beautiful, educated, green-ie, I know you are.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch List – helps consumers make safe and healthy choices regarding seafood selection for both humans and fishes alike (Android & Apple)

Good Guide – Android & Apple app that lets you scan items to evaluate how green and healthy all kinds of products are. This is a MUST!

Earth911 – Used A LOT during the production of Theodore is Dying. This site teaches you, and even has a finder to recycle ANYTHING. EVER.

Skin Deep - Ladies, I implore you to find out what is in all those products you use. This site lets you search thousands of products, and rates them! Do you really know what a paraben is? Or sodium laureth sulfate? You probably should.

Am I missing any of the essential green knowledge sites or apps? Let me know! I will post more! But I hope this gives you a little something to do and think about!

Be informed. Be green! Hugs!

Becca

Thanks to a tip from Geology Professor Rob Kuhlman, Archives & Special Collections Librarian Lawrence Greene was able to obtain the records from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, an environmental advocacy organization that had inherited them from the DEP.

The new collection will complement the College’s Schuylkill Riverfront Academic and Heritage Center, which, when completed, will serve as a tourist and visitor center for the Pottstown region.

by Alana J. Mauger

For the fifth consecutive year, Montgomery County Community College will participate in RecycleMania, an eight-week nationwide contest during which colleges and universities compete to see who can reduce, reuse and recycle the most campus waste. The 2012 RecycleMania tournament runs from Feb. 5 through April 6.

This year, for the first time, the College qualifies to compete in RecycleMania’s Competition Division based on the way its waste materials are collected and measured. Previously, the College participated in the contest’s Benchmark Division.

Each week the College’s facilities team will collect and weighs recyclable materials – including paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum and plastics #1-7 – and will enter the totals into RecycleMania’s database.

In 2011, the College’s West and Central campuses ranked second and third in Pennsylvania for their cumulative recycling rates of 38.64 percent and 34.68 percent, respectively. When compared to Benchmark Division institutions nationally, the West Campus ranked 27th in the country and the Central Campus ranked 33rd.

Nationally, 630 colleges and universities from across the county recovered 91 million pounds of recyclable material in 2011. This prevented the release of more than 127,553 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E) into the atmosphere.

Montgomery County Community College was among the first institutions to sign American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007. The College’s sustainability efforts are led by a team of faculty, students, administrators, support staff, alumni and community members that comprise the President’s Climate Commitment Advisory Council.

In recognition of its deep commitment to sustainability, MCCC was one of only five institutions in the country to earn a 2011 Award for Institutional Excellence in Climate Leadership from Second Nature.

RecycleMania, Inc. is governed by a steering committee made up of collegiate recycling managers from participating institutions. The competition is managed by Keep America Beautiful, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WasteWise program and the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC). Sponsors include The Coca-Cola Company, Waste Management, SCA Tissue, Alcoa, America Forest & Paper Association and HP.

For information on the national effort, visit www.recyclemaniacs.org.

Here’s a few items you may not know that can be recycled:

1. Shoes 
Check out the Website recycledrunners.com for shoe recycling locations near you. Also, Nike will take your rubber-soled shoes (even if they’re made by another brand) and recycle them. They turn them into new athletic surfaces, such as basketball courts and running tracks. You can find your nearest drop-off spot at: Nike Reuse-A-Shoe Web site

2. Carpet 
Old carpet removal is a pain and so is getting rid of it. Before you trash it at the landfill, look to see if you have a carpet reclamation company in your area. Visit: CarpetRecovery— they may be able to turn your old carpet into composite lumber, roofing shingles, railroad ties, or even auto parts.

3. Wine

We know wine bottles can be recycled with all of our glass and metal containers, but what can we do with the cork? ReCORK by Amorim  says they have recycled 14,568,152 corks since they starting in 2007. They obtain corks from wineries, restaurants and people like you and I. The used corks are then ground up and used in products from floors to sporting equipment.

You can even recycle the left over wine. Wine can help the composting process. Just pour out your left over wine in the compost bin, every drop helps!

4. Mattresses

About 20 million mattresses are replaced every year in the U.S. Most of the old ones end up in landfills though. The good news is, a growing number of mattress retailers will take your used mattress for recycling. You should ask about recycling before you agree to buy a replacement. There’s a bunch of mattress recycling spots popping up around the U.S., where they recycle close to 90% of the mattress into fiber for clothing, wood chips and foam products.

5. Foam Packaging & EPS (Styrofoam©)

Take those pesky packing peanuts to your local pack and ship place like the UPS store and they will reuse it. As for EPS, there is a Pack-it-Back EPS recycling program, they take the styrofoam containers, they accept hardcover and/or paper back books, cd’s, dvd’s, VHS and those cassette tapes from back in the day.

Have questions about items that you are not sure are recyclable? You can ask at:  Earth 911 – they are one of the top websites for searching local recycle items and drop-off spots.

Don’t forget, the more frequent we recycle, the less we’re throwing away into landfills and as always stay green!

-The Team at Sprawling Roots

During the fall semester, Montgomery County Community College Nuclear Engineering Technology (NET) students Jennifer Allsop and Andrew Fluck took on the challenge of designing and constructing a simulated nuclear reactor cooling system as they studied thermodynamics.

“This NET course relies heavily on Design of Experiment (DOE). Each student is required to design an experiment that demonstrates previously studied theories and concepts,” said NET adjunct lecturer Saundra Weikel. “Since there are many different approaches to the solution of these problems, students are encouraged to find different paths.”

Allsop and Fluck started their project with sketches on paper, which were transferred into Solid Works – a CAD-like software program that students learn to use earlier in the NET curriculum.

“Our simulated reactor is a modern design like the ones being built now, after lessons learned from Japan,” said Fluck, who will graduate in May. “The design uses natural cooling, gravity, evaporation and natural draft, none of which require power.”

The designs were then constructed in a three-dimensional printer. Each of the five cooling towers took approximately 36 hours to print.

Design and development took approximately eight weeks, followed by full-scale testing and troubleshooting for the remainder of the semester.

“We need to understand how the system works from the ground up,” explained Allsop, who graduated in December. “In the field, if something goes wrong, we need to pinpoint what’s happening and address the problem.”

The simulated reactor will be used in future NET lab experiments and exercises, accompanied by a “how to” manual written by Allsop and Fluck.

“As part of the DOE process, students must write a detailed paper describing their design and construction of the system, and they must collect data using the system, ensuring that any data collected supports the theories studied,” said Weikel, who spent much of her career working as a nuclear engineer at the Limerick Generating Station.

The College’s NET program follows the Nuclear Energy Institute’s uniform curriculum to ensure that students meet core competencies and are prepared to work in the nuclear industry after they graduate.

Montgomery County Community College introduced its NET program in 2009 in response to an anticipated shortage of nuclear technicians in the region over the next decade. That shortage, coupled with the U.S. Department of Energy’s estimate of a 20 percent increase in the use of electricity by 2030, makes the Nuclear Engineering industry an attractive option for today’s students.

“Nuclear engineering is something I was always interested in, but I didn’t know how to get there,” explained Fluck, who was enrolled as a part-time Engineering student at the time the College introduced the NET program.

Allsop was laid off from her job, which prompted her to return to school and enroll in the NET program.

“It sounds like a challenging position to have and something that I think I will really enjoy,” she said about her future work in the nuclear industry.

Jennifer Allsop and Andrew Fluck run tests on their simulated nuclear reactor cooling system during the fall semester. Photo by Matt Carlin

For all the debate about global warming, one thing’s certain: Today’s students will live with the outcome, so it’s wise to look ahead.

That’s why two faculty members at Montgomery County Community College’s West Campus have launched a pair of courses to spark thinking and planning about the earth’s future.

“This is going to emerge as one of our greatest challenges,” says Assistant Professor of Geography Sam Wallace. “Students should address it before leaving college.”

In “Sustainable Climate Communities,” Wallace examines the cultural and economic impact of global warming, as well as mitigation and adaption strategies.

Geology Professor Rob Kuhlman delves into the geophysical basis of climate change and the impact human behavior has on it in the other course, “The Science of Climate Change.”

“I think it’s exciting. I think Montco is cutting-edge,” says Kuhlman. “It’s a contemporary and socially important suite of courses to meet future needs.”

A three-year, $64,000 grant from NASA enabled Kuhlman and Wallace to participate in a prestigious training program, from they developed the new courses.  Both sustainability courses complement Instructor Jill Beccaris-Pescatore’s “Introduction to Environmental Economics,” which was offered for the first time last spring at the Central Campus.

In Kuhlman’s introductory survey class, students explore “patterns and trends that might indicate climate change” through data such as temperature records, rainfall measurements, and frequencies of floods and tropical storms.

Strengthening their analytical skills, students are encouraged to independently weigh the numbers to decide for themselves whether predicted changes are occurring.

Often, the course takes in a discussion of real events and their practical outcomes, such as last summer’s near-drought followed by heavy rain. Though the rainfall balanced out statistically, “corn production will be way down,” Kuhlman notes.

Wallace’s class examines climate change from a geographer’s point of view: its varying impact from nation to nation, diverse attitudes toward it and what countries should do — mitigate or adapt.

Even if Pennsylvanians don’t see big changes, he notes, it could one day afflict our nation’s trading partners. For example, rising oceans have already robbed the nation of Tuvulu of its fresh water.

Students come to Kuhlman and Wallace’s courses from a variety of majors because they want a  peek ahead, for better or worse, at the Earth they’ll inherit. Kuhlman says he doesn’t “tell people what they should believe,” but that it’s foolish to ignore the possibility that the planet is heating up.

To Wallace, the issue isn’t debatable “when you have towns in Alaska falling into the ocean. Yeah, it’s changing.”

“I’m not going to see most of these changes,” says Wallace. “My students are the ones who are going to be left with this.”

An indispensable website, and worth exploring thoroughly! Dive in and your evening may disappear.

Sustainable Growth 2010 Report

‘Rotterdam Approach’:

1. Leading the way in reducing CO2 emissions - bio-based economy
2. Energy savings
3. Converting to sustainable energy and biomass raw materials
4. Stimulating sustainable mobility and transport – Eco-driving and Electric Transport Centre
5. Reducing noise pollution and improving the air quality
6. More trees and green areas in the city – Roof Park Rotterdam
7. Increasing investments in sustainability and stimulating sustainable products and services
8. Increasing public support for sustainability and firmly anchoring sustainability in education and research
9. Preparing for the consequences of climate change – Floating communities, water plazas, green roofs programme, Rotterdam Adaption Strategy
10. Stimulating sustainable urban and regional development

People are drawn to the beauty of the Schuylkill River for various reasons. The river offers recreation, history, art and nature, to name a few. It is just a hop and skip down the road from the Montgomery County Community College’s West Campus in Pottstown, and it snakes its way through Chester, Berks and Philadelphia counties.

The Schuylkill River plays an important role in Pottstown’s history, and its beauty is celebrated by nature enthusiasts and artists alike.

“The River is a resource of beauty, with the change throughout the seasons make it exciting to live by and offers opportunities for outdoor activities, and people need those,” said Patrick Winston an Art professor at the College’s West Campus.

In fact, the Schuylkill River is so inspirational that people annually sketch, paint and photograph an entire art show to commemorate it. The Schuylkill River Heritage Area’s “Scenes of the Schuylkill” is on display each fall in the College’s West Campus Art Gallery.

Riverfront Park, which sits proudly between the Borough of Pottstown and North Coventry Township, is the heart for river-related activities in the greater Pottstown region.

This year, the College and community hosted the fifth annual Schuylkill River Festival, where local business and groups set up their tents and came together to celebrate the river. The festival offers live music, education about the river, food, and a day for the community of Pottstown to come together and experience the opportunities the river offers.

“The Schuylkill River unifies the community,” said Carousel at Pottstown member Bev Reber during the festival.

Many people take advantage of the free bikes offered by Bike Pottstown. The rules are easy; you have to be sixteen years of age and have a valid driver’s license. Then, simply leave your I.D. and take a bike.  Bike Pottstown gives people the chance to enjoy the river without the hassle of transporting their own bikes. In addition to biking, the river gives the public a place to go for hiking, fishing, and various types of exercise together as a community.

To check out all you can do at the river visit www.schuylkillriver.org/Things_Do.aspx.

The Schuylkill River gives many people an escape from their busy lives. If it is either taking a mid day leisurely walks, to a lengthy bike ride, the river has many benefits. So, come down and walk the Schuylkill trail!

Musicians perform in front of the Schuylkill River at Riverfront Park during Schuylkill River Festival in October. Photo by Nicole Rutkowski