University sustainability experts participate in a panel Monday night discussing the state of sustainability at the university. Credit: Meghan Beery | Senior Lantern Reporter
From ice cores to electric leaf blowers to composting programs, Ohio State is full of sustainability initiatives and research.
University sustainability leaders and experts gathered in the Ohio Union’s Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom Monday evening to discuss sustainability at Ohio State and beyond, with over 50 students in attendance. Known as State of Sustainability Night, the event was a collaboration between the Undergraduate Student Government and Time for Change Week, an annual seven-day series of environmental education and awareness events at Ohio State, according to the organization’s website.
Kate Bartter, executive director of the Sustainability Institute at Ohio State, led a panel discussion on key topics like political polarization and career accomplishments.
Panelists included Ellen Mosley-Thompson, senior research scientist at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center; Bart Elmore, an Ohio State professor in environmental history; Kerry Ard, an Ohio State professor in environmental and natural resource sociology; and Mary Leciejewski, associate director of sustainability and strategic services at Facilities Operations and Development.
The interdisciplinary panelists showcased the importance of bringing people together to solve problems such as unhealthy drinking water, decreasing biodiversity and unsustainable energy, Bartter said.
“No one person, no one country, no one inventor is going to come up with the solutions,” Bartter said. “We need many solutions to bring the world back into sustainability. But there is hope.”
The March 19 passage of Ohio Senate Bill 1 and federal funding cuts for scientific grants were also central to Monday’s discussion. Notably, SB 1 limits the teaching of “controversial belief[s] or policy” and categorizes climate policies as controversial.
Elmore and Mosley-Thompson said they would continue to teach their respective courses based on data and scientific evidence.
“People are concerned. I’m not concerned at all, because I go with the data,” Mosley-Thompson said. “The data are there, and I challenge anyone who wants to say otherwise.”
Elmore said many educators may resist suggested changes, namely removing the phrase “climate change” from syllabi.
“Sometimes you have to be noncompliant if people are pushing against things that the data suggests is not right,” Elmore said. “And so, I think sometimes you have to just hold the line in these moments.”
Ard emphasized the importance of student involvement in university sustainability initiatives and education.
“We have ebbs and flows,” Ard said. “So, [focus] on the silver lining of things and focus on what you can do. Your power is in the action. You are not responsible for all of the things, but you can do what you think is right, right here, right now, right in front of you.”
Leciejewski went on to discuss the university’s composting program, which Facilities Operations and Development expanded due to student input in 2023. The program now includes public compost bins in residence halls, on- and off-campus individual bins and eight public drop-off sites on campus, according to the website.
“Within a summer, we were given the charge and the resources to expand from 39 to 120 locations to collect organics,” Leciejewski said. “We collect nearly 700 additional tons because of that initiative, which is a lot.”
Mosley-Thompson said she feels Ohio State has made a lot of progress regarding sustainability over the past few decades.
“I’ve been here 46 years,” Mosley-Thompson said. “When I came, there was no recycling. People did walk around with sticks, picking up paper and putting it in a bag, but I don’t know where that went. And this is just like night and day.”
Bartter said though Ohio State has made strides toward a more sustainable environment, there are still strides to be made within the overall field to improve sustainability efforts.
“Don’t forget to pause and to remind yourself that there are things to be grateful for, but there is a lot of work to be done,” Bartter said.
