2008
 

2009 Conference on International Development: Food and Agriculture
Stanford Association for International Development (SAID)
cosponsors: Stanford GSB-International Development, Engineers for a Sustainabile World

This one-day conference featured panels on the environment, international economics, ethics and food and technology. The conference included a keynote address by Gurdev Khush, a prominent figure in the agricultural Green Revolution of Asia, who pioneered genetic modifications to rice, and a demonstration expo with innovative companies and their proposed solutions to the food crisis.


Biodiesel Workshop
Year Funded: 2008
Engineers for a Sustainable World

In the workshop, about 50 undergraduate and graduate students learned how to make biodiesel from waste vegetable oil collected from the dining halls. The participants received lab safety directions, background information about biodiesel and instructions on how to carry out the experiment. The procedure is quite simple: Oil is mixed with the right amount of lye. The mixture is then heated and blended for 15 minutes before dehydrating it in a small refinery plant on campus.


China's Environment Series
Year Funded: 2008
Green Living Council

This four-part speaker series in winter quarter highlighted China’s deteriorating environment and explored opportunities for marshaling clean energy technologies and international accords to promote prosperity while preserving the natural environment. Speakers included: Leonard Ortolano, Stanford; David Victor, Stanford; Stephanie Ohshita,University of San Francisco; Zhang jingjing, Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims and Yale World Fellow; Daniela Salaverry, Pacific Environment; Peggy Liu, Joint US-China Cooperation on Clean Energy; Steve Schneider, Stanford; and Mark Jacobson, Stanford. Partners: Students for a Sustainable Stanford, Forum for American/Chinese Exchange at Stanford (FACES), Stanford Cantonese Association


Clean Technology Expo
Year Funded: 2008
GSB Energy Club; Energy Crossroads

Building upon relationships with the venture capital community, the forum provided students with an opportunity to meet and get to know cleantech buisiness leaders. The event also gave students a chance to showcase their technology expertise with potential employers.


Design for a Sustainable World Course and Projects
Q&A with project team
Year Funded: 2008
Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW)

Educating about the needs of developing communities is an integral part of the Engineers for a Sustainable World-Stanford mission. Toward that end, ESW conducts a yearly course, CEE 177S/277S: Design for a Sustainable World, which combines the themes of environmental and cultural sustainability in engineering design projects. The course and associated projects involve four phases: 1) Course Planning and Workshops; 2) Spring Break Assessment Trips; 3) Spring Course Logistics; and 4) Summer Internships. Together, these phases allow students to develop concepts of sustainability, practice engineering design and participate in cultural exchange. Specific projects include ecological sanitation in Tepoztlan and Oaxaca, Mexico; and tsunami-resistant design in Padang, Indonesia and West Sumatra.


Environmental Justice Interdisciplinary Discussion Forum and Keynote for Green Fest 2009
Year Funded: 2008
Students for a Sustainable Stanford (SSS)

The grant supported a keynote panel during Earth Week with Majora Carter, a social and environmental justice advocate who lectures on greening the ghetto. Carter discussed holistic approaches to global problems and the power of collaborative solutions. Students for a Sustainable Stanford (SSS); Students Taking on Poverty (STOP); Students Promoting Ethnic and Cultural Kinship (SPEACK); Energy Crossroads; the Stanford Chapter of the NAACP co-sponsored the lecture, which was followed by a panel discussion and Q & A session.


Green Living Symposium
Year Funded: 2008
Green Living Council

The symposium showcased sustainable behavior change interventions designed and implemented by peer coordinators in their residences over the past year. Posters were displayed of 15 student interventions in the areas of energy and water conservation, sustainable food choices, and recycling/waste reduction. The intent was to bridge communication among students, faculty and staff across campus. In the fall term, the course Pediatrics 199-53 taught by Professor Tom Robinson, School of Medicine, presented strategies drawn from psychology, sociology, marketing, health promotion and other fields to improve the effectiveness of behavior change campaigns. Workshops on additional intervention ideas weere held in winter and spring.


Real-Time Energy Monitoring Pilot in Storey House
Year Funded: 2008
Stanford Green Campus Program

The Stanford Green Campus Program established a real-time energy monitoring and feedback system at Storey House and at the Human Biology academic theme house. Residents and administrators monitored electricity consumption at each house on an online “building dashboard,” which provided a graphical and educational user interface.


Spring Symposium: Climate Change and Marine Systems: Managing for Resiliency
Year Funded: 2008
Stanford Journal of Law, Science & Policy; co-sponsored by Student Collaborations for Ocean Research and Education (SCORE)

The April 10 symposium at the Stanford Law School brought together academics, lawyers, business people and government and nonprofit leaders to focus on the increasing challenges of managing the marine environment in the context of climate change. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) gave the keynote, and panels on marine renewable energy, marine protected areas and fisheries were developed by E-IPER, Biology, Law and Engineering students. In conjunction with the symposium, an author's workshop was held on April 11 to develop a set of policy recommendations along the lines of the scientific consensus statement on marine ecosystem-based management produced by COMPASS. The symposium results were communicated broadly through journal articles and the web.


Stanford Scientific Magazine
Year Funded: 2008
Stanford Scientific Magazine

Stanford Scientific Magazine (SSM) hopes to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the extraordinary scientific advancements that happen right at home, in the laboratories and classrooms of Stanford University. Due to the recent expansion suggested by the magazine’s faculty advisory board, SSM used the Mel Lane funding to cover printing costs of additional copies for the three issues published this year.


Sustainable Fashion Show Stanford
Q&A with project team
Year Funded: 2008
Sustainable Fashion Collective

The group held a sustainable fashion show during Earth Week, created a space for Stanford designers to experiment with materials and zero-waste construction techniques and sold commissioned pieces on campus. This grant also provided sewing equipment for ongoing product development. The group hopes to become a think tank and practicum for Stanford students interested in sustainable fashion design, eco-fashion culture, and efficient fabrics research and manufacturing. With each American throwing out an average of 68 pounds of clothing per year, and the use of petroleum- based fabrics, such as nylon and polyester, the group hopes to raise awareness and create products that become trendy on campus.