Making Headlines
The following articles reflect our commitment to share sustainability-related accomplishments across the university — representing its colleges, departments, institutes, centers and other units — in the areas of research, student engagement, campus stewardship and collaborations with the public and private sectors.
Akron Beacon Journal, May 23, 2019
Researchers at Ohio State’s Stone Laboratory have provided more reason to worry about the health of Lake Erie. Or put another way, for state leaders to act with appropriate ambition and resources as they weigh how to move forward with the promising H2Ohio proposal advanced by Mike DeWine. The governor has in mind devoting $900 million in state money during the next decade to protect and improve state waterways, paying particular attention to Lake Erie. ...
Featured expert(s): Justin Chaffin
Center Lake Erie Area Research
AutoBlog, May 23, 2019
The Ohio State University has been named The EcoCAR Mobility Challenge Year One champion, taking the lead in the premier four-year collegiate engineering competition. Rounding out the top three are Virginia Tech in second place and the University of Alabama in third place. ...
WOSU All Sides, May 22, 2019
According to the USDA, the U.S. wastes 30 to 40 percent of its food supply each year. And in Franklin County, that amounted to 152,000 tons of food waste. The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio is looking to cut that number in half by 2030. One of their plans is to encourage ‘rightsizing’ portions in employee training at local restaurants. This would reduce waste from restaurants that consistently overserve. ...
Featured expert(s): Brian Roe
agricultural, environmental, and development economics, SI affiliated faculty
Public Radio International, May 21, 2019
In the spring of 1969, 19-year-old Ohio State sophomore Terry Tickhill Terrell saw an article in the school newspaper about a graduate student who had gone to Antarctica with a research group. She immediately thought, "That is the kind of job I want." So, she walked into the Institute of Polar Studies at OSU and told the secretary, "Hi, I want a job in Antarctica." ...
Mansfield News Journal, May 21, 2019
Around a dozen farmers, or rather, producers, harvested over a hundred pounds of produce Monday at the microfarm on the Mansfield campus of The Ohio State University. The bounty of microgreens and radishes will be given to YellowBird Foodshed, a community-supported agriculture (CSA) share program. ...
WOSU, May 20, 2019
Researchers at The Ohio State University have identified a new, potentially harmful algae bloom in the central basin of Lake Erie that could affect Cleveland's water. The cyanobacteria found in the middle of the central basin thrives in cooler waters, starting in July. Researcher Justin Chaffin says this toxin, Dolichospermum, has the potential to attack the central nervous system while the one found near Toledo when water temperatures are higher, Microcystis, attacks the liver. ...
Featured expert(s): Justin Chaffin
Center/Lake Erie Area Research
Columbus Underground, May 20, 2019
On Saturday, dozens of families gathered at Ohio State’s West Campus Quad to participate in the third annual West Campus Science & Sustainability Festival or WestFest. Sponsored by the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center, the Byrd Polar & Climate Research Center, the Center for Applied Plant Sciences, the Ohio Sea Grant, the Sustainability Institute and Ohio State Energy Partners, WestFest is designed to engage families and children while also showcasing the scientific work being done by the university. ...
Columbus Underground, May 17, 2019
This Saturday, May 18 marks the third year of WestFest on Ohio State’s West Campus, an opportunity for the university to showcase some of its research and accomplishments in the science of sustainability. Partnering with COSI, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Columbus GreenSpot, WestFest will feature stations managed by the university’s Sustainability Institute, the Byrd Polar & Climate Research Center, the Museum of Biological Diversity, the Orton Geological Museum and many others. ...
Business First, May 16, 2019
Franklin County can cut its food waste with better awareness and more diversion programs, according to the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio. ...
Featured expert(s): Brian Roe
agricultural, environmental, and development economics, SI affiliated faculty
Ohio State News, May 16, 2019
The Ohio State University will be a founding member of a higher education summit focused on addressing climate change. President Michael V. Drake joined Michael Bloomberg in St. Louis to announce the Midwestern Higher Education Climate Summit. The summit, to be held in 2020, is expected to be the largest meeting of Midwest universities focused on mitigating the effects of climate change and moving to a 100 percent clean-energy economy. The summit will bring together Midwestern universities, local government and the private sector to work together to find innovative and measurable ideas to solve the challenges of climate change at a local level. ...