Author: seanw21

Virginia Tech Ph.D. candidate works to lower temperatures in Roanoke neighborhood.

by Sean Weinstock & Emelia Dalaporte

Brad Stephens, a doctoral candidate in the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, is a part of a team that recently applied for an EPA grant. Our reporter Sean sat down with Stephens to discuss the grant and what would result if the team receives it. Tune in to the News Feed Podcast to learn more about heat islands and their impacts.

ReNewTheNew Hosts its Annual River Cleanup

by Sean Weinstock

On Saturday, September 14th, over 800 volunteers in over 60 boats across four counties gathered at the New River to participate in the annual RenewTheNew cleanup event designed to improve conditions in the New River.

Why it matters: “The river is a special resource for this whole valley and cleaning it up, keeping it fresh for tourism, for fish and recreational use is really important.” said Brad Buchanan, RenewTheNew Montgomery County Organizer.

  • Organized by Giles County the annual effort includes four locations in Giles, Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, and the City of Radford. Additionally, this year the event included cleanup efforts in West Virginia and parts of North Carolina.
  • Locally, over 100 volunteers, many Virginia Tech students, gathered at Whitethorne Boat Ramp in Blacksburg. “We found out about this through one of their flyers and thought it would be a great opportunity to serve the broader community in Blacksburg”, said Justin Ward, Virginia Tech student.
  • The event provided volunteers with a ‘Fall Into the New’ t-shirt, work gloves, trash bags and water craft to pick up trash and debris scattered across the designated cleanup area.
  • With a focus on the river itself rather than just the shoreline, the bulk of the effort involved students in boats hand collecting trash and filling trash bags. Removing tires was also an important part of the effort.
  • Volunteers wore shorts, cargo pants, boots, and aquatic shoes. The cleanup fleet included kayaks, canoes, and a few small bass boats. The event in Montgomery County lasted from 9a.m to 12p.m and lunch was provided to volunteers at the end of the session.
  • “This was my first time going to a New River cleanup and I thought it would be a good way to get in some volunteer hours since I want to join Americore or the Peace Corp when I graduate”, said Thomas Oudekerk, Virginia Tech student.

Flashback: RenewTheNew started on July 21st, 2001, in Giles County with more than 600 volunteers and over 20,000 pounds of trash collected during the inaugural event. This event officially started Giles Counties annual after summer cleanup.

  • The first group was made up of river guides, river luggers and Giles County community members.
  • After a few years the river cleanup expanded to Montgomery, Floyd, and Pulaski counties and the City of Radford.
  • Participation was also expanded and opened to all members of the New River Valley community.

Context: The New River has been an important part of the New River Valley community for generations and has become a major tourist attraction for the region contributing nearly $36 million to Giles County in visitor spending in 2023.

  • A key attraction is the New River Water trail, a 37-mile protected stretch of river that includes the towering Palisades Cliffs. Below the cliffs, the New River reaches a depth of over 100 feet.

Rare Treasure: Considered to be the oldest river in North America, the New River is part of the Ohio River watershed running 320 miles across North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

  • The river is home to a variety of wildlife including large and smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge, crappie, bluegill, carp, and channel catfish.
  • In addition to its remarkable age, the New River is one of the few rivers in the Northern Hemisphere that flows from South to North.

What’s Next:  The ReNewTheNew initiative continues its efforts to keep the New River clean all year around.

  • Other initiatives include increasing enforcement of littering violations, erecting boat ramp kiosks for use by park officials to provide better information and resources to visitors, installation of trash pickup bag dispensers.
  • Improved coordination and cooperation with the Giles County Sheriff’s department has reduced vandalism along the river and in park areas.

ReNewTheNew is all about protecting the New River as a valuable asset and ensuring that it remains a vibrant part of the community.

Virginia Tech Continues Sustainable Practices in Dining Halls

By Sean Weinstock

With a return to the school year, Virginia Tech continues its efforts to create a more sustainable packaging system for all campus dining facilities.

“Several new initiatives are on the horizon and on-going, said Emily Williams, Dining Services Sustainability Manager. “We are continuously working on transitioning from single-use plastics to compostable options”.

In 2020 Virginia Tech adopted the Climate Action Commitment dedicating itself to being a leader in climate action to the community, the commonwealth, and the world. One of the key tenets of the commitment was for Virginia Tech to become a zero-waste campus by 2030. Dining Services is playing a key role in this effort.

Over the summer Virginia Tech Dining Services began updating packaging systems and incorporating new methods to reduce waste. One of the first steps was implementing new plastic containers that can be returned to dining halls. Single use plastics is one of the biggest sources of waste at the university. Another more recent change was the removal of plastic bags and water cups from all dining facilities. The removal of plastic bags aligns with a broader statewide initiative to charge for or remove plastic bags from many retail locations. “At the start of the semester I didn’t really notice that they were gone, but now not having them has made picking up food a little more annoying,” said Ryan Erickson, Virginia Tech student. While some students are less than thrilled with the changes in packaging, the sustainability team is confident that students will adjust, and the benefits far outweigh any inconvenience. “There has been some concern about the reduction of plastic bags in our dining centers,” said Williams. “We understand that plastic bags are a convenient option, and this change can be challenging for those accustomed to using them.”

Additionally, a new reusable tracking system is now being tested, starting at the West End Dining Hall. The program is called the West End Pilot Program. Sponsored by GrubHub and Topanga, the program is designed to track the reusable food containers so they can be returned properly and be ready for use again. Food delivery and carry out containers are another major source of plastic waste and developing a viable mechanism to switch to multiple use options is another important element of the university’s sustainability program.  “The pilot at West End has only been active for a little over a week but initial results are promising”, said Williams. “We are observing about an 89% return rate for containers; this marks a significant improvement compared to past semesters.” Since the start of the semester and the Pilot, the sustainability team has seen over 2,700 containers used and returned by Virginia Tech customers.

As with most sustainability and recycling efforts, separating materials early in the process is critical to the success of the initiative. This semester students in most dining facilities were greeted by new signage providing students with clear guidance on how to properly dispose of waste. In addition to signage, trash receptacles contain unique icons and color coding designed to make it easier for students to identify the appropriate bins at a quick glance, thereby increasing the likelihood of correct waste disposal. Having a universal system across all dining halls ensures consistency, which helps reinforce proper sorting habits. This new signage is intended to enhance front-end sorting by aligning student behavior with established back-end practices with the ultimate goal of bridging the gap between students’ waste disposal actions and Dining Services’ sustainability goals.

Efficiently disposing of organic waste is another important pillar of Virginia Tech’s sustainability program. Southgate Food Center has now implemented a Biodigester into their dining hall. A Biodigester works by using a process called aerobic digestion, to break down food waste by turning it into gray water and adding it into the plumbing system. Gray water requires less sewage treatment and can be used for gardening and other uses. The first Biodigester was implemented into Southgate Food Center in January 2024. “There are plans to explore the expansion of biodigesters to other dining facilities in the future”, said Williams. “The technology has proven to be quite effective at Southgate, and there is a strong desire to extend its use across more locations”. Virginia Tech’s sustainability team does not have a current timeline on when new biodigesters will be seen in dining facilities but assure that there are plans for more.

The Dining Facilities office does not operate in a vacuum and actively collaborates with various environmental and sustainability groups at Virginia Tech. “I work closely with other sustainable departments on campus, including the Office of Sustainability and Waste Management,” said Williams. “Additionally, I engage with student groups such as Rhizome, the Honors College, and several classes within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The office is continually exploring new opportunities for collaboration to further our sustainability goals and support student involvement in these initiatives.”

Williams emphasized that although progress has been made, it is still early days, and much work remains to achieve the university’s sustainability goals. There are several new initiatives on the horizon, many with a focus on transitioning from single-use plastics to compostable options. “We have hundreds of different items to convert and it’s something that can be time-consuming to complete,” said Williams.

Another important sustainability focus area is increasing local purchasing of produce and other food products. Buying locally supports local businesses and reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting food across the countries. The Dining Services office has internal goals to increase local purchasing. There is also an effort to expand the availability of organic products available to students. The Dining Services offices has an outreach and marketing program that targets local farmers.

With all of these new plans being set in motion at Virginia tech, there still comes the matter of cost. “Our primary goal as a department is to support the campus in achieving its Climate Action Commitment goals, this can sometimes come as an added expense,” said Williams. “We believe that the long-term benefits of these initiatives, both in terms of environmental impact and alignment with our sustainability objectives, outweigh the immediate costs”.