On November 7, Two environmental studies majors, Jacob Rosenzweig-Stein 20’ and Erin McPhillips 20', along with their mentor Barry Muchnick, assistant professor of environmental studies, presented a portfolio of student campus sustainability projects at the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association’s 36th Annual Conference in Aberdeen, Maryland. Invited to represent the team of St. Mary’s College students who won last year’s Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission’s Sustainable Growth Challenge Award, Rosenzweig-Stein and McPhillips fielded questions from attendees about how St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Environmental Studies Program engages in applied discovery through environmental studies classes like the Applied Sustainability Practicum. The Sustainable Growth Challenge is a program that engages Maryland college students in developing creative solutions to sustainability while also providing a career-building, real world learning experience. “Environmental Studies classes at St. Mary’s really let you be a part of sustainability problem solving,” noted Rosenzweig-Stein, who is working on a St. Mary’s Project on green transportation. Highlighted were the Tiny House Project, the Campus Sustainability Map, and a collection of multi-media overviews of green design and planning initiatives on campus ranging from the Kate Chandler Campus Community Farm to waste reduction efforts to resource conservation projects.
