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Two Buffalo re-pats came up with a pretty cool idea. Agnes Wilewicz and Jesse Farinacci are the co-developers of The Buffalo Cool Roof Project, an app that identifies dark roofs that could be painted white, decreasing the energy use of the structure.

Two Buffalo re-pats came up with a pretty cool idea. Agnes Wilewicz and Jesse Farinacci are the co-developers of The Buffalo Cool Roof Project, an app that identifies dark roofs that could be painted white, decreasing the energy use of the structure.

There’s a new episode in the ongoing balance between wildlife and life at UB: The Canada goose who returns to take up residence each spring at the School of Law now — because of an upcoming internationally known guest —has a catchy name: Ruth Bader Gooseburg.

Scientists were studying ecohydrology for decades before it became an official ‘ology’. Find out how this field has evolved over the past century.

At Triad Recycling and Energy Corporation in Tonawanda, employees take waste that's headed to the dump, and recycle it. Drywall gets shredded and turned into flooring for cattle. Foam from mattresses gets shredded too, and is made into carpet padding. 

In a new class, UB students are confronting the challenge of climate change by working with local companies to cut their carbon footprints.

On its 49th birthday, Earth Day is having a midlife crisis. In the beginning, it was a policy-shaking event that awakened a new generation of activists. But now even environmentalists have misgivings about it. Sure, they can get behind planting trees and clearing trash out of rivers, but they have issues with Earth Day itself.

Green Your Commute Day and National Bike to Work Day on May 17 promote and celebrate sustainable modes of transportation.

UB’s virtual food pantry program, Blue Table, is officially accessible to students. Sherri Darrow, director of Health Promotion, announced the program went live on April 19.

Tis the season for sustainability rankings in higher education, and UB fares well on two lists that track green power usage among the nation’s colleges and universities.

More grim news from the Arctic: Greenland’s ice sheet has shrunk six times faster than normal since the 1980s, and it could keep melting for decades even if humans significantly reduce carbon emissions.

In most cities and towns around the country, Pride Week occurs in June or July. For example, Buffalo’s Pride Week runs from May 28-June 2. The timing of such celebrations, however, means that many UB students aren’t able to participate in the festivities since they’ve either returned home or are working summer jobs or internships.

As a medical case manager for Evergreen Health in Buffalo, Theo Have assists many refugee patients. Too often, Have’s clients experience health issues that are directly related to their housing situation.

Hassaballah, fellow graduate student Anish Ajay Kirtane and Business Administration junior Olivia Burgner earned first place in UB’s World’s Challenge Challenge (WCC), and $3,000, for their work on a sustainable beef alternative addressing three of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

Is there a product besides plastic that’s more omnipresent in people’s lives today? It’s everywhere, and in everything, from straws and Styrofoam, to grocery bags and water bottles.

Is there a product besides plastic that’s more omnipresent in people’s lives today? It’s everywhere, and in everything, from straws and Styrofoam, to grocery bags and water bottles.

People eat animals that eat plants. If we just eliminate that middle step and eat plants directly, we would diminish our carbon footprint, decrease agricultural land usage, eliminate health risks associated with red meat and alleviate ethical concerns over animal welfare. 

Is there a product besides plastic that’s more omnipresent in people’s lives today? It’s everywhere, and in everything, from straws and Styrofoam, to grocery bags and water bottles.

The University at Buffalo is ranked No. 3 in climate action among 250 institutions worldwide, according to the first-ever Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings revealed April 3.

Human beings originated in Africa about 100,000 years ago and have developed societies during the past 200 years that have contributed to climate change, which risks making the globe uninhabitable for our species and many others.

Girls with an interest in technology and entrepreneurship will have the chance to spend the day with likeminded souls at Girls Get IT, a free public event happening later this month.

Is there a product besides plastic that’s more omnipresent in people’s lives today? It’s everywhere, and in everything, from straws and Styrofoam, to grocery bags and water bottles.

Ever heard of The Green Program? I hadn’t either. Fortunately, one of their student ambassadors is at our University and took some time to fill us in on what the program entails, who is eligible, and why the experience has made him even more passionate about working on sustainability issues.

As a medical case manager for Evergreen Health in Buffalo, Theo Have assists many refugee patients. Too often, Have’s clients experience health issues that are directly related to their housing situation.

Looking over the lengthy list of events coming up as part of Sustainability Month at UB, one thing in particular stands out: The vast majority of them — and there are more than 40 in all — are touched by units that don’t fall directly under the UB Sustainability umbrella.

Students across the globe are fighting for climate change. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says here in Buffalo, a City Honors School student is organizing a walk-out for this Friday, March 15, to demand climate justice.  

Students across the globe are fighting for climate change. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says here in Buffalo, a City Honors School student is organizing a walk-out for this Friday, March 15, to demand climate justice.  

The story goes like this: Zandra Cunningham was obsessed with lip balm. When her dad stopped bankrolling her habit, the 9-year-old had to learn to make her own. Nine years later, that's turned into a $500,000 skin care company with products sold nationwide in such stores as Costco and Target.

The little boy and his mother boarded the bus, picked out some produce, paid and took off. Just two more customers served by the Farm Express mobile market in the Phoenix area. So thought Elyse Guidas, its executive director. Then, a few days later, she got an email from the boy’s mother.

There is such an astonishing quantity and variety of waste coursing in, around and above the planet that it can be easy to think of all of it as one dense, destructive substance—but there are degrees. Some kinds of trash are worse than other kinds, and it is worth knowing which is which, as we hover in the mudroom of apocalypse.

There is such an astonishing quantity and variety of waste coursing in, around and above the planet that it can be easy to think of all of it as one dense, destructive substance—but there are degrees. Some kinds of trash are worse than other kinds, and it is worth knowing which is which, as we hover in the mudroom of apocalypse.

Political activist Angela Davis celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and spoke about social justice issues throughout the world before a large audience in Alumni Arena Wednesday night during an appearance as part of UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series.

The laufmaschine was a funny looking contraption with an even funnier sounding name. But it was invented by a German nobleman in 1816 in response to a very serious climate crisis that impacted the entire world.

The sounds of “may-me-my-mo-moo” thunder through a room in UB’s Biomedical Education Building on a recent Wednesday afternoon. Following that comes the fierce projection of a piercing “ah” sound. Luckily, no one is hurt; these roaring shouts are coming from individuals with Parkinson’s disease who are patients of the UB Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic’s newest program, The LOUD Crowd®. 

For Pete Logiudice, sustainability at UB means a lot of things. It’s the 70 percent natural light that filters into Kapoor Hall on South Campus. It’s the group of employees who meet once a week to go for a lunchtime walk. It’s the GRoW Home, which produces more energy than it consumes. These are all facts that Logiudice, who works in human resources, loves to share when he leads new employee orientation sessions.

Within the next year or so, UB students will have a new opportunity to contribute to health care in Haiti in a big way. Kimberley Persons, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science, is working with a New York-based organization and a university in Haiti to provide occupational and physical therapy training in a country that’s severely lacking it.

Taking an in-depth assessment of campus culture integrating diversity, equity and inclusion at UB, the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIX) will conduct a wide-ranging survey focused on enhancing and strengthening the variety of initiatives supporting all members of the university community.

Through pitch contests, courses on entrepreneurship and more, the University at Buffalo and regional partners have invested increased resources in supporting the local startup community in recent years.

The University at Buffalo-led initiative to generate 100 megawatts of on- and off-site renewable energy hit a milestone today with the issuing of requests for proposals (RFPs).

A UB architecture student’s efforts to find a community use for his class project has helped establish a class-wide venture that will place 10 student-built works in urban gardens across Buffalo.

Long before the Distinguished Speakers Series, UB was a destination for powerful figures in the civil rights and political movements of the 1960s-70s, hosting influential guests that ranged from Malcolm X to Muhammad Ali.

Taking an in-depth assessment of campus culture integrating diversity, equity and inclusion at UB, the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIX) will conduct a wide-ranging survey focused on enhancing and strengthening the variety of initiatives supporting all members of the university community.

You may never have heard about mucositis, but for those going through cancer treatment, this common side effect makes an already challenging situation that much worse.

A handful of UB law students are on the front lines of the national debate over immigration policy and the U.S. government’s treatment of immigrants as they volunteer their legal expertise to immigrants seeking to cross into the United States from Mexico.

New state election laws will make it easier for voters to cast their ballots. But life will get harder for prospective political challengers, party leaders and elections commissioners for upstate areas like Erie County.

What was left behind at Tonawanda Coke has become clear. Start with 900,000 gallons of ammonia waste. Then add the leaky tanks and contaminated equipment. A moat filled with chemicals still needs to be drained, but is considered less of an immediate threat to the Niagara River as once feared, federal and state regulators said of their on-site work.

Antarctic glaciers have been melting at an accelerating pace over the past four decades thanks to an influx of warm ocean water — a startling new finding that researchers say could mean sea levels are poised to rise more quickly than predicted in coming decades.

Elijah Tyson, ColdSpace founder and CEO, stopped by UB Sustainability office to give more insight into why it matters, what’s next, and his philosophies that keep him going.

The University at Buffalo is placing an emphasis on giving students real-world academic experience to complement their classroom studies. That effort will take an environmental bent this year as the university hosts three initiatives dedicated to environmental sustainability.

Buffalo has a growing collection of startup companies that see an opportunity to build scalable tech while having a positive environmental impact. Here’s a look at some of the local clean-tech startups that have garnered attention from potential investors and customers.

Shielded by wraparound sunglasses and a windbreaker against a gusty fall day, Jill Spisiak Jedlicka strides across a lawn toward New York’s Buffalo River.

Dartmouth College Press has released an updated and expanded edition of “Women and Sports in the United States: A Documentary Reader,” co-edited by Susan Cahn, professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Collectively, it’s called “Hacking Our World.” Individually, each of the three competitions UB Sustainability is bringing to campus this academic year will offer students the chance to take on some of the region’s and the world’s most pressing problems.

In recent years, many of America’s urban schools have improved significantly. A 2016 report from the Urban Institute found that while all the country’s public-school students improved in the decade starting in 2005, the gain for those in large cities was double that of the U.S. average; the advances are especially pronounced in kids’ reading scores. With these strides, the achievement gap between city districts and their suburban and rural counterparts closed by roughly a third during that same period.

Rock snot. Ice jam flooding. Nitrogen pollution. An influx of hydrilla, an invasive plant that resembles a bottlebrush. Each fall, UB students in an environmental management class come up with creative proposals for tackling these and other challenges facing the Cattaraugus Creek watershed.

Mark Poloncarz and Assemblymember Sean Ryan headlined the rally outside New Era on Monday, and there were come pretty critical words spoken. "An international design firm coupled with local union labor - what could be better?" asked Ryan. "But New Era recently announced they're going to do a thing called a pivot," said Ryan.

n open house last month presented options for three sites on the Outer Harbor: an area nearly 150 acres stretching between the Bell Slip and Wilkeson Pointe; the 15 acres around Terminal B, a vacant building at the southern end of the Outer Harbor; and the 16-acre marina.

Against the backdrop of a contentious national debate over immigration policy and widespread protest over the U.S. government’s treatment of immigrants seeking to cross into the United States from Mexico, a handful of UB law students are poised to provide hands-on help to asylum seekers.

The wave of post-industrial decline that swept over Rust Belt cities during the second half of the 20th century left in its wake a host of urban challenges: vacancy and blight, poverty, racial segregation and scarred industrial landscapes.

But a city in flux is also one with potential—and, in the case of Buffalo, N.Y., fertile ground for university-city investigations in urbanism.

On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, University of Buffalo Law Professor Irus Braverman discusses her new book, Coral Whisperers: Scientists on the Brink. Coral reefs are described as the rain forests of the ocean, but over the last 30 years, they’ve been devastated by global warming, over-fishing, pollution, coastal development, and ocean acidification.

A couple of young entrepreneurs at University at Buffalo have come up with an ingenious way for students, office workers, and others, to safely refrigerate their food while at school or at work. UB alumni Elijah Tyson and Abid Alam are calling their new concept ColdSpace. 

A new report developed by UB urban planning students offers strategies for how Chautauqua County in New York can harness the food system for economic development and health. The report, titled “Cultivating Prosperity in Chautauqua County: Leveraging the Food System as a Catalyst for Economic Development,” resulted from a partnership between the community and UB researchers. 

Theodore (Ted) Jojola, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor and Regents’ Professor in the Community & Regional Planning Program, School of Architecture + Planning, University of New Mexico (UNM).

On a dreary, rainy, Saturday morning, one might be inclined to slip down under the covers for a few more winks. But not dozens of UB students, who ignored that natural urge last weekend to take part in UB’s Fall Community Day, a biannual day of service organized by the Office of Community Relations.

Winona LaDuke is a rural development economist and author working on issues of Indigenous Economics , Food and Energy Policy. She lives and works on the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota, and is the Executive Director of Honor the Earth (HtE).

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation finds itself facing a pretty remarkable question. How much can a philanthropy do for just two distinct regions, giving $1.2 billion in 20 years? (Well, it’s more money than that, given investment returns, and we’re actually down to just 16 years, but you get the picture.)

Leading off UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series, former Vice President Joe Biden told a sold-out audience yesterday that, “In the end, words matter. Our leaders need to lower the temperature of our public dialogue. “We cannot allow America to be defined by race, religion or political beliefs.” Biden, the Undergraduate Student Choice speaker, took the stage to a standing ovation from an audience of more than 6,000 in Alumni Arena on the North Campus.

Shortly after earning her Master of Architecture degree this past spring from UB’s School of Architecture and Planning, Lemma Al-Ghanem headed to Jordan to join a humanitarian organization in its effort to build a sustainable classroom in the village of Azraq.

Only 28 percent of American CEOs are women. To find out why such a gap exists, a study published this fall in Personnel Psychology analyzed more than 100 papers on leadership emergence published between 1957 and 2017.

Manganese is known for making stainless steel and aluminum soda cans. Now, researchers say the metal could advance one of the most promising sources of renewable energy: hydrogen fuel cells.

Its early afternoon on Friday, October 12, and I sit with two Graduate School of Education Professors, Noemi Waight and Sarah Robert, as they excitedly describe their trip from one week ago today. The passion and dedication the two professors possess, and share, makes for a lively discussion and a compelling argument for taking learning further than the classroom, literally and figuratively.

The most recent international report on climate change paints a picture of disruption to society unless there are drastic and rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Although it’s early days, some cities and municipalities are starting to recognize that past conditions can no longer serve as reasonable proxies for the future. 

“It was the most beautiful place I have ever been to. From the top of the hills, we could see miles and miles of mountains, trees and coffee bushes,” says Aaron Chaney, secretary of UB Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and a student in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering (CSEE).

While hurricanes like Florence are technically “natural” disasters, the Carolinas are experiencing the ways that the distinctly human-made problems of social and economic inequality reinforce and aggravate storm damage. Exhibit A is the catastrophic breaches and spills from the enormous manure “lagoons” located on North Carolina’s many factory-scale hog farms.

The rendering is about 5 years old. It was drafted by a group of students from the School of Architecture and Planning who proposed placing the GRoW Home in front of Crosby Hall on the South Campus, where it would become an educational space. Fast forward a few years, hundreds of students and some 6,000 miles of travel, and the GRoW Home is now open on the South Campus as a clean energy and sustainability engagement center.

One of the finalists in this year’s 43North startup competition was a homegrown name with deep connections to UB: Dimien, a chemical manufacturer with a clean tech focus. The company — founded by UB chemistry PhD graduate Brian J. Schultz — uses an eco-friendly, water-based process to make chemicals used as additives in high-performance glass, batteries and other products.

There are some residents on South Campus who aren’t paying their Campus Living fees, but UB doesn’t mind. These feathered residents are peregrine falcons, a New York State endangered species whose presence on campus is both encouraged and monitored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

A new college review aggregator has ranked the University at Buffalo among the nation’s 25 most environmentally friendly colleges and universities.

For a hoax invented by the Chinese, climate change is having some very real impacts on the United States and its people. As the evidence grows that the Earth will continue to get warmer — something even the Trump maladministration admits is true — the US government continues to ignore the obvious as it coddles the Koch Brothers and the fossil fuel industry to the detriment of its own citizens.

Gender and racial bias still exist in the legal profession and have an impact on “everyday interactions in legal workplaces,” according to a new report. “You Can’t Change What You Can’t See: Interrupting Racial and Gender in the Legal Profession” was released in September by the American Bar Association and Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

How have pollutants emitted by the Tonawanda Coke Corp. affected the health and environment of communities in Western New York? Two court-ordered studies that examine these questions are moving forward this fall, with the goal of providing people who live and work nearby with high-quality, research-based information on the impact of air pollution on their neighborhoods

While the city is fixing all the stuff that broke down the last time [during Superstorm Sandy], what about the next storm? Because all the experts keep telling us there will be a next time, that Sandy was just a climate change foreshadow of what’s to come for this part of the country. But where is all this water coming from? Why are we seeing so much more flooding in New York City and other parts of the east coast?

When Katie McClain-Meeder and her husband, Jesse Meeder, were searching for some available land in the country a few years ago, they weren’t shopping for a farm, specifically. So when the couple discovered 43 acres for sale south of Franklinville, they decided to make the purchase. The land had possibilities.

August was hot. Signaled by images of parched grasslands and flaming forests in places as far apart as California, Greece, Australia and Siberia and of smog shrouded citizens in India and China, increasingly high temperatures also created sweltering cities.

Scratching your head for ways to incorporate sustainability in your home or at work? Plenty of advice — and free samples — will be available at the 2018 Sustainable Living Fair sponsored by the Professional Staff Senate’s Sustainable Living Committee and Campus Dining and Shops.

Former U.S. Representative Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) cares about “climate realism,” and he’s going around the country to spread his message. Inglis spoke to over 30 UB community members in Student Union 210 on Thursday evening. Inglis talked about free enterprise, “high octane conservatism” and his justification for carbon taxes. UB Sustainability and UB’s Young Americans for Liberty chapter, a group which embraces libertarian political values, co-sponsored the speech. Inglis also attended the UB Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter event in O’Brien Hall 112 after his speech in SU.

A former congressman who is leading the movement among conservatives championing free enterprise solutions to climate change will give a talk at UB later this week as part of republicEn’s EnCourage Tour. Bob Inglis, who represented South Carolina’s 4th congressional district for 12 years in the House of Representatives, will give a talk titled “Solving climate change with courage and conservative principles” from 6-7 p.m. Thursday in the Landmark Room (210) of the Student Union, North Campus. A Q&A will follow.

Democracy demands a robust contest of ideas to thrive, and diversity is the best way of protecting the democratic foundation of the American experiment, according to a UB philosopher. Diversity inspires new thoughts and ideas while discouraging stagnation and increasing the possibilities of finding better ways to address various issues.

As the Sept. 15 launch date for NASA’s new ice-monitoring satellite approaches, UB scientists are among many worldwide who are counting down the days. They’re excited, but nervous, too. That’s what happens when your future research is reliant on equipment that’s going to be hurled, atop a flaming rocket, into the harsh environs of outer space. Or when — as in the case of UB climate scientist Beata Csatho — you actually helped to build the thing that’s blasting into orbit.

How do you pack more power into an electric car? The answer may be electronic transistors made of gallium oxide, which could enable automakers to boost energy output while keeping vehicles lightweight and streamlined in design.

Going to a school as large as UB can be daunting for many incoming freshmen and transfer students, which is why the Office of Student Engagement is committed to creating new ways to foster a sense of community and belonging for those new to UB.

As UB’s Ellicott Complex was filled with energy on Thursday with new students moving into residence halls, one of the prime examples of students being environmentally conscious was amid all of the excitement. Two tents, positioned next to Crossroads Culinary Center, contained all sorts of everyday items essential to living in the residence halls. Used desk lamps, rugs, laundry baskets, mini-refrigerators, and even textbooks were all for sale thanks to the work of UB ReUSE.

Installing solar panels at the Cazenovia Park ice rink. Making streetlights more energy efficient on Genesee and Niagara streets. Curbing pollution in Scajaquada Creek.

All are examples of how UB’s Institute for Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water (RENEW) is working with the city of Buffalo to help create a smarter, cleaner and more resilient community.

As UB graduate students Alyssa Bergsten and Aric Gaughan settled into their summer internship, they quickly discovered the prevailing attitude toward safety in the construction industry: “Suck it up, and get back to work,” Gaughan says. It was their mission to change that mindset.

Working with Oneida Sales and Service, Bergsten and Gaughan used their varied backgrounds in social work and business, respectively, to devise a person-centered program to demonstrate the company’s commitment to safety, train managers and improve overall safety for workers.

Quacking fills the air. Suddenly, a dozen or so ducks swim to shore, their swiftly moving webbed feet creating W-shaped ripples in the water. A duckling explores its new aquatic world. Nearby, a gaggle of Canada geese honk. An osprey circles overhead, scouring the water below for the catch of the day. And then — silence. All is calm on the water.

You may have noticed the vehicle — it resembles a Fred Flintstone teardrop camper, but with many more windows — parked in the Center for Tomorrow Lot, or tooling around the back roads near Helm Warehouse and Crofts Hall.

That’s Olli, and the self-driving electric shuttle that advances New York State as a hub for autonomous vehicle research made its public debut yesterday as part of the Fourth Annual Symposium on Transportation Informatics. The two-day conference at UB brings together nationwide leaders in next-generation transportation technologies.

Much of the talk about buildings and climate change has focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. What often gets overlooked is ensuring that buildings are prepared for future climate impacts. That’s imperative because with climate change will come more frequent, intense storms, along with other climate-related hazards.

Isabel Hall, an incoming senior in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering presented The Flow Project, an initiative she started with UB students from the Departments of Urban and Regional Planning and Business Administration/Public Health, at the World’s Challenge Challenge in London, Ontario.

UB’s end-of-the-academic-year collection efforts resulted in 14.5 tons of items not being sent to the landfill, Ken Kern, Campus Living’s associate director for sustainability, recently reported.

UB researchers convened representatives from government and community agencies in Buffalo, Erie County, Cleveland and Tempe for the Smart and Connected Communities Buffalo Forum in Hayes Hall on June 29.