SIFE Develops Sustainability Projects

The Quincy University Students in Free Enterprise team recently received two grants totaling $2,000 to support their environmental sustainability projects. The overall goal is to raise environmental awareness and make lasting changes in the community while saving corporate money in the long run.  Sam’s Club presented a $1,000 grant to a group of students on Monday, January 24.  Earlier in the month, the local chapter received a $1,000 grant from SIFE’s national headquarters to use towards the projects.

The team has two environmental sustainability projects underway.  The first initiative is with the Oakley Lindsay Center, a multi-level civic center in Quincy.  The team, led by Kevin Denison, a junior student and management major from Safety Harbor, Fl., met with OLC management to put together a proposal to donate photo-luminescent eco-friendly exit signs at the facility as well as suggesting motion-sensor light switches in several office and conference rooms. The goal is to lower the amount of electricity consumed by the facility while reducing its ecological footprint.

 

The second project, led by Paul Fields, a senior student and special education major from Florissant, Mo., is in conjunction with the Garth Woodside Mansion, a historic bed and breakfast in Hannibal, Mo.  The proposal includes installing an underground rainwater collection tank on the Mansion grounds that could be used to water its gardens, thus saving water. The second part of the project involves registering the Mansion with Clean the World Foundation, Inc., a non-profit that recycles soap and shampoo discarded by the hospitality industry.  Clean the World sanitizes and re-batches leftover soap products and then distributes them to third world countries to reduce diseases caused by poor hygiene.

“This project is especially important because it provides a great opportunity to work with and help a local business while supporting a global cause,” says Fields.  “We hope this venture will educate other businesses in becoming more environmentally sustainable.”

"This project is especially important because it provides a great opportunity to work with and help a local business while supporting a global cause." – Paul Fields, senior student and special education major from Florissant, Mo.

Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University (www.quincy.edu) is a Catholic, co-educational, residential university offering undergraduate, graduate, and adult education programs that integrate liberal arts, active learning, practical experience, and Franciscan values. Quincy University’s intercollegiate sports are members of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference for men and women. For more information, please contact the Quincy University office of communications by calling (217) 228-5275.

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