Development
of an International Microfinance Organization (MAPLE)
Funding from
the MFSE has been used to establish a new organization, Microfinancing the
Alleviation of Poverty through Learning and Entrepreneurship (MAPLE). The mission of the organization is to sustain
the original vision of Muhammed Yunus and the Grameen Bank to provide non-collateral
loans to the poor while focusing on environmental and social outcomes.
MAPLE initiated program development (two months in-country) for a microfinance program in Northern Uganda, an area that has been torn by civil war and where Internally Displaced Persons are now returning to their destroyed villages.
Project Contact: Professor Ron Severson, Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon
Sustainable
Materials Workshop at the UO
The first UO
Materials Science Institute (MSI) and Chemistry Department Workshop on
Sustainability and Sustainable Materials took place September 4-9, 2008. The workshop had units on the following
topics as they relate to sustainability:
life cycle assessments (LCA); introduction to polymers and plastics; life
cycle assessments of plastics; green design; introduction to genetic engineering;
sustainable business practices and entrepreneurial concepts; genetic
engineering and sustainability; energy; green nanomaterials; stakeholder
development; and effective communication about scientific issues with the
public.
An overall
goal of the workshop was to see how an intensive workshop on sustainability
that took place before the start of the fall academic term would fit into the
MSI's developing curriculum on sustainable materials. This program demonstrated that the
workshop-at-the-end-of-summer concept is a viable option for future
workshops. Fully one third (8 students)
of the entering graduate student class in chemistry arrived on campus early to
attend the workshop. Next year, the
project goal is to get more participation by the entering graduate student
class.
An important
part of the workshop was the emphasis on the need to communicate science (and,
specifically, sustainability issues) to the public. On the last day of the workshop, all 23
students and two faculty went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
(OMSI) to learn about techniques and methods for communicating scientific
topics to the public. Additionally, OMSI
manages a series of public forums and science publications to engage the public
in topical scientific issues. While at
OMSI, the workshop participants learned about the organizational aspects of
these types of programs and how to get them started in communities. The workshop will be repeated at the
beginning of the 2009-2010 academic year.
Project
Contact:
Professor
David Tyler, Department of Chemistry, University of Oregon
Climate
Masters at Work
The Climate
Leadership Initiative (CLI) is developing an innovative approach for educating
and engaging business leaders in climate protection and preparation, Climate Masters
at Work (CMW). CMW seeks to spur constant learning and innovation amongst businesses
through peer learning and co-creation. This model program is based on the highly
successful pilot of the Climate Master (CM) program, which trains individuals
to assist others in reducing their personal greenhouse gas emissions and
resulted in community demand in Eugene and interest in replication nationwide.
As with the
CM program, the purpose of the CMW program is to help business leaders adopt
new ways of thinking that lead to continual innovation and improvement. CMW
provides training sessions that describe why climate protection and preparation
are important; the initial steps businesses can take to reduce their emissions;
how to think about the issues in a way that produces continual improvement and
GHG reductions; and supports volunteer outreach efforts to achieve these goals.
However, CMW will go beyond the household focused CM pilot by developing a
unique web-based platform that allows participants to share what they learn
from the application of climate protection and preparation measures, to comment
on each others' activities, and to co-create new interventions that go well beyond
what the CMW classes covered.
The project
goal is to spur two-way learning and innovation. The outcome of the project
will be the development of a nationally replicable model program that will put
UO in the spotlight as a leader in the field.
Project Contact:
Sarah Mazze, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon
Developing Sustainable (Green)
Laboratory Modules for First Year Chemistry Classes
Faculty at the University of Oregon
and Lane Community College have been working together to assess the labs
currently used, revise the sustainable (green) labs to identify them as green,
and develop new green labs for introductory and general chemistry at both the
college and high school level. The goal of the project is to provide
content-rich laboratory modules to those wanting to adopt green experiments, in
order to facilitate an easier transition to a green curriculum. In the coming
2008-2009 academic year the new laboratory modules will be implemented at UO,
LCC, and College Now High School programs in Eugene, Oregon. The materials developed are also available on
the Greener Education Materials for Chemists website.
Project Contacts:
Dr. Ken Doxsee, Department of
Chemistry, University of Oregon
Water
Efficiency and Training Water Technicians
The
University of Oregon and Lane Community College were awarded a MFSE grant to
develop geospatial modules for use in existing UO geography courses and to develop
Geographic Information Science (GIS) courses for Lane's Water Conservation
Technician program.
Project
Contacts:
Professor
Patricia McDowell, Department of Geography, University of Oregon
Professor Eric
Sproles, Lane Community College
Project Macaw
Funded during the
2007-2008 academic year, the Environmental Leadership Program at the University
of Oregon developed Project Macaw in collaboration with the CREES Foundation, a
Peruvian educational outreach and research institute. Students worked in
collaboration with the Manu Learning Center (MLC), a research group
located in a tropical rainforest just outside of Manu National Park,
Peru. Researchers at MLC are studying macaw and other local parrot
populations and the impact of tourism on their numbers and activity.
Students involved in this project connected 5th grade students in
Eugene with students in Peru, teaching science as process while
making global connections about local issues. The materials and curriculum for
elementary school teachers developed through this program are available on the
project website.
