NO. 37 MARCH 26 -APRIL 1, 2014

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE / WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014 / PAGE 2

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE IN THIS TABLOID?

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3WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE?

WHAT ARE SOME SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES AT UC?

Oil spill coverage on Page 4.

It’s lot more serious than most people think.

Lights left on in unused classrooms and o� ces.

I wish we had a Mill Creek article ...............

Listen to the experts! The power plant is a huge issue. Check back in The News Record later this year for an update.

The Colerain oil spill. I’m sure our grandchildren will take care of it ... but really, we need to make a little better e� ort at not killing our planet.

Water runo� and fracking issues in the area.

The story about the oil spill in Colerain.

We should heed Al Gore’s warnings before Captain Planet smites us.

The fracking issues that Erin Haynes is researching.

The oil spill in Colerain is a serious issue. The Exxon Valdez was 25 years ago and the e� ects are still clearly present.

Pretty hard to dispute. The largest issue is that sustainability issues will never be a high priority when it’s time to dole out the dollars.

Oil spill, of course. I’m super serial about it. We have a lot of run o� .

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I would really like to see something done with the disgusting water that runs down my street at all times. FIGHT THE RUNOFF.

Pretty standard answer, but my house tries to recycle. Except for pizza boxes, we have kept those for a nine-foot tall pizza box tower.

I would like to see the Pellet Project move forward with their clean energy initiatives.

Not much. I recycle.

We need more research on fracking. Natural gas is a main staple in our energy policy, like it or not. We need to make sure it’s extracted as harmlessly as possible.

I try to limit my water use.

UC should save the Mill Creek or I won’t pay my tuition.

I try to recycle, but this homeless man always takes my beer cans before they make it out.

Clean energy TNR recycles!

Fracking research I never shower to conserve water.

WHAT SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE DONE AT UC?

WHAT DO YOU DO TO HELP CLIFTON GO GREEN?

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UC receives silver in comprehensive, voluntary sustainability reportRYAN HOFFMAN NEWS EDITOR

A new comprehensive report gives the University of Cincinnati high marks on sustainability education and outreach efforts but illustrates possible shortfalls on sustainability research and institutional funding.

“It really points out places that could be improved,” said Claire Sweigart, UC sustainability coordinator. “It’s going to help us moving forward to target our projects and try to work with different campus partners to try and move some of these forward.”

The report is part of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, a program that evaluates sustainability efforts at American universities.

Each participating university voluntarily submits institutional data on sustainability topics ranging from education efforts to environmentally friendly buildings.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education then evaluates each report in a score-card-like method and gives a ranking based on the total score.

In its first-ever STARS report, UC received a silver ranking, putting it on par with Ohio State University and Miami University.

UC received a perfect score in sustainability coordination for having a strategic plan and a separate office for sustainability initiatives, among other things.

“That’s really important because it says that the university, at a really high level, has included sustainability into its strategic plan,” Sweigart said. “It really says that this is an effort that people are really thinking about at UC and really committed to.”

UC also received high marks for co-curricular education, which includes outreach efforts, the presence of sustainability-themed events and sustainable on-campus housing, along with other categories.

“We have a really robust program here and lots of offerings,” Sweigart said.

UC has a number of student

groups and education efforts aimed at sustainability, but sometimes they can be hard to find at such a large university, said Emily Heine, first-year biology student and recently elected undergraduate student government senator.

“Our campus has a lot of different things,” Heine said. “I want to try to increase awareness about those efforts.”

The first bill Heine pushed through student government after being elected was to bring a sustainability conference event to campus. The event — Generation Waking Up — is Saturday in the Lindner Center from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Heine said she has more sustainability-themed ideas planned for the remainder of the academic year. She also plans on making sustainability a top priority in the Fall semester.

Although UC scored well for education and outreach initiatives, it scored low in several categories including investment.

According to the report, UC is not actively pursuing many of the sectors included in the investment section such as a sustainability investment policy or a separate body to recommend possible sustainability investments to the board of trustees.

“As a public institution our investments are made with an eye to what’s going to be the highest return because we have to be good stewards of public dollars, whereas public institutions have a little more leeway to pick and choose and maybe focus on sustainability related investments that don’t have the same kind of return,” Sweigart said.

Personnel changes in UC’s research office while data for the report was being collected also might have led to a lower score in sustainability research.

“I think UC does do a lot of cutting-edge sustainability research,” Sweigart said. “But at the moment, it’s not in an easy-to-gather space. Next time around we’re really hopeful that’s going to be a big area for improvement.”

UC also received low scores in infrastructure and certain sustainability practices.

Much of that is due to the fact that the university typically renovates existing buildings in a one-floor-at-a-time approach rather than construct new buildings, said Mary Beth McGrew,

university architect.“We’ve been focused on a lot of

renovation work and so it’s a little harder to collect all that since we’re doing that piecemeal, you know a floor here a floor there, but were still employing the principle,” McGrew said.

While the report isn’t a definitive

snapshot of sustainability efforts, McGrew said she agreed with Sweigart that it could help in evaluating possible future areas to address.

“Now that we have our first STARS report we can go back and look at how reasonable it is to do those things where we scored less,” McGrew said.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE / WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014 / PAGE 3

Report evaluates campus sustainability efforts

SUSTAINABILITY SCORECARD

TO VIEW THE COMPLETE REPORT VISIThttps://stars.aashe.org

Co-Curricular EducationCurriculumResearch BuildingsClimateDining ServicesEnergyGroundsPurchasingTransportationWasteWaterCoordination, PlanningDiversity, AffordabilityHuman ResourcesInvestmentPublic EngagementInnovation

17.25 out of 1818.36 out of 558.65 out of 272.43 out of 134.09 out 16.52.25 out of 8.53.7 out of 16.51.74 out of 3.251.46 out of 7.55.59 out of 128.28 out of 12.58.18 out of 10.2518 out of 1811.75 out of 13.757.63 out of 19.75.25 out of 16.7512.84 out of 31.751 out of 4

Thousands of gallons leak into Colerain nature preserve; UC biology professor weighs effects of spillBRYAN SHUPE CHIEF REPORTER

As a cleanup crew works around the clock to contain a crude oil leak that spilled into a Colerain Township nature preserve, officials are trying to analyze why it happened and its possible effects on the environment.

Responders were first called to the Oak Glen Nature Preserve March 17 after a Hamilton County park ranger smelled a strong scent of oil while

patrolling the area. “We got a call that this was a possible dumping

site,” said Steve Conn, Colerain Fire Department chief and spokesman. “Being a secluded part of East Miami River Road, it’s not uncommon to find debris and trash along the road. But when our crew started the initial investigation, we realized it was more than just somebody dumping something along the road.”

After finding traces of oil and following it into the nature preserve, Conn said they were finally able to discover a leak in a Sunoco Logistics owned and operated pipe.

“There’s a possibility that it could’ve happened

pretty quickly, or it could’ve been going on for several days, but that’ll all come out in the investigation by the department of transportation,” Conn said.

Mike Miller, a University of Cincinnati biological sciences professor plans to study the oil leak in hopes of determining a cause and the possible environmental effects.

Miller’s environmental study of the leak will primarily focus on the impact it has on macroinvertebrates such as dragonflies, as oil leaks like these tend to kill insects and modify the algae in the water.

“It might be a minor spill, but it’ll still have the

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE / WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014 / PAGE 4

Crew tries to clean local oil spill; costs unknown

PROVIDED Local, state and federal officials are working to clean an oil spill that leaked thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Oak Glen Nature Preserve in Colerain Township. Crews have currently collected 17,000 gallons of oil.

effects of a small spill on a small stream,” Miller said. “Luckily it was contained so I don’t think it’s going to have any major downstream effects.”

The pipe is 57 years old — far beyond a reasonable age for a properly functioning pipeline, Miller said.

“Apparently the pipe vibrated with 250,000 gallons of oil going through it every day and it just eroded a little hole about five inches into the pipe,” Miller said.

Miller said that approximately 269,000 barrels of oil flow through the Sunoco pipeline every day, and the disruption could affect the cost of gasoline.

“We ought to see gasoline prices go up,” Miller said. “The gasoline supply in

this country is kept so tight for just-in-time delivery, and when it’s interrupted you got a shortage.”

Initial reports from the Environmental Protection Agency said that approximately 10,000 gallons of crude oil leaked into a marshy wetland of the preserve. However, Sunoco Logistics revised the spill amount to approximately 21,000 gallons March 21.

After shutting off oil flow, crews put a temporary patch on the pipeline and restored oil flow, Conn said. Crews will continue to monitor the pipeline until a new pipe can be installed.

The broken pipe will be sent to the United States Department of Transportation for a third-party investigation to help determine the cause of the leak.

In his experience, Miller said pipelines can erode from the inside due to microbes that thin the steel. However, there is no evidence at this point proving the cause of the Colerain leak.

The cleanup crew was able to successfully prevent the oil from spilling into the Great Miami River, which is less than a quarter of a

mile away from the Oak Glen Nature Preserve.

“This is a pretty big incident for a few reasons,” Conn said. “One, because the amount of oil that was lost, but also because of the potential environmental impact because this all happened in a protected environment.”

The Oak Glen Nature Preserve is closed to the public, which has decreased the possibility of health hazards from the spill, but entry to the park is severely limited.

“Because of the terrain and the fact that it is a protected area, we can’t just go in there bulldozing and start throwing pipe in there,” Conn said.

To gain better access to the leak, the EPA and Sunoco Logistics have teamed up to utilize Treetop Lane, a private, residential street less than a mile west of the spill. A gravel road has been placed in the backyard of resident Jeff Layne.

“They didn’t really give us a choice and said if they didn’t do it, the feds would come in and do it,” Layne said. “But I understand that they need to do

this and this is the easiest way for them to get there.”

Layne, who said he has lived on the street since the house was built in 1953, gives the cleanup crew credit for their timely response.

“It’s a mess,” Layne said. “It’s a mess down there for the nature preserve, but they’re doing their best to try to clean it up and get in and out as soon as possible and put everything back the best possible way they can.”

Officials from Sunoco Logistics have offered to compensate the residents with $100 and the promise to repair any damage done to the road.

“Everyone’s going to be compensated because we’re going to get a road out of it,” Layne said. “It’s just the nuisance that we have to go through in the meantime.”

Sunoco Logistics’ notice to the residents states that the company will need to use the road for at least 90 days. There is no estimate for how long a complete cleanup could take.

As of press time, 17,000 gallons of oil had been collected.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE / WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014 / PAGE 5

PROVIDED The pipe that the oil leaked from is 57 years old, which is older than the typical useful lifespan for oil pipelines, said Mike Miller, UC biology sciences professor. Miller plans to study the possible effects of the oil spill.

PROVIDED After discovering the leak nearly one week ago, crews have worked around the clock to clean up crude oil that leaked from a Sunoco Logistics owned and operated pipeline into a Colerain Township nature preserve.

Mike Miller, UC biology sciences professor

“It might be a minor spill, but it’ll still have the effects of a small spill on a small stream.

Luckily it was contained so I don’t think it’s going to have any

major downstream effects.”

Visually refreshing documentary “Microcosmos” examines viewpoints of insects, invertebratesPALOMA IANES STAFF REPORTER

A film shown Monday as part of the office of sustainability’s Sustainability Film Series pays respect to the beauty of often overlooked (or simply squashed) creatures.

Plunging deep into an unusual world, the award-winning 1996 documentary “Microcosmos” investigates life from the perspective of insects and other small invertebrates.

Filmmakers Claude Nuridsany and Marie Pérennou utilize close-up camera shots and magnifying lenses to examine these tiny creatures in a scenic French meadow that is revealed to be a mecca of biodiversity.

“Microcosmos” is a visual delight. Ocular clarity combined with a stunning array of colors create a

mesmerizing effect and reveal fascinating details that are impossible to see with the naked eye.

The film puts viewers on an eye-to-eye level with the insects and visually transports audiences into a world in which grass stalks are as tall as trees and birds are feathered giants.

Although the documentary took three years to complete, it creates the illusion of a single passing day, spanning from dusk to dawn. The relativity of time is a concept that is explored from the beginning.

“Time passes differently here. An hour is like a day, a day is like a season, and a passing of a season is like a lifetime,” said Kristin Scott Thomas, the film’s narrator.

In the morning, a butterfly emerges from its cocoon and begins a new life with a flutter of its wings. Later that day, two snails join together in a slimy mating ritual and an unsuspecting grasshopper falls prey to a spider. Moments like these remind viewers of nature’s unbreakable cycle of life and death.

The refreshing lack of dialogue separates “Microcosmos” from other wordy science documentaries. Thomas only speaks at the beginning and end of the film, which leaves room for alternative forms of remarkable audio to take center stage. The soundtrack, created by Bruno Coulais, is heavily packed with emotion, emphasizing each movement the insects make while setting the mood for the overall scene.

In addition to the music, natural animal noises are heightened, making viewers feel as if they are in the middle of the meadow.

Through music, breathtaking cinematography and only a handful of words, the film becomes a work of art, ready for viewers to interpret rather than simply absorb. In fact, if viewers are looking to learn hard facts regarding the life cycle of bugs, “Microcosmos” may leave them with more questions than answers.

At its core, “Microcosmos” is an examination of life from a perspective that is rarely seen. It serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving biodiversity and the health of Earth’s ecosystems.

“I thought it gave a really interesting perspective on insects and how they live because we only see how small they are, so we rarely pay attention to them,” said Sophie Shemas, a second-year environmental studies student. “It makes you consider everything that goes into our planet, from the smallest of the small.”

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE / WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014 / PAGE 6

Sustainability film series magnifies miniscule world

“It makes you consider everything that goes into our planet, from the smallest of the small.”

- Sophie Shemas, second-year environmental studies student

PROVIDEDThe 1996 film “Microcosmos” was shown at MainStreet Cinema Monday as part of the Sustainability Film Series. The film provides a look at the world through the viewpoint of insects and other invertebrates.

Green Goings-On

A 7 p.m. screening of “Sanctity of Sanctuary” at Xavier University will be followed by a discussion with first Practical Visionary in Residence Paul Strauss and communication arts assistant professor Blis DeVault.

Movie, Discussion3/26

3/31 “The Unforeseen”This selection, chosen as part of the Sustainability Film Series, tells the story of a boy from Texas who grows to capitalize on the boomtown of Austin. The movie will play 7 p.m. at MainStreet Cinema.

4/1 Food-Mapping Workshop

Learn about the idea of a food lens during this event, organized by LEAP. The event includes a walk around the neighborhood in an effort to investigate food sources. Attendants meet 5 p.m. in 430 Teachers College.

4/3 Cincinnati Bike ShowFood, competitions, prizes and more comprise the first Cincinnati Bike Show, 6 p.m. at TUC Atrium. Enter your bike in a style competition or engage with other cyclists.

4/8 Clothing SwapExchange old clothes for new ones 2-6 p.m. at McMicken Commons during this event hosted by LEAP.

4/9 The UrbanophileThis installment of the Sustainability Lectures Series presents urban planner blogger Aaron M. Renn 5 p.m. at MainStreet Cinema.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE / WEDNESDAY, MARCH. 27, 2014 / PAGE 7

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Newly added water bottle filling stations bring H20 sustainability to UC’s campus ALANA FREW CONTRIBUTOR

After months of work from UC Sustainability students, the University of Cincinnati community can easily hydrate without harming the environment.

New water bottle filling stations located in buildings across campus are a sustainable alternative to encourage people to use reusable water bottles instead of plastic bottles. The fountains are placed near existing water fountains across campus.

One phase of the project succeeded in installing four water bottle fountains in Tangeman University Center, Campus Recreation Center, the UCIT lab and Langsam Library. Students have expressed interest in making water bottle fountains in future building plans at UC.

Every time a water bottle is filled up, the station logs the amount to calculate how many plastic water bottles have been saved.

In the 2014 Fall semester, incoming freshmen will receive 5,000 water bottles from UC Sustainability and Student Government will provide stickers with locations of filling stations.

Kendra Violet, associate director of facilities and operations at CRC, said the water bottles were a positive addition to campus.

UC Sustainability and the UC office of sustainability represent sustainable movements on campus and supported the students involved in pushing the initiative forward.

UC Mainstreet, which handles operations within TUC and Steger Student Life Center, is also working on ways to lower costs along with CRC and PACES, a university sustainability committee made up of students, faculty and staff.

The idea was brought back from a group project during Power Shift, a conference hosted in October 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The conference encouraged participants

to start campaigns and action for climate change.

The filling station project came from UC students Elizabeth Ferguson, Omer Donmez, Ronald Gillespie, Makenzie Vail and Jake Holden.

Ferguson, a third-year environmental studies student at UC who transferred from Marshall University, enjoyed having the water bottle fountains at her old university, but was disappointed they were not at UC.

“I felt like it was a step back in time and I was expecting more from here,” Ferguson said.

After the group of students from LEAD presented to PACES, and with the help of university architect Mary Beth McGrew, their plan became a reality.

Vail, a third-year environmental studies

student, heard the idea around campus when former UC Student Body President Lane Hart made it part of his campaign goals.

“It’s not anything that’s new to the university,” Vail said. “We basically rebirthed it and decided that we are going to be really strong on it.”

The idea has always been popular at UC’s main campus, but once the costs came in to play, the project got pushed aside.

CRC just looked into getting the water bottle fountains in March 2013, but the plan fell through for that very reason, Violet said.

Clarie Sweigart, sustainability coordinator at UC’s office of sustainability, recommends students who are interested in achieving sustainability goals on campus should focus on projects that can be accomplished

within their time at UC and to attend PACES meetings to be familiar with how the university works.

“If they really want to see something through, it’s important to pick a goal for the group to focus on and get behind,” Sweigart said.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE / WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014 / PAGE 8

Students provide sustainable campus water options

FILE ART A University of Cincinnati student fills her water bottle at one of the new sustainable water filling stations inside the Tangeman University Center.

“It’s not anything that’s new to the university. We basically

rebirthed it and decided that we are going to be really strong on

it.” MAKENZIE VAIL, THIRD-YEAR

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES STUDENT

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