Georgia Institute of Technology

The spring semester marches along, and the March issue of the Recycling Buzz newsletter is now available. 

Preparations for Georgia Tech’s 15th Annual Earth Day Celebration have begun. The Earth Day Celebration will be on Friday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tech Walk and volunteer registration is now open.

Last March, the world watched closely as Japan struggled to contain a series of equipment failures, hydrogen explosions and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The historic tsunami following the 9.0-magnitude earthquake destroyed the reactors’ connection to the power grid, causing them to overheat. Hundreds of people were exposed to increased levels of radiation. Thousands more were evacuated. Although Japanese officials have since declared the plant stable, the cleanup will be expensive and is expected to take decades.

The World Gas Conference is looking for students interested in energy to participate in its NRG Battle – World Edition in Kuala Lumpur. The “brightest global talents” selected to participate will receive an all expenses-paid experience to the competition and the chance to work with energy companies from across the globe.

Despite being formed a little more than one year ago, the Bicycle Infrastructure Improvement Committee (BIIC) is already making an impression on the campus and community. The committee, along with the Institute itself, was recently honored by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition as its Partner of the Year for 2011.

Thanks to a grant sponsored by solar energy firm SunEdison and distributed by the national organization Engineers for a Sustainable World, students will soon be able to purchase beverages from a solar-powered cart on campus.

ESW-GT earned $2,340 for its proposal for a solar café or kiosk used to raise funds for the chapter; Tech’s chapter chose to focus on beverages, either hot or chilled.

The Georgia Tech Earth Day committee seeks nominations for two awards that recognize individuals or organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to making a positive impact in how people think about and use the planet's raw materials.

Members of the campus community are invited to submit nominations for:

Georgia Tech students, faculty and staff are invited to join the Earth Day Planning Committee. Members are expected to attend weekly meetings during the spring semester (on Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and actively participate in the planning of the 15th Annual Earth Day Celebration and Think Green Week events, which will be held from April 16 to 20.

Both the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and Schneider Electric are currently accepting applications for events being hosted this summer.

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), of which Georgia Tech is a member through the National Collegiate Athletic Association, is now accepting entries to its new business plan competition, the $100K ACC Clean Energy Challenge.