Lyle Center Hosts Reality-Based T.V. Show

The Lyle Center is hosting a biodiesel challenge this Saturday, February 28th, for The Ambassadors, a reality-based t.v. show sponsored by the Green Institute for Village Empowerment (GIVE), where 12 high school students team up to face environmental challenges. In an elimination-style format - think Project Runway only instead of fashion, these students will face real-life environmental sustainability challenges. One student will walk away with the title of "Ultimate Ambassador" and a $50,000 scholarship.

Each week the students will be given a different challenge and will be assessed individually but compete in groups. Their challenge at the Lyle Center will be a "cook book" style of biodiesel production from algae oil.

The show will air on KVCR. Watch for it this Spring 2009 and stop by to see the filming this Saturday!

MSRS Grad Named National Wildlife Federation Fellow

Anne Pandey has been named one of the National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Fellows for 2009. She has been working with Dr. Kyle Brown, Dr. Rick Willson, Michelle McFadden and Cristina Halstead on the Climate Action Plan for Cal Poly. Her work for the Fellowship period will be focused on helping to complete the Climate Action Plan and promoting it to the campus community and beyond.

Anne will conduct a survey of faculty on campus to gain a better understanding of the specific courses that address climate change issues as well as the ways in which faculty members are addressing the issues in courses not specifically about climate change. This will be useful if Cal Poly decides to add a general education course about climate change and could be a first step in developing the curriculum for such a class.

In addition, Anne hopes to start taking immediate, short-term action by developing and presenting a program on climate change for incoming freshman during orientation in Fall 2009 and begin development of an on-line sustainability resource library.

Finally, she will be promoting the climate action plan for the university through campus and community outreach. She is currently planning an event about the climate action plan for Earth Day at Cal Poly hosted in part by the campus Green Team and ASI; she will be presenting on the climate plan at an Earth Day event at Citrus College and will develop a lesson or presentation addressing climate change at a local elementary school through her work with their sustainability committee.