City Hosts University of New Hampshire Sustainability Fellow
June 28, 2016
The City of Portsmouth is partnering with the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute’s (UNHSI) Sustainability Fellows program in hosting a Fellow that will be assisting with several City initiatives throughout the summer.
UNHSI’s Sustainability Fellowships pair outstanding students with challenging, important projects that will propel communities toward a low-carbon future. Sustainability Fellows each undertake tasks to meet challenging deliverables, and receive supervision, mentorship, unique networking and professional development opportunities.
The Portsmouth Sustainability Fellow, Vidya Balasubramanyam, will work through August on distinct projects to support the City’s climate change mitigation and adaptation goals. This includes working with the Department of Public Works to conduct a recovery rate analysis of waste to determine what percentage of recyclables are going into trash and what percent of trash ends up in recycling bins. This will help identify which specific waste items are causing the most contamination, and lead to a compiled report and a presentation made to City staff and the City’s Sustainability Committee.
Additionally, Vidya is assisting City staff with its efforts to prepare for anticipated sea level rise impacts in the Historic District and will work with City staff to implement and gain a better understanding of what goes into climate adaptation planning.
For more information on UNHSI, please visit http://www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/sustainabilityfellows.