Global Sustainable Action: It Starts with US

Alternative Spring Break 2025: The Importance of Sustainability and Community by Kaitelynn Beely, Crystal Sterling, and Emily Shugar

Location: Business Building 102

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Sustainability and community are essential to life in Puerto Rico, as we learned on our Alternative Spring Break trip in March 2025. We worked with several local organizations and people on the island to learn about both the community and the importance of sustainable practices that help keep the island alive. We supported local communities and businesses during our stay to help those directly impacted by the corrupt systems.

The College Environmentalist's Guide to Defeating Climate Change by Laurence Orji

Location: Business Building 103

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All across the world, environmentally-conscious teenagers and young adults have gazed upon the enormity of the task before us, especially in a time of rising corporate power and are feeling powerless and hopeless.

This presentation seeks to uplift the downtrodden among our ranks and remind all of us of the power we wield in the fight for the planet. 

Glow UP: A Lesson on Upcycling by Aliyah, Cecillia Zhao, and Alexia Nelson

Location: Business Building 102

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In our presentation we plan to focus on a discussion based around up-cycling culture. In ways that we as students, faculties, and our campuses as a whole can participate and improve in ways that we up-cycle. We plan to dive into a discussion on the consequences of not up-cycling, and how this is impacting our Earth, as well as tackling the stigma around up-cycling in general.

Connecting Sustainability Projects & Research in Sustainability by Youssef Elouardighi, James Bell, 

Arianna Partington, and Youssef Amin

Location: Business Building 103

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Sustainability projects at Penn State are something everyone wants more of, but not many people know how to get their initiatives to happen. Join me as I discuss and introduce ways research projects, clubs, committees and any change under the sun can be started by a student!

We hope our audience can see the benefits of research related to sustainability topics and that even one area, like ours in microbiology, can have multiple focal points in very different areas.  Additionally, we hope that we can encourage students to engage with research at their own campuses and hopefully come up with new ideas for research. 

Beekeeping Around the World By Zach Fisher, Noah Webb, and Alex Kull

Location: Business Building 102

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Our team intends to ask audience members what they think of when they hear bees and use it to discuss some benefits of bees along with the integral role bees play not only in our economy and agricultural production industries but how they have had important roles in global economies and influenced the roles of women in some cultures. We also intend to show how knowledge of the needs of honeybees can benefit other pollinators and help improve their health as well. We also want to help students understand how they can get involved on their campuses.

Green Ship Recycling in Bangladesh: A Global Model for Sustainable Industry by Ruslan Alam

Location: Business Building 103

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Ship recycling is more than dismantling vessels—it is a lifeline of steel, livelihoods, and sustainability. Bangladesh, once known for unsafe and environmentally harmful ship-breaking practices, is now transforming into a leader in green ship recycling. This presentation traces the industry’s journey from its traditional roots—where my family has been directly involved—to today’s transition toward certified green yards with safer labor practices, pollution controls, and global compliance. By recycling ships, Bangladesh supplies over half of its domestic steel, supports thousands of workers, and contributes to the global circular economy. At the same time, the shift to green ship recycling reflects the five pillars of sustainability—people, planet, prosperity, partnerships, and peace—making Bangladesh not just a participant, but a global model for sustainable industry.