Get in the Giving Spirit

In 2016, the United Nations launched their bold and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this agenda, there are 17 sustainable development goals focusing on wiping-out poverty, fighting inequality, and tackling climate change.

As the holiday season descends upon us, with the second night of Hannukah tonight, and Christmas, Winter Solstice and Kwanzaa in a little over a week, it is officially time to get in the spirit of giving. That being said, here are some ways you can tackle at least one of these 17 sustainable development goals this holiday season. 

Goal 1: Donate to End Poverty, an organization focused on ending poverty through microenterprise. 

Goal 2: Contribute your time to volunteer for or send in a donation to the Sodexo Stop Hunger Program. 

Goal 3: Donate to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that delivers emergency medical aid to impoverished, disease-stricken countries worldwide.

Goal 4: Donate to or become a child sponsor at Save the Children, an organization focusing on providing worldwide education.

Goal 5 + 10: This holiday season, reflect on the times that maybe you haven't been so open-minded and accepting. Then make a change in 2018. Being kind is easy.

Goal 6: Help fund the building of clean water sources in Africa by donating to The Water Project.

Goal 7: While the cost of solar panels and windmills is far too steep for the average person to afford, investing in switching the lightbulbs in your house from incandescents to LEDs or CFLs can save 5 to 10 times the amount of energy expended. 

Goal 8: While there is not much you can do to help economic growth in other countries, you can educate yourself. In most places in the world besides the United States, the average person lives on about $2 a day. To put this in perspective, the average meal costs about $12.75 in the United States. 

Goal 9: Donate or volunteer your time to Construction for a Change, an organization that focuses on building necessary infrastructure such as medical buildings and schoolhouses in impoverished areas of the world. 

Goal 11: Talk to a town councilman or councilwoman about the sustainable projects currently in the works in your town and how you can contribute. Remember, you can always start your own!

Goal 12: Make it your New Years Resolution to be a responsible and thoughtful consumer. Remember, we only have one planet and change starts with one person. 

Goal 13: Become a member of the Climate Action Campaign to stop climate change. You can also donate and/or volunteer at one of their events!

Goal 14 + 15: Make it your goal to only consume sustainably caught and killed seafood, meat and poultry.

Goal 16: Don't be a bystander to injustice. See something, say something.

As you can see, it is incredibly easy to get involved this holiday season. From taking a moment to reflect on your own actions, to donating to an organization or even volunteering, you can make a difference. Remember, change begins with one person, so be the change you want to see in the world and others will follow. 

Happy Holidays! Chag Sameach! Likizo Furaha!

Things to be Thankful for: Access to Clean Water

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things we are grateful to have, like family and great helpings of food on our plates. However, rarely do we think about those things we take for granted each day that people all over the world don't have access too-- like clean drinking water.

Currently 884 million people in the world lack access to safe water supplies. Of those 884 million, more than 840,000 of them will die this year from a water-related disease. Not to mention, every minute a child dies of a water-related disease.

In the United States, we are incredibly fortunate to have access to clean water right at our fingertips. Unlike in developing countries, we have drinking water running through every faucet! We don't have to worry about where our next drink will come from or if it will be contaminated. In areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa, women spend their days collecting water from sources miles away from their village that are often polluted.

However, access to clean drinking is not just a problem affecting third world countries. After Hurricane Maria hit the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico in December, there have been long lasting issues with the water system. This has left 70% of the island without clean drinking water since the occurrence. Medical professionals across the island have seen an influx in patients exhibiting gastrointestinal illnesses characteristic of those contracted from contaminated water. Among the more serious are the 74 cases of leptospirosis-- a dangerous bacteria caused by rat feces-- including 2 reported deaths.

This Thanksgiving we should be grateful for our unlimited access to clean drinking water, a privilege not everyone in the world has.

Red's Best October Recap

Every Friday in Rensselaer campus dining halls Red's Best sustainably sourced fish is served. Students have the opportunity to read about where their meal came from by scanning a QR code on their phone. As seen in the picture to the right, information on where the fish was caught, how the fish was caught and how the entire process minimized energy consumption is detailed. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the fishermen featured in October.


October 6th: The fish featured was pollock, with a mild flavor profile and large semi-firm flakes. Pollock is low in saturated fat and sodium and is a good source of protein and selenium. It was sourced from Chatham, Massachusetts by fisherman Bob Eldridge in the Unicorn vessel using a gill net. This method of fishing pools fishes together in one vessel/specialized container in order to diminish energy consumption and emissions.


October 13th: The fish featured was hake. Mild, sweet flavor profile, hake has a soft flesh and holds together nicely when cooking. A good source of selenium, vitamin B, magnesium, and protein. Hake is great in fish stews or baked with buttery breadcrumbs. It was sourced from Chatham, Massachusetts by fisherman Jason Amaru in the Joanne A Iii vessel using a dredge. Like the gill net this method of fishing pools fishes together in one vessel/specialized container in order to diminish energy consumption and emissions.

October 20th: The fish featured was pollock. It was sourced from Chatham, Massachusetts by fisherman Eric Hesse of the Tenacious II using a long line. This technique is a sustainable way of harvesting fish that diminishes energy consumption and emissions from the boat.

October 27th: The fish featured was haddock. Haddock, much like pollock, has a mild flavor profile with large semi-firm flakes. This fish was sourced from Gloucester, Massachusetts by an unknown fisherman in the Mystique Lady using an otter trawl. Just like the gill net and the dredge, this method of fishing pools fishes together in one vessel/specialized container in order to diminish energy consumption and emissions.

Rensselaer Dining Services Brings Students Clean Water

On October 16th at about 6:00 pm, portions of the water system between Congress St. and Frear Park Road in Troy, NY lost pressure due to an emergency shutdown of a water main for maintenance purposes. Unfortunately, when the water mains lose pressure it increases the chance of untreated water or potentially harmful microbes entering the system. In light of this, Troy issued a voluntary boil water advisory for a few days until routine sampling of the water was completed to ensure safety.

This emergency situation has greatly impacted the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus. Students have been advised not to drink water from the sink in their residence halls or from any of the sinks or water fountains on campus. Due to the lack of available, safe drinking water on campus, Rensselaer Dining Services has partnered with Pepsi to bring free bottled water to campus residents. Students can get up to three bottles of water each day by showing their student ID at the Pepsi truck parked behind the Commons Dining Hall. Moreover, clean drinking water is available inside each of the dining halls, as well as juice and cans of soda. The Rensselaer Dining Services staff has been extremely accommodating to students during this tough time.

In light of all the mayhem occurring over the past two days, we must remember that 783 million people in the world today live without access to clean drinking water. This number equates to 1 in 9 people worldwide. While this may be a slight inconvenience for the students of RPI and the citizens of Troy, NY, we should remain very grateful that we have the luxury of access to clean and safe drinking water on a daily basis