BUCPUA actionable sustainability team generates lasting buzz at BU Earth Day Festival

The 2016 BU Earth Day festival was blanketed by warm, spring air, but the BU City Planning and Urban Affairs (BUCPUA) sustainability team delivered in-depth context, strategies, and sustainability tips suitable for any season.  

“I think it is important for BU to translate research findings into policy changes that can address climate change,” said Raymond Teoh, a graduate student in the MET city planning and urban affairs program.

Spearheading the BUCPUA team were students enrolled in the MET Urban Affairs actionable sustainability course, which explored practical proposals for real world sustainability issues.  Not only have these role models adopted sustainable actions into their daily routines, but they have also passionately championed sustainability outside the classroom.

On April 21, 2016, festival visitors were bombarded with an array of  interactive sustainability demonstrations, all which reflected the Festival’s theme, ‘Local Solutions to Climate Change’.  While Raymond Teoh (MET’17) illustrated the projected impact of sea level rise upon Boston in 2050, Zhaonan Wang (MET’17) and Vincent Lai (MET’18) prodded participants on their knowledge of climate change effects in Boston and around the world.  Prizes included artful sustainability stickers and soybean plants encased in cardboard from toilet paper rolls.

Generating sustainability awareness amid the bustling 2016 BU Earth Day Festival was more than rewarding for the BUCPUA team, it was an opportunity to make a lasting impression through meaningful rapport and sustainability tactics.  These students were exceedingly confident their impact would spread beyond campus to ultimately reinforce the City of Boston’s climate preparedness initiatives.

– Courtney Thraen (MET’17)