Patrick Starr (Earth and Environmental Science and Political Science Major) and Wes Floyd (Sustainability Science Major) are among six students from three Universities that received fellowship from Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation to support and pursue real-world problem solving projects in collaboration with local communities and non-profit and government agencies.
Floyd will work with Greenville officials to help implement a Sustainability Action Plan for the city. He will research implementation strategies used by other cities and provide support to the city’s Green Ribbon Advisory Committee, which advises City Council, the City Manager, and other city staff on the development of programs and initiatives regarding sustainability. Floyd, based on his research, will craft a manual for other municipalities about the process of developing a Climate Action and Sustainability Plan.
Starr will work with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, a Greenville-based foundation committed to advancing sustainable forestry and vibrant rural communities across America. His work will include creating a database of U.S. watershed protection programs and developing a database of all protected forestlands in the 13 Southern states. He may also work with bioenergy projects.
Furman’s Shi Center for Sustainability is coordinating this grant with Duke and Vanderbilt Universities.