Micah Steiger's Page

What college/university do you attend?

The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies

What is your major/minor?

Marine Science, Research Management, Environmental Policy

What is the program with which you are going abroad:

School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies

Where will you be studying/volunteering/working abroad? Please state the country(ies) and city(ies).

South Caicos Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands

What are the approximate dates of your education abroad experience?

August 2010-August 2011

Please provide a brief description of what you will be studying or doing while abroad.

I am signing up today to be my institution's Green Passport Administrator.
I work at the School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies.
My position is SCUBA divemaster yet my secondary position is running our campus sustainability initiatives.
My email address is msteiger@fieldstudies.org

Every semester, 20-35 undergraduate students from all over the US come to our field station to study marine science, resource management, environmental policy, and participate in directed research projects in fisheries management and coral reef ecology.

We are in a very geographically isolated, mainland dependent country, and thus the inputs to our operations carry high carbon footprints and are resource intensive.
I have begun several sustainability initiatives on campus such as ecologically conscious food consumption and ordering (fro more local sources), water conservation, and a renewable energy pilot project.
Because of the frequent air travel from our students and staff, and the inherent barriers to sustainable programming in such an isolated location, I believe that every student would benefit from the Green Passport protocol.
There are a multitude of sustainable development projects we participate in each semester in our local island community, and we are working to continually green our operations as time goes on.

Why do you want to become a Green Passport holder?

See above.

If you consider yourself to be an environmentally and socially responsible person while at home, please explain how so (may include activities or organizations with which you are affiliated):

We are changing the types of foods we order from SYSCO to substitute unhealthy, overly processed foods with heartier items which require fewer inputs to produce. We have begun a partnership with community fisherman to provide a locally caught (and sustainably harvested) seafood dinner every few weeks. All food waste that can be composted is collected, while additional scraps make up the food for our campus dog, Bruno. Students are encouraged to take only what they know they will consume and to return for seconds if necessary to reduce the amount of food thrown out. Most lunches are made up of leftovers from the previous evening’s dinner, and students have praised our efforts (and provided suggestions) in ordering more nutritious foods.

South Caicos is an extremely arid land mass. Freshwater is precious, and its abundance is further limited at present as the dry season rears its parched head. Recently, a saltwater shower has been built to much praise by our student body. Our site manager is also investigating ways to implement a gray-water system, where fresh shower water will be recycled for use in washing boats, cleaning center automobiles, and watering the plants in our soon-to-be built garden. Measures students and staff can take to reduce water usage are displayed on the sustainability board in our cafeteria.
Since late December an energy audit has been conducted for all electrical appliances at the facility. The kWh draw and resultant cost (per up to date per kWh costs paid to the local utility) have been recorded, and based on these measurements, existing appliances are now being used more efficiently. For example, it was discovered that the kitchen freezers maintain a constant temperature and food remains frozen throughout at far lower settings than they had been running on, reducing running costs and electricity draw by over 60%. Other energy hogs have been identified and their use and settings have been greatly reduced, while some appliances have completely been shut down. Students and staff were educated during the 1st week of the semester on the South Caicos power grid, how electricity is generated in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and how each and everyone can reduce the centers reliance on dirty, expensive fossil fuels. So far, conservation measures seem to be paying off, and students are modeling energy efficient behavior. We have phased out the use of inefficient air conditioning units in the classrooms, and are preparing for warmer weather by researching efficient ceiling fans and portable A/C units for consolidated workspaces. We have finally received a quote from Onset computing which details the equipment needed to accurately monitor our facility’s electricity loads on various timescales. Once a proposal for this equipment is submitted and funded, we hope to measure our demand and load data so that we can accurately size the capability of a future installed renewable energy system at CMRS.