Updating the Entrance to the Wildcat Farm to Increase Visibility Emily Smith Project Mentor(s): Susan Rivera, PhD; Nora Jacobs
The Wildcat Farm, located at the northeast corner of the CWU campus, is a vital yet overlooked resource for the CWU community. Due to the isolated location and the lack of a visible entrance, it remains as a hidden gem. Not only is it a major source of biodiversity for the university, but the farm provides crops for use in campus kitchens. Farm staff donate extra produce to various city food banks and the Wildcat Pantry. There is a community garden located on the farm, where people can claim a plot for committed personal use. The farm also has the newly developed food forest, where visitors can forage from various fruit trees and herb circles. The farm currently hosts more group tours compared to solo visitors. To draw more traction within the community, a new entrance was proposed as an archway design. Its location on the west side of the farm is visible from the adjacent road, Alder St., and surrounding dorms and will help to draw more attention. To withstand the strong winds common in Ellensburg, the archway is a 4-post design with supporting planks across the sides for stabilization. The location, within the native plant area, will also bring attention to the biodiversity presence, as will additional decorative native plants around the base of the archway. This location and design will help to bring more visibility to the Wildcat Farm through the late spring and summer growing seasons and should bring in more visitors from the community. Sustainability Waste Disposal Improvements, Creating the SEC Marjandy Vizcarra Project Mentor(s) : Susan Rivera, PhD Improper disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) contributes to environmental degradation, including the destruction of natural habitats for great apes. Until Summer 2025, CWU’s Primate Awareness Network (PAN) maintained an e-waste collection bin in the Student Union and Recreation Center (SURC). E-waste was transported to participating Ecocell drop-off locations, the company responsible for recycling specific electronics such as phones, tablets, and smartwatches. This pilot project, focused on student e-waste collection (SEC), restored the SURC collection site and re-established transportation logistics and delivery frequency to ensure collected items reached an Ecocell drop-off point. In addition, a second collection site at the Library was established. Options for expanding the SEC initiative to include laptops were also explored in collaboration with a fellow student working on laptop refurbishment. Non-refurbishable items or materials not accepted by Ecocell will be disposed of in coordination with CWU Environmental Health and Safety. In these cases, Student Green Fund (SGF) support is essential for covering disposal costs for non-refurbishable e-waste. SGF funds were used to properly dispose of remaining e-waste through CWU’s Information Technology Asset Distributor (ITAD), Total Reclaim. The SEC pilot’s primary focus is rebuilding a functional, student-accessible e-waste collection system. The pilot also evaluated the financial, logistical, and staffing requirements for long-term continuation. The long-term goal is to establish a sustainable, cost-effective system that increases student awareness and strengthens campuswide electronics management. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation (May 21, 9:30am–3:00pm) Keywords: Electronic waste (e-waste) collection, Refurbishment, Sustainable IT SOURCE Form ID: 262 Presentation Type: Poster Presentation (May 21, 9:30am–3:00pm) Keywords: Biodiversity, farm visibility, community engagement SOURCE Form ID: 227
124
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator