According to the Huffington Post, Boston is one of the top 10 most eco-friendly cities in the United States. The poll wasn’t measured in terms of energy-saving infrastructure, but rather on the amount of eco-friendly events going on in the area. It’s a great achievement for our hometown to be on this list and a really good example to set for the rest of the country. For that reason, it might not surprise you to learn that the next generation of leaders in environmental problem solvers could come from Boston. The University of Massachusetts Boston is launching a new program for its graduates that will train them up to become the environmental problem solvers of the future. The National Science Foundation has given a five year grant of $3.1 million to the university to fund the program, with the hope that real talent will be discovered and developed.
Home Grown Talent to Study Our State
The program will begin in the fall of 2014, and will take on eight graduates each year. Those accepted onto the program will study the environmental challenges faced by the urban coastal areas in Massachusetts Bay. Dubbed as ‘research fellows’, those who join the program will be selected from a pool of PhD students that have graduated from the university with qualifications in Environmental Science, Environmental Biology, Global Governance and Human Security, as well as Business Administration.
International Influence
The students won’t just be studying on home soil though, as they’ll have the opportunity to study with professors in Ethiopia and Kenya, as well as to work with officials from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Robyn Hannigan, dean of the School for the Environment at UMass Boston, stated that “environmental problems don’t acknowledge national or academic borders, so neither can our students." The ideas and research developed by the students will help to come up with solutions to environmental issues across the globe, so whilst the talent might be home-grown, the students will go on to make a difference worldwide.
How Can You Make a Difference?
The future looks promising for Boston, but what can you do to help the environment in the meantime? Check out this useful grid for some ideas about doing your bit around the home, and consider installing home insulation for somewhere like Mark Group and going green by investing in solar panels.
This post is sponsored by Mark Group.
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