Today in Patrick F. Taylor Hall, students can go from the Louisiana Bayou to the Costa Rican rainforests and the pastures of Iceland in one meeting.
The Global Renewable Energy Education Network— or the GREEN Program — is an intensive learning program that offers service learning, cultural immersion and global networking experience in a period of only one to two weeks. The program seeks to give students access to the renewable energy technology and sustainability industry in Iceland and Costa Rica.
Three University students who participated in the program are all looking forward to raising awareness about the opportunity and sharing their experiences at an informational meeting at 5 p.m. today.
“I think it would make a difference to share our experience on sustainability and green energy, especially since it is significantly increasing in popularity,” said biological engineering senior Linsey Olivier.
Olivier spent her time in Costa Rica from July to August, where she visited numerous facilities that engage in hydropower, solar power, geothermal energy, wind energy and biofuels.
She said one of the most motivating parts of the trip was when the locals invited students into their homes.
“These people are so humble and want to preserve and conserve the land and resources,” Olivier said. “This is my ultimate motivation. I always stop and think how these people put the environment first any time I start returning to my old habits.”
Aside from the educational experience of the trip, the GREEN Program also includes cultural activities like Spanish lessons and salsa dancing, Olivier said.
“We also had a lot of fun activities, like water-rafting, zip lining, rainforest hikes, visits to the exotic animal rehabilitation center, surfing and visiting local shops,” she said.
Landscape architecture senior and past GREEN participant John Beyt said one of the biggest benefits of going on the GREEN Program trip was being pushed outside of his comfort zone.
“It’s almost impossible to count the ways the program benefits students that get the opportunity to experience GREEN,” Beyt said. “You’re going to be in another country with a bunch of people you’ve never met before, learning about things you never knew existed. How’s that for broadening your horizons?”
Beyt said while on the GREEN Program in Costa Rica, he worked on a documentary about a sugar mill that produced sugar, ethanol, alcohol, energy for the grid and other products.
He also served as a counselor on the program, traveling with students on tours of power plants and rain forests and occasionally taught Spanish.
As far as getting into the program, Beyt said being a student at LSU, the number one school of landscape architecture in the country, may have given him a boost.
Robyn Jones, who graduated from LSU in August, participated in The GREEN Program’s Iceland pilot program.
“Once I was accepted to the program, the GREEN team was very active in helping me prepare for the trip, find funding and scholarships,” Jones said.
She added that the program offers hands-on experiential learning in a fast-paced environment alongside the renewable energy industry’s top researchers and professionals.
“The program culminates with the presentation of a capstone design project pitch, similar to the design projects many LSU students complete in their last year,” Jones said.
Jones said the program is open to every major and every student will find invaluable experience in Iceland and Costa Rica.
“Since my return from Iceland, every company I’ve interviewed with has specifically asked me about my time on the GREEN Program,” Jones said. “Even in the southern U.S., a heavily oil and gas dominated energy sector, this renewable energy program is turning heads.”
While in Iceland, Jones took part in planting vegetables with locals in a famous eco-village, as well as spending hours combing “over, under and through” geothermal, hydroelectric, and wind power plants with industry professionals.
“We hiked over glaciers, snorkeled in between tectonic plates, camped beside natural hot springs, climbed through lava caves, hiked through volcanic valleys and walked underneath waterfalls,” Jones said.
The GREEN Program’s informational session will be today at 5 p.m. in 2301 Patrick F. Taylor Hall.