Experts talk carbon offset, STEM diversity in CIS panel
The University of Guam Sea Grant program is exploring the possibility of developing a carbon offset program for the community. This initiative was discussed on the fifth day of the UOG Conference on Island Sustainability.
The sustainability conference, which had the theme “Rediscovering the Depths of Island Abundance,” featured several panels of thought leaders who explored different aspects of sustainability in island communities.
The first plenary panel, titled “Planting the Seeds of Abundance,” featured Fran Castro, Associate Director of the UOG Sea Grant program, and other experts from the academe and public sector.
Castro said that the Sea Grant program had been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support the Guam Restoration of Watersheds (GROW) in piloting an agroforestry project.
The GROW initiative uses conventional and innovative methods to revive, safeguard, and sustain Guam’s watersheds. For several years now, the team has been planting trees in the Ugum area in Malojloj to reforest badlands and reduce erosion and sedimentation into fresh and coastal waters.
“A lot of community members have come out to help us plant seeds (in Ugum) because they care for the environment. And it is just a great project,” Castro said about the GROW initiative.
Castro highlighted that the new project’s goal of creating a carbon offset reduction site would enable individuals and organizations to offset their carbon footprint by donating to the Ugum watershed.
So far, more than 1,000 trees have been planted in the area by the GROW team and other community partners and volunteers.
Castro said the new carbon-offset initiative could be integrated with the travel industry, with airlines partnering to allow travelers to contribute to the project while booking their flights.
Cheryl R. Sangueza, Ph.D. assistant professor of secondary education and co-principal investigator for the National Science Foundation’s INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance Guam Hub also participated in the panel discussion.
Sangueza spoke about the range of opportunities offered by the NSF INCLUDES. “We offer a diversity of STEM experiences for underrepresented minorities,” she said at the conference.
She mentioned some of these programs that offer support for students in Guam and the region, including place-based research and workforce development opportunities, NEAR Peer mentoring and the Bridge to Bachelor’s program.
“One of the things that I love most about our programs is that we are mindful of participants who may be overlooked by other grants…Our alliance is truly changing lives,” Sangueza said at the conference.