2023 Student Sustainability Awards

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Student Nominees: Sustainability Champions

Emily Abrusci '25, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability and EcoGastronomy dual major 
Emily is an Atlas Zero Waste Fellow who co-facilitated a cross-campus stakeholder process to develop a zero-waste vision and plan for UNH, a critical element of the UNH's continued sustainability leadership. 

Phoebe Adame ‘23, Environmental Science and Sustainability dual major 
Phoebe has promoted a zero-waste campus as coordinator of Trash 2 Treasure and leader of a student capstone proposal for a campus Free/Thrift Store. Phoebe has co-facilitated a cross-campus stakeholder process to develop a zero-waste vision and plan for UNH, a critical element of the UNH's continued sustainability leadership and stakeholder engagement.  

Kate Agostini ‘24, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems and Economics 
Morgan (Mo) White ‘23, Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture 
Mo and Kate are co-managers of the Organic Garden Club, breathing life into the Organic Garden, a small functioning farm on UNH property. The engaged scholarship that goes on in the garden coupled with the food produced is an inspiring living example of sustainable food production sustainable food systems. 

Jacob Allgaier '23, Community and Environmental Planning  
Jacob supported the New England Municipal Sustainability Network though a SITC@UNH internship by revamping the website, and coordinating brown bag meetings and the newsletter to increase cooperation between communities that align with the Network's goals. Jacob also collaborated with UNH Grounds and Events to design and implement a plan for a pollinator garden to help UNH to become a Bee Certified Campus.  

Grace Bell ‘24, Communication, Women’s and Gender Studies 
Grace strives to make communities more welcoming in all aspects of daily life. By spreading her passion to her residents and co-Resident Advisors about nature, she teaches how to be passionate about the world and take care of it. She has a strong social justice lens in building communities that are sustainable and welcoming to those with all identities. 

Sara Berg '24, Environmental Engineering 
As a SIMAP (Sustainability Indicator Management & Analysis Platform) intern and Carbon Clinic group leader, Sara has done important new research about UNH's carbon footprint related to its supply chain, helped develop methodology in SIMAP to allow organizations to do that same analysis. Sara's work is an important tool for UNH to reduce its greenhouse gas footprint, other organizations to reduce theirs, and a team of UNH students to gain useful sustainability skills. 

Julie Bobyock ‘23, Environmental Science and Sustainability 
Julie promoted sustainability education and practice on campus through her roles in environmental journalism and as an Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity Intern, contributing to initiatives such as establishing UNH as a Bee Certified Campus.  

Phil Breton '24, Mathematics 
Phil is a tutor at the math center, student teaches, mentors and is a learning assistant as part of the National Science Foundation’s STEM Gateway Project. As a Resident Advisor, Phil provides a positive impact on individual students and collaborates with other RAs to develop a safe, inclusive community. Phil interns at Dover High School in mathematics courses below the college prep level and for students who have IEP’s and need special instruction, helping to provide equitable, accessible education. 

Megan Broderick ‘24, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability and Educational Studies dual major 
Megan is the Resident Advisor of the Sustainability Residential Learning Community at UNH, where she holds programs for students related to environmental sustainability and conservation, educating residents on sustainable practices, connecting with their environment, and taking pride in reusing or recycling materials. 

Christine Bunyon ‘23G, M.S., Natural Resources and the Environment; ‘17, B.S. Environmental Conservation and Sustainability  
Christine has promoted an evolution in the ability to monitor freshwater ecosystems (e.g., NH lakes) through her development of novel methods for fine-scale remote sensing (i.e., UAV image collection and analysis). Christine's research and its connection to various state partners provides a new level of accuracy and efficiency for sampling freshwater lakes for the detection of harmful algal blooms. 

Cole Burnham '23, Psychology and Sustainability dual major 
Cole leads the coordination and facilitation of the Changemaker Fellows first-years program, providing opportunities for personal and professional growth, access to resources and mentorship, and the chance to develop skills and knowledge in social innovation and sustainability. Cole was chosen to be part of the UNITE 2030 cohort, a week-long summit for changemakers to identify, research, and create solutions to the problems surrounding the UN’s SDGs.  

Grace Cannon ‘23, Marketing and Sustainability dual major 
Grace has advanced her personal knowledge and application of sustainability through her academics and as a B Impact Clinic peer mentor. Through a sustainability social media internship, Grace has created greater awareness of sustainability initiatives across campus and of the resources available to our community to thrive, helping to build a strong and resilient student community engaged in sustainability at UNH. 

Caroline Cavalieri '23, Management Major 
Caroline is a peer mentor in the B Impact Clinic, assisting students in assessing and understanding her client company’s social and environmental impact externally and internally. She helps create community with her team, as well as providing mentorship and guidance. Through a SITC@UNH internship, Caroline gained interdisciplinary team-working and systems-thinking skills. 

Melissa Clark, Ph.D. Candidate, Natural Resources and Earth Systems Sciences 
Melissa applies her passion for spatial analysis and interest in collaborative knowledge production processes to her PhD research and work as a spatial ecologist with The Nature Conservancy on modeling national scale climate connectivity. Melissa’s work integrates spatial science with research on and the practice of iterative, collaborative processes to produce context-specific knowledge, is informing local, regional, and national decisions about how to prioritize land conservation based on climate change by conservation organizations and government agencies, is contributing to interdisciplinary learning within and outside of the classroom at UNH, and was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Tyler Garcia ‘23, Environmental Planning 
Tyler's contributions have helped advance UNH's sustainability goals, particularly in stormwater management, and have raised awareness among the UNH community about the importance of environmental stewardship and land use. 

Sophie Goodwin '24, Sociology and Sustainability dual major, History minor 
Sophie has served as a Sustainability Institute intern for over a year, as both a liaison for the Office of Community, Equity and Diversity and now the Program and Events Assistant. Sophie has gathered data to enhance programming, promoting sustainability and social justice at UNH.  

Chloe Gross '24, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability 
Chloe has contributed to UNH’s waste efforts as a Zero Waste Sustainability Intern, where she worked on composting and organic waste diversion through research, educational campaigns, and infrastructure planning. Chloe has served as Trash 2 Treasure student coordinator, handling volunteer recruitment, marketing, and speaking at events to gain support for the program.  

Brooke Healy '23, Wildlife and Conservation Biology 
Brooke is an Ecosystem Intern working directly on establishing UNH as a certified Bee Campus, including promoting biodiversity and pollinator-friendly practices, raising awareness about the importance of bees and other pollinators in the ecosystem, and providing educational and engagement opportunities. Brooke is helping to improve the sustainability and biodiversity of UNH's campus and surrounding community. 

Grace Hood ‘24, Women and Gender Studies and Justice Studies dual major 
Grace is passionate about gender equality and the way that it is presented in society and on campus. As a Resident Advisor Grace explores topics with residents, creates a comfortable environment where residents can talk openly about their concerns about the country, world, or what’s going on campus. 

Bailey Jones ‘24G, M.S. Environmental Engineering Technology 
Bailey is a SIMAP intern completing important research to add new functionality for calculating upstream emissions from fuel and energy activities, and conducted numerous data reviews for organizations that use SIMAP. He has served as a peer mentor/group leader for the Carbon Clinic, helping clients to calculate their carbon footprints and educating other students in how to do carbon footprinting.  

Mamta Kajal, Ph.D. student, Agricultural Sciences 
Mamta's work highlights the importance of Crop wild relatives at UNH Hodgdon Herbarium. Plant scientists across the USA would see UNH Herbarium as a potential resource to access crop wild relatives. By highlighting the importance of crop wild relatives, Mamta aspires to reduce hunger, support good health and well-being and life on land, and address climate action. 

Marc Laferriere '24, Communication 
Through a Semester in the City internship with the UNH JEDI-EOS initiative, Marc developed an online resource map to promote equitable access to information including BIPOC-owned businesses, gender inclusive restrooms, and created and facilitated a successful Environmental Justice workshop on campus. Marc's efforts helped advance the JEDI-EOS goals to expand the capacity of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space to conduct world-class research that effectively incorporates environmental justice and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Julia Landcastle '23, Nutrition & Wellness and EcoGastronomy dual major 
Julia has been a peer mentor in the B Impact Clinic and led teams of students in assessing and understanding Clinic clients’ social and environmental impacts. Through her EcoGastronomy courses, volunteering, and Capstone study abroad in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, Julia connected with local producers and farmers and studying the strong sustainable practices. 

Tori Lindh ‘26, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability 
Tori is Resident Advisor who has spread education of sustainability topics in their hall. Tori's interactions and role with their students weaves real world solutions with everyday conversations around sustainability. 

Anna Madden ‘24, English: Text, Business Writing and Digital Studies 
As a sustainability communications intern, Anna wrote stories from UNH faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners to amplify the collaborative work being done across UNH, and beyond, building a strong culture of shared commitment to sustainability. 

Nathan Maybach ‘25, Women’s Studies and Sustainability, minor in Social Work 
Nate is a bike share intern, bringing the Cat Trax bike share program to life on campus, spreading awareness, and supporting program logistics. Nate helps build a sense of community and connection on campus and brings attention to the importance of sustainable transportation. 

Jordan Moyer ‘23, Business Administration: Business Analytics and Sustainability dual major 
Through a Semester in the City internship with All in Energy, Jordan applied her passion for sustainability and business to her work. As a UNH Sustainability Fellow, she collected ESG and DEI survey data, which has been instrumental in businesses looking at and assessing themselves around environmental, social and governance factors, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Heather Nelson ‘23, Anthropology and Zoology 
Heather has completed an ADA website accessibility project in her role as intern with Food Solutions New England. Heather explored how the website can be improved to meet ADA website accessibility standards so that the platform can better reflect FSNE's values of inclusiveness and engage a broader audience. 

Beth Newton '24, History, Law 
Beth has helped create a culture of sustainability in resident life and on campus through her roles on Residence Hall Councils, spearheading bringing Safe Zones to the hall, planning events to pick up and properly dispose of trash around campus, and educating peers about sustainable products that would help reduce waste production. Beth has created a more inclusive environment and provided service opportunities for students. 

Molly Norton ‘23, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability and International Affairs dual major 
Molly is a SIMAP intern and Carbon Clinic group leader who has done research and case studies regarding the carbon footprint of dining service purchases and is supporting a team of students in carbon footprinting skills. Molly's work has helped improve UNH’s SIMAP program and will ultimately help campuses make lower-carbon purchases in their dining service programs.  

Tom Oliver ‘23, Mechanical Engineering 
As a Changemaker Coach, Tom plays an important role in inspiring, guiding and empowering students to become changemakers by serving as a mentor and connecting them with the resources they need to make a lasting impact at UNH and beyond. 

Matt Oriente ‘23, Information Systems and Sustainability dual major
Matt is a social entrepreneur, past Social Venture Innovation Challenge winner, Lead Changemaker Coach, member of the Carbon Clinic, Student Sustainability Network Coordinator, past UNH Sustainability Fellow, member of UNH’s Committee for Investor Responsibility, and developer of UNH's ESG methodology. Matt's contributions have inspired other students and UNH community members to engage in sustainability on campus. 

Julie Louis Orliac ‘24, Environmental Engineering 
Julie-Louis interned with FOUR PAWS International in Boston through Semester in the City, working collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team to help advance their mission to rescue, protect and preserve endangered animals. Julie-Louis serves as a Semester in the City Ambassador, helping to bring awareness to the high-impact learning experience to other UNH students. 

Bethany Ott ‘23, Human Development and Family Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies 
Bethany was a part of the Social Justice Leadership Cohort where she collected and analyzed data about tokenization displayed in UNH media. After graduation Bethany plans to attend Physician Assistant school and currently works as a Cardiovascular Services Technician at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.  

Regena Ottaviano '24, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability 
Regena was elected the Sustainability Advocate on the Scott Hall Council. Regena planned sustainability-themed socials and heard from various speakers from around campus, learning about UNH’s initiatives. Regena planned a thrift store fundraiser in the hall, helping to educate students, reduce waste, and promote sustainable living.  

Amy Overhulser '24, Human Development and Family Studies 
Amy co-leads the Changemaker Fellows first-year student program as a Lead Changemaker Coach, providing opportunities for students’ personal and professional growth, resources and mentorship, and skills and knowledge in social innovation and sustainability.  

Durga Raja '25, Environmental and Resource Economics and Sustainability dual major 
As a student consultant in the Carbon Clinic, Durga measured a start-up company’s carbon footprint, ran a scenarios analysis to set recommendations for future footprint reductions and presented results to a group of professionals and peers. As a Sustainability Institute intern for the carbon footprinting platform SIMAP, Durga calculated UNH's food footprint to identify the impact on UNH's overall carbon footprint. 

Katie Remeis ‘23, Business Administration: Accounting, Information Systems, and Business Analytics 
Katie is a Residential Advisor, and entrepreneur who has helped develop the student-founded company that aims to help global food supplies. Katie's work in the student-founded company HydroPhos Solutions used phosphorus filtration technology to extract phosphorus from wastewater treatment plants to help recycle nutrients into fertilizers, aiding the lifespan of the global food supply. 

Sarah Reny ‘23G, M.S. Environmental Conservation and Sustainability; ‘20 B.A. in Biological Sciences, General, UNH Manchester 
Sarah Reny is researching advancing methods for measuring local scale forest structure through the integration of advanced remote sensing technologies (e.g., UAV and lidar). The methods that she is testing will provide more efficient and effective models of multi-species forests at the individual tree level. 

Clara Richards '23, Economics: Public Policy and Sustainability 
Clara is a leader for the Rutman Leadership Fellows, who promote gender equity in Paul College, peer-mentor for the B Impact Clinic, working with two companies to bring them closer to B Corp certification, and is a valued member of the Scrapp team who work on climate-tech solutions. 

Andrew Ricketts ‘26, Genetics and Sustainability dual major 
As a Sustainability Advocate for the Minis Community Council, Andrew has provided educational events for the community on sustainability practices they can incorporate into their daily lives and about the resources available at UNH. 

Suzanne Scharff '24, Women’s and Gender Studies and Sustainability dual major 
Suzie has served as the Sustainability Dual Major intern and advanced equity at UNH as part of the Social Justice Leadership Cohort. Suzie has been a voice for integrating equity and social justice issues into sustainability conversations on campus and in the community, engaging in interdisciplinary scholarship and community activism to address women's rights, mental health, and waste reduction. 

Anna Schriefer ‘23, Economics and Finance 
As a Changemaker Coach, Anna plays an important role in inspiring, guiding and empowering first-year Changemaker Fellows to become changemakers by serving as a mentor and connecting them with the resources they need to make a lasting, sustainable impact at UNH and beyond.  

Catey Selby ‘25, Environmental Engineering, Sustainability dual major 
Catey served as Wellness Intern, creating and implementing UNH’s tobacco and nicotine-free policy. Her outreach has helped spread information across campus, bringing awareness to the effects of tobacco and nicotine and encouraging safe and effective cessation strategies as a method of making our campus community healthier. 

Joseph Skehan ‘25, Analytical Economics and Philosophy 
Joseph serves as a Peer Mentor for the UNH B Impact Clinic, supporting and guiding his student team to evaluate and consider their client company’s impact on their workers, community, environment, and customers. 

Sunjay Sood '23, Environmental Engineering 
Sunjay has served as a Peer Mentor for the Carbon Clinic and has led student teams to deepen their knowledge about carbon footprinting as well as advising and supporting small groups of students. Sunjay is also part of the student group, Engineers without Borders. 

Jason Staples ‘23, Analytics and Data Science and Sustainability dual major 
Jason has served as a peer mentor for the Carbon Clinic for two semesters, leading student teams to deepen their knowledge about carbon footprinting. 

Anya Teehan ‘24, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability 
Anya has helped advance zero waste efforts at UNH as a STARS intern and as an Atlas Fellow. Anya's research and writing have helped advance students' understanding of the impact of their daily choices to reduce waste on campus and shape UNH's zero waste roadmap. 

Alexandra Vergara ‘23, English Teaching 
Alex has served as a Changemaker Coach, a program assistant for the Sustainability Institute, as well as Trash 2 Treasure program lead. Alex has had a significant impact on promoting sustainability efforts by providing support, building capacity for the Trash 2 Treasure team, and by leading educational sessions and campus sustainability tours. 

Liliana Vornehm ‘25, Community and Environmental Planning and Sustainability dual major 
As a Changemaker Coach, Liliana inspires, guides and empowers first-year students to become changemakers by serving as a mentor and connecting them with the resources they need to make a lasting impact at UNH and beyond. 

Sierra Walsh ‘23, Neuroscience and Behavior and Biomedical Sciences 
As a Changemaker Coach, Sierra inspires, guides and empowers first-year students to become changemakers by serving as a mentor and connecting them with the resources they need to make a lasting impact at UNH and beyond. 

Kailei Wedge ‘24, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability 
Kailei has worked with the Sustainability Institute to run an e-waste drive on campus and in UNH residence halls, contributing to reducing waste on campus. 

Virginia Weiss ‘26, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability 
Virginia Weiss is the sustainability chair for Hubbard Hall hall council. They have created and facilitated several events aimed at helping peers think about their waste and how to re-use things that were previously labeled as "trash". Virginia has encouraged peers to think critically about their impact on the environment. 

Edyn Winter ‘24, Marketing and Sustainability dual major 
Edyn has served as a Peer Mentor for the UNH B Impact Clinic, supporting and guiding her student team to evaluate and consider their client company’s impact on their workers, community, environment, and customers. 

Andy Yang ‘23, Marketing 
Andy participated in Semester in the City as an intern with the Phillips Brooks House Association and returned to UNH to become more involved, sharing his experience with other students and encouraging them to also participate in Semester in the City. 

Natalie Young ‘25, Equine Science: Pre-vet, Sustainability dual major 
As a Changemaker Coach and a B Impact Clinic peer mentor, Natalie inspires, guides and empowers students to become changemakers by serving as a mentor and connecting them with the resources they need to make a lasting impact at UNH and beyond. Natalie supports and guides her B Impact student team to evaluate and consider their client company’s impact on their workers, community, environment, and customers. 

UNH Energy Club  
The club gives members a well-rounded outlook on the energy industry--the technologies, economics and policies--to help them be well-informed for future careers and to build a sustainable and equitable future. They've reached out proactively and collaboratively to connect, educate and engage with community and campus partners, raised the visibility of energy and climate issues, and organized multiple successful events. 

The New Hampshire Outing Club 
The club provides a unique experience available to any undergraduate student of exploring the world around them, on and off of campus. The Outing Club is inclusive to all undergraduate students, offering unique opportunities to connect with the outdoors. 

Organic Gardening Club 
The club hosted the 2nd annual Earth Day Jam Fest, showcasing local businesses and student and UNH organizations that are committed to sustainability. This event brought the community of sustainability together on campus where students were able to learn about climate action and explore how to get involved on campus and support local businesses.