The Student-Led Zero Waste Movement

In this workshop, we have participants envision what a zero waste campus would look like. We break the room into groups and give them a limited amount of time to draw or map out how they would prevent specific forms of waste from entering campus, how they would control the collection, logistics, and flow of waste through campus, and how they would manage the process of removing waste (if any) from campus. If time allows, we also tack on an additional step of designing innovative ideas for how students can cut down on the amount of waste produced within a campus. For example, a tool share could allow students to rent tools rather than having to buy them, similar to a bike share. Students may also envision a campus thrift store, a community garden, or an upcycling workshop space, as examples. Throughout the presentation we sprinkle in many key leadership lessons; how to communicate effectively with campus professionals, when and how to follow up, working with a team, facilitating and delegating tasks, negotiation strategy, and more. Once their visions have been mapped out, we run an exercise on power-mapping and discuss how students can go about implementing change on their campuses. Who do they need to talk to, how should they go about conducting those types of meetings and conversations, and where do they turn when they face hurdles and challenges along the way

2022 Strategic Vision for Institutional Zero Waste - West Chester University

In Spring, 2022, the Office of Sustainability at West Chester University hired two Zero Waste Fellows (Melisa Posner 23’ and Alden Ritchey 25’) to work with the Post-Landfill Action Network. As Fellows, Melisa and Alden utilized PLAN’s Atlas Stage 1 process to perform a comprehensive assessment of West Chester University’s campus-wide policies, infrastructure, and logistical capacity to establish a materials management system that achieves zero waste

West Chester University Zero Waste Atlas Campus Assessment 2021

In Spring 2021, West Chester University’s Office of Sustainability hired the Post- Landfill Action Network (PLAN) to support two Sustainability Peer Educators, Grace Bowden ‘21 and Andrew James ‘21, to conduct a holistic assessment of the University’s waste management system. WCU’s Climate Action Plan includes a goal of achieving zero waste (as defined by 90% diversion from landfills and incinerators), with no defined timeline for achievement. The plan also outlines a number of key next steps in working towards that goal, many of which have yet to be achieved as outlined in this report. WCU remains committed to reduce waste sent to landfill and to change the ways the campus purchases and manages goods to be in the best interests of the environment and WCU. The following report is intended to identify concrete steps that WCU can take to shift towards holistic zero waste systems

Improvements on the Inhaler

Background: Inhalers are a commonplace in American health care and deliver crucial drugs to patients with COPD and asthma. Inhaler use has been shown to be unsatisfactory among patients resulting in ineffective medication delivery. The goal of this project was to improve the inhaler design for increased effectiveness and ease of use. Methods: Our team first interviewed a Pulmonologist regarding patient inhaler use. Dr. Harry Kane demonstrated the proper use of an inhaler as well and described errors in inhaler use are due to patient technique. A variety of inhalers currently available were examined and were compared for ease of use. Results: Interview with attending physician revealed numerous patient errors that impede effectiveness of inhaled medication. Two common mistakes were identified: patients inhaling too rapidly and patients dispensing the medication too late. Inhaling too rapidly decreases the fraction of drug that reaches the lungs, decreasing effectiveness. Dispensing the medication after a patient reaches total lung capacity (TLC) prevents the drug from reaching their lungs, decreasing effectiveness. Conclusions: We conclude that inhalers could be used more effectively by addressing patient education and feedback mechanisms. Possible solutions discuss audible feedback to help coordinate patient breath with optimal dispersal timing. Future work includes prototyping a design and eliciting patient feedback

Improving the Inhaler

Background: Inhalers used to dispense various pharmacological agents play an important role in the care of patients with pulmonary disease. These pharmacological agents can be very effective, however, many patients that use inhalers often deliver these drugs incorrectly or in a sub-optimal manner. Our project aims to improve the design of the inhaler in order to increase the effectiveness of drug delivery and also ease of patient use. Methods: We interviewed a critical care pulmonologist regarding patient inhaler use and compliance. This physician offered information about proper inhaler use and described common errors that patients encounter when attempting to dispense drugs via inhalers. Both steroidal and albuterol inhalers that are currently being prescribed were allocated for our examination and use to help develop a more user friendly model. Results: The pulmonologist illustrated several errors that patients will commonly make which can degrade the efficacy of the inhaled drug delivery. One frequently encountered error was that drug is dispensed by the patient once they had already reached their total lung capacity, or inhaled fully. This sort of error leads to the drug being dispensed into the throat and failure to reach the intended target, the lungs. Additionally, the physician noted that patients often forget to administer their inhaled drugs because the inhaler does not fit comfortably into the patient’s pocket and so it is not optimally portable. Conclusion: Our research suggests that inhaler design could be improved in order to increase the effectiveness of drug delivery and patient compliance. We are considering incorporating audible actuation clues that will alert the patient when to dispense the drug, and also provide electronic feedback to the patient’s mobile device. This would help educate the patient on how to coordinate their breathing with actuation of the device to dispense the medication