Michael Fuzaylov
Hi, I’m Michael. I am a pre-med sophomore at Brooklyn College. As part of our seminar I am working together with classmates to contribute to our campus community and city while we are here by making it more eco-friendly. For our part, my colleague Evan and I are proposing a rainwater conservation project to recycle rainwater for street-cleaning. We plan to collect rainwater from the roof of the WEB Building and funnel it down the gutters and piping system to the parking lot below with the force of gravity, no energy required! There we plan to store our captured rainwater in a water tank for ready use by Department of Sanitation trucks for street cleaning operations. By this we hope to reduce stress on our already strained sewage systems and provide for a more environmentally friendly and sustainable street-cleaning water supply.
Joseph Kabariti
My name is Joseph Kabariti, and I am a sophomore of Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College. I am an aspiring doctor and am studying Pre-med at Brooklyn. I am partaking in this project because I believe, just like a person needs healing when he/she is sick, we must undertake these “green” projects in order to heal our planet. By proposing this idea to the Brooklyn College committee, we will be helping out, however slightly, the environment. Every little thing counts. In my piece of the project, I will be working with Allen Yevtukhov to ensure that the water that is drained into the sewers is reduced and purified as much as possible by the bioswales and planter box that we are installing near the tennis court. We hope to bring more functionality to the useful rainwater that is otherwise being drained away.
Isuree Katugampala
My name is Isuree Katugampala and I am currently a pre-med student studying Anthropology at Brooklyn College in the Macaulay Honors Program. The conditions of this Earth are deteriorating mostly due to human activity – thus we, as the next generation, need to focus our energies on saving our home. We, in this class, have learned to do this on a smaller scale within our campus. Not only are the ways we introduce green infrastructure significant in how much money they save our campus, but it will invigorate the landscape of our campus.
Evan La
My name is Evan La, and I’m currently taking the pre-med courses at Brooklyn College. For my part of the Green Infrastructure project, I will be collaborating with Michael Fuzaylov in planning to harvest the rainwater gathered from the rooftop of the WEB Building. This water will be gathered through the gutter system of the building and extracted into a water tank. We hope the water will be utilized by the Department of Sanitation to clean the streets around the campus. With this, we can use the water that would originally go straight to the sewers, and save money at the same time as well.
Linda Manchery
My name is Linda Manchery and I am a sophomore at Brooklyn College’s Macaulay Honor’s College. I am an aspiring doctor and would like to enter into a family practice. Through this green infrastructure project, I hope to bring to attention different ways that Brooklyn College and other college campuses can use rainwater to its most potential. This will help colleges lower the cost of water they are using and will allow natural and more green areas to be developed. By recycling and reusing rainwater, Brooklyn College will be able to water gardens with this water instead of tap water, create bioswales that filter pollutants, and provide ways for the Department of Sanitation to use rainwater instead of tap water to clean streets.
Kush Patel
My name is Kush Patel and I am currently a sophomore studying at Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College. I am a Psychology major as well as a Pre-Med student. I would like to show my concern for the environment by the implementation of green infrastructure in the Brooklyn College campus. I feel that even the smallest change can have a lasting impact on the planet and so I decided to start with this small project. With my Macaulay colleagues, all with the same ambition for the good of the environment, I am working to use rainwater for irrigation to the gardens and other greenery through the use of solar paneled pumps and water retention containers.
Michelle Shayowitz
Hi, my name is Michelle Shayowitz and I am a sophomore in Brooklyn College’s Macaulay Honors Program. I am currently taking premedical courses, and am considering a major in biology. This past semester, in our Macaulay Honors Seminar III class, my classmates and I have been given the opportunity to learn about various methods of managing rainwater that would benefit both the environment, and the community. I believe that as a class it is important that we put our knowledge into action by incorporating such systems on campus. With Professor Cheng’s help and guidance, my group and I have spent the past few months “rethinking rain,” and coming up with several different ways to better manage our campus’s stormwater. In my part of the project, I’ve proposed the placement of biowales along certain areas of the athletic field and parking lot, which are both located behind the West Quad building. Bioswales would help control the flow of stormwater runoff, while simultaneously removing harmful pollutants. Through this green infrastructure project, my classmates and I hope to transform our campus into an area that is both more beautiful, as well as more environmentally friendly!
Allen Yevtukhov
My name is Allen Yevtukhov, and I am a Biology major at Brooklyn College in the Macaulay Honors program. I am passionate about environmental protection and the implementation of green infrastructure, because I know that it can have a sizeable impact on the wellbeing of our planet. On a smaller scale, improving the green infrastructure in Brooklyn College would allow for our campus to have a smaller carbon footprint and facilitate efficiency in the college’s day to day functions. I am glad to have an opportunity to work towards a greener campus.
Cyril Abraham
My name is Cyril Abraham and I am a Chemistry major at Brooklyn College and the Macaulay Honors College. I am interested in how research and new technology can create a more efficient and greener tomorrow with less waste. Green infrastructure can do a lot for our campus and world in general. It was a great opportunity to work on this project and see first hand the work that goes behind implementing green infrastructure. Hopefully I will also be able experience first hand the benefits of a greener campus.
