The Rochester Youth Climate Leaders are back in action! After giving all of the members the chance to settle into their new school year, the eager group started their monthly meetings in October. At this meeting, Ryan McMullan, RIT graduate student and Rochester People’s Climate Coalition intern, shared his current research on converting food waste and manure into usable methane and biomass through “digesters” and algae. He currently holds a wastewater internship, which allows him to research the use of these “digesters” and effluent lagoons which produce clean water and biomass which can then be used as biodiesel.  There are future plans to take the RYCL on a field trip to his lab at RIT and to the anaerobic digester plant in Covington, NY.

On the evening of November 9th, several RYCL Harley students (and past students) attended the City of Rochester’s Climate Action Plan unveiling at City Hall. More of an information browsing session, the main atrium was set up with posters outlining the specifics of the areas the City of Rochester will address in order to reduce greenhouse gases and improve the sustainability of the community.