M.A. Graduate represents PSGS at Expo
Feb 15, 2012
posted in: M. A.
Former Patel School of Global Sustainability (PSGS) M.A. student, Maria Booker, will represent PSGS at the Bausch + Lomb (B+L) Global Eye Health Care Center Sustainability Expo at the B+L Headquarters, Rochester NY on February 7, 2012.
While at the expo she will be increasing employee awareness of sustainability and hosting a table that showcases USF’s M.A. in Global Sustainability program.
Booker began working for B+L as an intern during her studies at PSGS. After graduating, she transitioned into her current position as Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHS+S) Specialist/Environmental Engineer. “I have found Bausch and Lomb to be a very progressive company that cares about doing the right thing for its employees and it’s community stakeholders,” Booker said about her experience. “During my internship, my ideas were listened to and I felt valued as a contributor to the company, since I have become an employee, nothing has changed except the fact that I have been given the reins to implement my ideas.”
B+L has been continuously improving their sustainability efforts since 2008. The Director of Global Sustainability, Larry Gelb, allows each facility to pick their own goals each year, but traditionally they have been required to reduce their Fuel, Energy, Waste, or Water by 10%. The Tampa facility, alone, has decreased energy by 28%, decreased natural gas use by 17%, decreased water use by 22%, decreased trash by 63%, and increased recycling by 13% since 2008.
In addition to her internship at B+L during her tenure at PSGS, Booker participated in an internship in Ghana with SWITCH (Managing Water for the City of the Future Project), where she conducted a research project titled, “A comparison of solid waste infrastructure and reported cases of malaria between three communities in Accra, Ghana”.
Booker is also helping to place fellow USF students into roles at B+L, “I will act as an ambassador to the USF program for as long as we continue to hire interns. Internships usually run from January until December, but as our interns find permanent employment, more openings will pop up.”
For more information on B+L and their sustainability efforts, click here.