Impact

Positive Energy cleans-up local riparian buffer with ClearWater Conservancy

Positive Energy members Sheikha Almaamari, Samantha Spencer, Timothy Lang, Blake Dickey, and Kien Tran help clean up a riparian buffer zone with ClearWater Conservancy.  Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Members of Penn State’s Positive Energy student group recently partnered with ClearWater Conservancy, a local conservation group, to clean up a riparian buffer at a farm located in Hublersburg, Pennsylvania.

Positive Energy, a student group that’s part of the University’s student chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), organizes community service events aimed at giving back to the environment.

“Positive Energy focuses on environmental and STEM outreach within the State College community. Our mission is to be a way for students going into the energy industry to give back to the world in which we live and work within. Positive Energy realizes that it is more important than ever to protect our environment and we must be good stewards of our resources,” said Blake Dickey, Positive Energy co-chair and junior majoring in petroleum and natural gas engineering at Penn State.

Riparian buffers are the strips of grass, shrubs, or trees and shrubs along the banks of rivers and streams that act as a filter system.

Students provided necessary maintenance on previously planted trees and shrubs by removing old tubing and wiring used to protect the saplings. Since the trees have had a few years to grow, it was time to remove some of the protective barriers around the trees. Some of the plants were also replanted in other areas to provide them better opportunities to flourish. They also removed discarded bottles, cans, and other trash from the stream and buffer zone.

For additional information on Positive Energy and their upcoming projects, visit: https://sites.psu.edu/spepennstate/positive-energy/

Last Updated April 15, 2019

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