2014 Baird Sustainability Fellow

Yuzhi Xi '14

E-Portfolio

Yuzhi Xi is from Langfang, China and is double majoring in Biology and Environmental Science. She works for the Center of Sustainability Education in the college biodiesel shop. In the biodiesel shop, Yuzhi converts used vegetable oil collected from Dickinson Dining Services and other community partners to renewable carbon-neutral biofuel for college farm utilities. Working as a biodiesel production assistant, she practically transforms her knowledge from classroom into real life products by conducting researches on different method of improving production performance and byproduct recycling. This past summer, Yuzhi also attended the national conference, Energy Path, during which she learned about other forms of renewable energy like micro-wind and biomass. This experience triggers her interests of analysis the real costs (environmental, social, and economic) of renewable energies.

To Yuzhi, “sustainability” not only means protecting environment but the most important living in a sustainable lifestyle that is self-sustained in all three of ecological, social, and economical domains. As a Baird Sustainability Fellow candidate, Yuzhi is excited to meet and work with other candidates from different background to explore the broad view of sustainability in both the local and global perspectives. Specifically, she is going to focus on sustainability in term of energy consumption and production in the U.S. and around the world.