Environmental Day for HS students helped visitors learn how “sustainable is obtainable”

The Environmental Engineering Technology (EVT) program hosted over 150 students and teachers from area high schools for “Sustainable is Obtainable” Day on Clifton Campus, on November 5, 2025.

“Sustainable is Obtainable” days have been hosted by the Cincinnati State EVT program for more than 20 years. The hands-on activities in EVT labs and classrooms highlight the personal actions high school students can take to make the world more sustainable and preserve the Earth’s capacity to support human life.

EVT Program Chair Dr. Ann Gunkel said, “Throughout the day, students explored environmental issues and their effect on global, local, and individual levels. Activities such as small group experiments, discussions, and exercises helped students gain greater knowledge of environmental problems and how students can make changes that matter.”

“The visiting students learned about many environmental careers as well as scholarship opportunities available to them,” Gunkel said.

The Environment Day activities were funded through a Green Cincinnati Plan Seeds of Change Grant. The Cincinnati State EVT program received a $30,000 grant to help support outreach, student scholarships, and workforce development efforts. The grant program aims to support “sustainable, equitable, and resilient efforts that relieve burdens and increase benefits for those most affected by climate change in Cincinnati.”

Dr. Gunkel and Professor Ann Fallon partnered with local business, industry, and community organizations to provide students with practical examples of how to move toward a sustainable lifestyle.

Presenters and their topics included:

• Lisa Bacu, Cincinnati State Senior Lab Technician – Chromatography (using instrumentation to detect chemicals)
• Rufaro Bulathsinghalage, Mill Creek Alliance – Can you swim in it? 
• Nick Callahan, Foundation for Ohio River Education – Fish of the Ohio
• Mark Deacon, Cincinnati State Horticulture Program Chair – Sustainable Horticulture
• Jennifer Geiger, Cincinnati State Co-op Coordinator & Anne Munro, Gemini Engineering & EVT program graduate – Environmental Careers & Co-op
• Dr. Ann Gunkel & Galy Jasso, La’Star Pugh, Natalie Caraballo, and Caleb Freed, Cincinnati State EVT students – The Big Automated Water Loop (BAWL) 
• Ethan Luedke, Audrey Knight, & Jaxon Kozlowski, Cincinnati State EVT students – OSHA 40 Dress-out (protective equipment for workers in scenarios involving hazardous substances)
• Kymisha Montgomery, Civic Garden Center – Where is Your Food Grown?
• George Schewe, Trinity Consultants – Air Quality

Participating high schools included:

• Aiken HS (Cincinnati Public Schools)
• Gamble HS (Cincinnati Public Schools)
• Hughes STEM HS Zoo Academy (Cincinnati Public Schools)
• Ignite Academy (Boone County, KY) with students from:
  • Boone County HS
  • Conner HS
  • Cooper HS
  • Dixie Heights HS
  • Ryle HS
  • Scott HS
  • Simon Kenton HS

(Photos provided by Ann Gunkel)