Western School of Environment and Sustainability and School of Business faculty member Taryn Mead was recently featured in VentureWell, a nonprofit organization focused on solving global issues by cultivating a generation of socially responsible business leaders. The article detailed her upcoming undergraduate course dedicated to improving the local waste dilemma through innovation and entrepreneurship. Mead’s course, “Science-Driven Innovation for the Circular Economy,” aims to inspire students to devise creative solutions to reuse, recycle or upcycle materials from the Gunnison Valley waste stream. At the end of the semester, students will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas for a chance to earn a place in Western’s ICELab incubator program. The creation of this course is an example of Mead’s efforts to guide not only Western students, but also the greater Gunnison Valley in evolving the local economy to become less wasteful, more resourceful and highly sustainable.
