A Slippery Rock University student has established herself as a forward-thinking, driving force for change in campus sustainability through her internship with Aramark, the University’s contracted food service provider.
Abi Lushefski, a senior geography major from Trucksville (Dallas HS), has led the charge to replace the regular plastic bags in campus dining facilities with a cornstarch-based alternative produced by Plastech, a manufacturer of environmentally friendly plastic-alternative products. Through implementing these bags, SRU will save 160,000 plastic bags from entering landfills and ecosystems and contributing to rising levels of microplastics in the environment and greenhouse gas emissions.
Though she counts this project as her biggest accomplishment yet, it is not Lushefski’s first foray into helping to improve SRU’s carbon footprint in her internship. Lushefski started her role as sustainability intern in fall of 2024, and her past projects have included facilitating the hydroponics station and tracking and setting goals for food-waste reduction in Boozel Dining Hall. Outside of her internship, Lushefski also serves as a member of the President’s Commission for Sustainability.
Lushefski, whose concentration in the geography major is environmental studies and sustainability, has seen clear crossovers between her work with Aramark and her classes at SRU. Her courses in conservation and sustainable planning offer particular insights for her projects.
“This internship has also been great for resume and skill building in my major,” Lushefski said. “It’s helped me to make connections, not just through Aramark, but through conversations I’ve been able to have with people here at SRU.”
With her passion for promoting environmental awareness, Lushefski encourages other geography, geology, and environmental studies students to pursue work of this nature, but she also said that anyone who cares for the planet should be taking up similar endeavors, no matter how small.
“You can help by being mindful of your daily practices,” Lushefski suggested. “Be mindful of where waste goes and how it contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and takes up space in landfills. Little things matter.”
More information about the environmental geosciences at SRU is available on the program’s webpage.
