During the COVID-19 quarantine, the BYU–Hawaii Sustainability Center conducted projects to benefit the BYUH ohana, including creating sanitizers, giving away food and travel commodities and supplying materials to make face masks.
The Sustainable World Action & Technology Team (SWATT) changed its name to the Sustainability Center two months ago per the Communications Department’s request, said Leslie Harper, the center’s manager.
Harper said the Sustainability Center’s team wants to show care and interest in the BYUH community through projects during the quarantine, which is why team members give away freshly-baked loaves of bread each Sunday. Students can volunteer to help make the bread.
Bayarjargal Davaakhuu, a junior from Mongolia majoring in information technology, shared how he has been served by the Sustainability Center. “The Sustainability Center proved they are always there to help us no matter what happens. I was amazed by how they are using their resources to serve the community, being inventive and solving problems. I love their fresh, warm bread, and [we] use it to do our sacrament every Sunday.”
Sustainability Center employee Tomoyuki Akiyama, a senior from Japan majoring in marketing, said he works at the center’s bike shop where he fixed 10 bikes during quarantine.
He added the bike shop is working by appointment for the students who need help with their bikes. The Sustainability Center also helped students who left the island with suitcases from Give & Take, Harper said.
Since the center has a considerable amount of canned foods and over-the-counter medicines for students who need it – donated by students who left the island – any students and faculty who need these items can contact the center.
“Being prepared for unexpected situations can decrease the fear and panic,” Harper explained. He added in the garden, there are raised planting beds available for students who are interested in learning farming.
Creating hand sanitizer
When the BYUH Emergency Action Committee (EAC) recognized the BYUH supply of hand sanitizers was running low, said Harper, it asked the Sustainability Center to make hand sanitizers from scratch.
Harper shared his team, working with Daniel M. Scott, an associate professor in the Faculty of Sciences, created a sanitizer formula.
They made almost 200 bottles of sanitizer and gave it to the university’s Campus Distribution Center to give to departments who needed it. Harper said they bought the materials needed, such as alcohol, aloe vera, bottles and so on. The labels were made at BYUH Print Services, he added.
He said they also used materials from the Give & Take to make face masks for Facility Management’s Safety Department.
Other projects
Sustainability Center employee Munkhzul Galbadrakh, a junior from Mongolia majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said the center has more than 80 chickens, and 20 of them lay eggs. They get 20-to-30 eggs each day and give them away to students who come to the farm. Since the Polynesian Cultural Center is closed, Galbrakakh said they are struggling to provide food for their chickens.
Before PCC shutdown because of the pandemic, the center used to feed chickens with food waste from the PCC, she said. Now, they are asking the BYUH ohana to donate their food waste for the chickens. Galbadrakh said, “We built two chicken coops during this quarantine and are trying our best to create a comfortable environment for our chickens. However, we need others’ help to sustain our chickens during this hard time.”
The Sustainability Center also gives away bananas and other fresh produce. Harper said they harvest bananas frequently from the Temple View Learning Garden and put bananas in several locations around TVA to distribute to students.
“We post about it on social media, and students can come and get them.”
Galbadrakh shared how she is learning useful skills from her student job at the center that have helped her, and she has seen the importance of self-sustainability during this pandemic.
Nunia Ranama Ucunibaravi, a sophomore from Fiji and one of the employees of the center, said she usually works on hydroponic gardening and grows fresh produce, such as cabbage, lettuce and more. She said she has donated produce to single students by contacting their club presidents.
Ucunibaravi added the skills she is learning from the center will benefit her for the rest of her life.