BCC students Donique Spencer, Sue-Moura Burke, and Raghunandan Kumar have been selected as “Green Ambassadors” for BCC’s $1 million Green Action Challenge grant sponsored by the Bronx Economic Development Corporation and funded by the NY Power Authority to reduce the College’s environmental footprint, enhance climate resilience, and build upon its Green Economy workforce development program. The trio looks forward to educating students about projects that will be happening on campus, including, among other things, composting and the anticipated creation of a rain garden in collaboration with other Departments, Campus Operations and Physical Plant Services.

Donique and Sue-Moura developed an interest in sustainability through their coursework and professors at BCC. Between December 2024 and January 2025, they both travelled to India along with 10 other BCC and CUNY students as part of the CUNY-India Pollution Study—a three-year research initiative funded by the National Science Foundation focused on mapping air pollution in underserved communities. The funding for the two of them came through the challenge grant. They described their research, academic, and cultural experiences in India as truly transformative. Over the past few years, BCC science professors Neal Phillip and Paramita Sen have facilitated travel to India for 102 CUNY students from 14 campuses, including 25 students from BCC, to conduct research on climate change and air pollution in Mumbai and New Delhi. For many of these students, it was their first time leaving the Bronx and New York City.

“We are examining students’ behavior when it comes to the environment and helping them recognize the need for things like composting,” Donique said. “The aim is to have the whole community rally behind this initiative so students understand why we are doing these things. As a community, it is critical that we preserve our environment for future students and the next generation of students here at BCC.”

The Green Ambassadors will be getting the word out about their efforts through collaboration with various organizations and clubs on campus, such as First Year Seminar, ASAP, different science organizations, the CUNY CREST Institute and the Chemistry and Biology Clubs. “Building awareness will be key,” said Sue-Moura, who was pleased to see that composting bins had been set up at Run the Bronx for runners to deposit their peels after orange and banana giveaways. ”The New York Botanical Garden helped us collect compost at the Run the Bronx event and we hope to collaborate with them in the future on other green projects.”

Each of the Green Ambassadors offers valuable insights and unique strengths that will contribute to the sustainability and climate resilience efforts on campus. Raghunandan highlights the importance of drawing different minds to address environmental challenges, noting, “Combining my passion for sustainability with my Accounting background, I hope to inspire mindful, measurable change across our campus.”

The three students look forward to working with students on campus and forming additional partnerships to raise awareness. “The enthusiasm of these students is contagious, and we are so happy to have them on board leading the way for a more sustainable BCC ,” said Green Action Challenge Project Director Elena Perez.