ESW at Rensselaer

Engineers for a Sustainable World at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute brings together the RPI community to improve both the quality of life and the condition of our planet.

The ESW chapter at Rensselaer is a student-driven program dedicated to mobilizing Rensselaer students and professionals through education, technical projects, and collaborative action to meet local and global sustainability challenges.

History

ESW-RPI was founded in May 2005 and officially recognized by both ESW National and the Rensselaer Union that fall. In its first four semesters, the members of ESW-RPI engaged in a flurry of activity, including hosting a workshop on the benefits of biodiesel, designing a sustainable water pumping and filtration system for the Nigerian village of Umuluwe, and facilitating Earth Day activities on campus and collaborating with EcoLogic on numerous projects related to environmental issues on campus. By the fall of 2007, 61 students and 2 faculty/staff members were affiliated with ESW-RPI. Since then, ESW-RPI has completed several projects, including a milk pasteurization system in Langui, Peru, a solar-powered computing classroom in Lascahobas, Haiti, and two shipping-container housing projects in Rantlamouaie, Haiti. They are currently working on the Solar Bus Stop project in Troy, New York, and the Mexico project in the village of Ek’ Balam in Yucatan, Mexico. You can read more about the projects in the Projects section.

ESW-Global

Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) is a non-profit network committed to building a better world. Established in 2002, ESW is comprised of students, university faculty, and professionals who are dedicated to building a more sustainable world for current and future generations. This involves not only direct projects on campuses, in communities, and internationally, but also educating our communities and ourselves about sustainability as a broad topic.

Our Unique Approach

ESW's structure is both defining and organizationally sustainable and scaleable. This approach builds around ESW's core Values. Read more about our approach here.

Local chapters working autonomously with a network
A holistic approach to "global sustainability"
Technical fields as one part of the solution
Partnering with local organizations for lasting and replicable impact

Engineers for a Sustainable World