Sean O\u2019Dwyer\u2019s summer job was to listen to concerts, hang out in one of the biggest music venues in Wisconsin, and sort through thousands of pounds of garbage at midnight.<\/p>\n
It was a great experience, he said.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Dwyer was of one of several students drawn from 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s Conservation and Environmental Science program and other UW System schools who interned at Alpine Valley Music Theatre this summer. The concert venue in East Troy, Wisconsin, is focusing more on its sustainability efforts, which include diverting recyclable materials away from landfills.<\/p>\n
To do that, O\u2019Dwyer and his cohort pulled on their gloves after each event was finished and went elbow-deep into the hundreds of trash bags that guests generated throughout the night, often working through midnight or later.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the gist of it,\u201d O\u2019Dwyer laughed. \u201cWe try to separate as much recycling from trash as possible. Recycling includes glass, metal, and a variety of different plastics. Pretty much we chill in the back of the venue and sort through any trash that comes our way.\u201d<\/p>\n
If it sounds like a gross job, it is \u2013 but it\u2019s a rewarding one, said O\u2019Dwyer\u2019s internship supervisor, Quintin Bendixen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe actually have fun, believe it or not,\u201d Bendixen said. \u201cI am convinced that without our efforts, 0 percent (of recyclables) would actually end up recycled.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to sorting the trash, O\u2019Dwyer and his fellow interns also worked to educate Alpine Valley Music Theatre\u2019s guests about sustainable practices. He posted signs about the venue\u2019s environmental efforts and also put up posters that asked concert-goers to generate ideas about sustainable changes they could make in their own lives.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Dwyer has long been drawn to the outdoors. He started his schooling at 51ÁÔÆæ at Waukesha and then transferred to 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s main campus. He is majoring in conservation and environmental science in hopes of creating a better world.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell that there\u2019s a big sense of dread for a lot of the population for the future. I\u2019m doing this a little bit out of a sense of morality,\u201d O\u2019Dwyer said of his education choice. \u201cI feel like it\u2019s probably one of the best things I could do for the world, and at the same time, make a career out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For that, O\u2019Dwyer knew he needed internship experience. When he found out that Bendixen was recruiting, he signed on immediately.<\/p>\n
Bendixen is a senior lecturer at in 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s College of General Studies and O\u2019Dwyer has taken many of his classes. In fact, O\u2019Dwyer credits Bendixen with sparking his interest in environmental science.<\/p>\n
Bendixen hopes that all of his students gained new experiences and understanding during their internship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s important to get your hands dirty. You can understand individually how each part of the system works and you have a better chance of coming to a conclusion that is holistic and systematic to make it run better,\u201d Bendixen said. \u201cSo I hope that they get that \u2018boots on the ground\u2019 \u2013 or \u2018gloves in the bag\u2019 \u2013 experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
For O\u2019Dwyer, not only did he gain an understanding of systemic sustainability practices, but he also got to listen to great music with some amazing coworkers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best part was being able to go out and experience the concert, and just hanging out with the whole sustainability crew. We\u2019re all really friendly, really nice,\u201d O\u2019Dwyer said. \u201cWe\u2019re brothers in arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
They\u2019re exactly the people you want to sort trash with you at midnight.<\/p>\n
By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science<\/small><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sean O\u2019Dwyer\u2019s summer job was to listen to concerts, hang out in one of the biggest music venues in Wisconsin, and sort through thousands of pounds of garbage at midnight. It was a great experience, he said. O\u2019Dwyer was of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32664,"featured_media":19712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[1734],"tags":[1860],"class_list":["post-19699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-focus-2022","tag-october"],"yoast_head":"\n