From Green Wiki

I am a cognitive psychologist and assistant professor at Indiana University, South Bend. My research examines how people process emotional information as well as how people use categories to make inferences about people, built objects, and nature. My current work focuses on applying cognitive principles to asking the question of how people conceive of nature, and how their views of nature correspond to behavioral decisions that impact the environment.

In addition to conducting research, I directed a class project that raised public awareness on the consumption of plastic bags. My students and I hosted a festival called BagFest and filmed a documentary about this project, which is currently under post-production. We also blogged to share our thoughts and personal experiences. In just four hours, over 500 residents donated 72,571 plastic bags for recycling. Guest speakers from reusablebags.com, South Bend Waste Paper, Rocky Mountain Recycling, and Wal-Mart discussed the economic and environmental factors regarding the consumption of plastic bags. Elizabeth Royte, author of Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash, was our featured speaker.

I strive to learn how to live, work, and play in a sustainable fashion. My goal is to continue to educate myself and others by writing and editing articles on Green Wikia.