From June 10th to the 12th, Patel College’s Chelsea Mandrigues and Zaid Alkhairi traveled alongside Dr. Thomas Culhane to Amberg, Germany. Here, they presented at the 2026 Economy for the Common Good International Conference (ECGIC). The conference brought together over 150 participants from academia, practice, policy, and civil society to discuss pathways to a more sustainable global economy.
...A theatrical dialogue about cooking energy. Something different from the usual presentation and our audience was right awake...
Katrin Puetz
The event was hosted in collaboration with OTH Amberg-Weiden, the University
of West Bohemia, the Bavarian Centre for Higher Education and Sustainability, and
the International Association for the Economy for the Common Good. Chelsea Mandrigues is a dual master's student at the University of South Florida, graduating in Global Sustainability: Sustainable Business and International Affairs. Her work prioritizes sustainable solutions for post-ecocide recovery, refugee camp
resiliency, and identifying systemic issues that exacerbate environmental, human,
and economic violence. Zaid Alkhairi is a Global Sustainability master's student at the University of South Florida, specializing
in Water Resources Management and Water Sustainability. His work focuses on addressing water scarcity, sustainable water management, and
developing resilient solutions that support communities facing environmental and resource
challenges. Together, they collaborated with Dr. Thomas H. Culhane and Paco Amram to develop a prototype solar water heater for refugee camps using readily sourced
materials that bring dignity, health, and hygiene to those in need.
The conference theme, “Transforming towards a Fair and Sustainable Economy
– Shared Responsibility of Science and Practice,” emphasized collaboration between
researchers and practitioners in addressing global sustainability challenges. Dr.
Thomas Culhane was one of the eight Keystone Speakers at ECGIC 2026 and presented
“Growing up with Community Scale and Home-Made Biogas: Living the 'Vortical Economy.'”
Alongside Culhane was Katrin Puetz, a biogas and clean cooking entrepreneur. Katrin explained the presentation as “....a
theatrical dialogue about cooking energy. Something different from the usual presentation
and our audience was right awake”. Here, the ccCASH was presented (a system focused
on changing the incentive and motivation for sustainable technology adoption).
Patel College’s Chelsea Mandrigues, a socio-economic and environmental advocate, and Zaid Alkhairi, a sustainability student, also had the opportunity to present. Together, they spoke on “Ecocide: A Lens on Sustainability Infrastructure and Rebuilding Within Just Transitions.” A takeaway from Zaid was a reflection on how “The experience gives me a broader look for opportunities to rethink my own research on sustaining human life through an economy based on the common good for people and nature.” When asked what they would want readers to know past the surface level observations, Chelsea and Zaid said “I feel we both can say that our research can change and help rebuild societies and communities affected by not just ecocide, but climate change. It provides a scope on rebuilding with just transitions and reimagining those economies through different perspectives that help rebuild."
The experience at ECGIC 2026 provided our students with a unique opportunity
to engage in global dialogue, contribute to applied research discussions, and collaborate
with international thought leaders. Their participation continues to strengthen the
commitment to advancing sustainability solutions that are justice-centered, interdisciplinary,
and globally informed.