Godsey Oyster Press Release

Hampden-Sydney, December 29, 2008 — On Monday, November 10, 2008, Dr. Lund’s Environmental Biology class was visited by former student, Rick Godsey, Class of ’85, who talked with students about business and the environment. Godsey, a biology major and former member of the tennis team, is the CEO of a green printing company, Printegration, and is also an avid oyster cultivator.

During his visit he discussed the benefits of running his business in an environmentally friendly way, as well as the personal satisfaction of helping to maintain the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay. Godsey attributes his enthusiasm towards being environmentally conscious to the life-changing experience he had while on a Hampden-Sydney biology trip to Jamaica.

Godsey’s company, Printegration, is a Richmond-based printing company with a staff of 45 employees. Printegration is part of a growing trend in business that is both profitable and going green. Godsey mentioned a number of things that Printegration does to be more environmentally friendly, such as using recycled paper and biodegradable inks, reducing the usage of toxic chemicals found in waste ink and solvents, as well as educating customers about reducing the environmental impact of a project.

While in the past, traditional printers have used lead letter presses to print, Printegration is moving towards using digital and waterless presses to reduce the amount of energy used. And thanks to new incentives to go green, such as tax benefits for carbon offsetting (reducing carbon emissions), Printegration is going strong.

Godsey’s other passion is oyster farming. At his home on the Chesapeake Bay, he cultivates thousands of oysters in cages that can hold up to 2,000 oysters each. This is environmentally helpful, because oysters are natural filters (one oyster can filter up to 50-60 gallons of water a day), removing nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorous from the Chesapeake, making the water more permeable to sunshine and increasing plant growth.

However, the Chesapeake Bay has suffered great losses to its oyster population. While in the 1880s, the Chesapeake could be filtered in days by oysters, in modern times an equivalent amount of filtration would take years. This, according to Godsey, is why oyster farming is more important than ever. With an increase in the oyster population, marine life in the Chesapeake could rebound.

Godsey’s enthusiasm for helping the environment was clearly apparent to the students of Dr. Lund’s Environmental Biology class. His success in his business is a testament to the sustainability of a new environmentally conscious economy, as well as the versatility and inspiration to be found in the Hampden-Sydney education.

- Justin K. Shear