Blend, Bag, and Goodbye

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The semester is coming to a close, and the Eco-Reps are finishing up their duties. The Eco-Reps are emptying and turning in their compost bins, recycling plastic bags, and encouraging students to be sustainable as they move out (by using Campus Wall!). As a thank-you, CSE hosted a luncheon at Gaia for the Eco-Reps. If you’ve never been to Gaia, I highly recommend checking it out!

I am certainly going to miss the Eco-Reps. Working with them has been a pleasure – this current group has been creative, enthusiastic, and hard-working. Many of these wonderful Eco-Reps are leaving next semester, due to graduation, study abroad, and other internship positions. Luckily, we have a new group of Eco-Reps for next year!

A number of successful events have been held this semester, and 161 students attended Eco-Rep events… until last Saturday!

This past Saturday, the Eco-Reps were lucky enough to be invited to participate in the Upper Class Quads Block Party. The Upper Quads provided food, music, games, and prizes for everyone. A few Eco-Reps decided to not only tell people about sustainability, but showed people how fun being sustainable can be.

The Eco-Reps were excited to show off the bike blenders

Two of the bike blenders were brought to the event and were a huge success. Handlebar volunteers built these bikes so that the rear wheel directly connects to the blender – no electric generators are needed, just a rider! The incredible thing is that these two blenders make smoothies much more quickly than a standard blender that is plugged into an outlet, meaning we can make a smoothie in less than a minute!

Bike blending is the best way to make a smoothie!

Students lined up to blend their own smoothies, and many came back for seconds. Over 50 smoothies were made! The finished smoothies were either poured into students’ reusable cups, or were poured into compostable cups (we brought the compost bin from DW so that it was easy to compost).

Bike powered smoothies are the best!

The Eco-Reps also brought three plastic bag floor pillows to raffle off to students. These pillows were made by the Eco-Reps, by sewing together old Admissions Office banners and stuffing them with the plastic bags that are put in the plastic bag recycling bins, located in the HUB and residence halls.

After testing the floor pillows, students claimed that they were “the softest pillow ever” and “better than TemperPedic.” One student even exclaimed that his “butt has never been so happy!”

The winners of the raffle skipped and ran to claim their prizes, while other students asked if the Eco-Reps would make more of these luxurious pillows for students (the answer is yes!).

Two lucky winners pose with their prizes

The Eco-Reps could not have asked for a better event to end the semester with!

A Greener Dorm Move Out

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Now for something completely new… the Eco-Reps Blog has its very own guest post! Jakob Barry from Networx.com wrote this post about how to move out of a residence hall in a more eco-friendly fashion, just in time for the end of the year. When moving out, remember that Dickinson recycles all glass, metal, paper, cardboard, and plastics #1-7 in single-stream recycling bins, meaning there is no need to sort your recycling.

Dickinson is also now utilizing Campus Wall. Here, students, faculty, and staff can sell or exchange goods, such as textbooks, clothing, and furniture (among other things). Only people with an @dickinson.edu email address are able to access Dickinson’s Campus Wall, meaning it is a safer, faster, and easier alternative to other websites. Check it out!

Check out Campus Wall!

And here is our guest blog post!

 

A Greener Dorm Move Out – Jakob Barry

In some ways moving out of the dorms can create bigger issues for the environment than moving in. That’s because rather than setting things up, it’s a process of taking apart – and in many cases discarding – belongings.

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When thousands of students are doing this simultaneously the waste levels involved can be huge.

That’s why in order to make the process more eco-friendly, it’s important for students to consider some of the ways they can impact their setting less when moving out.

Textbooks
Let’s start with textbooks. Chances are there are a few of these that students might keep because of interest, or to use as a reference down the road. On the other hand it’s likely there are a number of others that will never be opened again. They served their purpose, and with the semester over there’s no need to hold on to them.

Green solutions: These could be sold back to distributors or to students needing them the following year. Don’t discount the fact that even if they are being discontinued at your school the subject may be common enough that schools in nearby districts such as Philadelphia may want them. If none of these pan out the recycling bin is a proper final resting place.

Furniture
Students sometimes add a few extra pieces of furniture to a dorm room to give it their own personal feel. The problem is when it’s time to move out, they often have no means of transporting these items back home or aren’t interested in them anymore. Putting them out with the trash is wasteful because even if the hope is for someone to pick them up, the trash truck may get there first.

Green solutions: Storing them along with other belongings that may be needed the following year is one option. Another is selling them via social media sites or listing them as free, but you’ll need to do so early so that there’s enough time before move out day to settle offers. Alternatively, if there are enough students with furnishings a collective yard sale could be scheduled before school is out and anything left would be donated to Goodwill.

Packing
Although moving into the dorms is somewhat like moving into an apartment, chances are the average student doesn’t bring all their belongings with them from home. Nevertheless, some students – like those studying art or photography – may have extra supplies and equipment to haul away requiring more than just a suitcase.

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Green solutions: In place of buying boxes, start collecting them from around campus or local businesses. When packing, instead of purchasing extra materials for protecting breakables, utilize clothing or repurpose newspaper and magazines by crumpling them up to keep things intact.

Cleaners
Dorm rooms can get quite filthy over the course of a few months, but not every dorm administration requires students to clean them thoroughly prior to vacating. Still, there is something about wiping them down as a courtesy before leaving.

Green solutions: Use eco-friendly cleansers or research how to make your own from common substances like baking soda and vinegar. Just remember to keep the area well ventilated as even greener cleaning supplies can cause some intoxicating fumes.

Transportation
Finally, it wouldn’t be a move out day if students weren’t leaving the area – which means there needs to be some form of transportation taking them home.

Green solutions: Plan ahead to see where students are returning to, and if there are enough going to one point hire a bus. Buses can seat up to fifty people and everyone’s belongings can be stuffed underneath the coach. If it works out, that’s potentially fifty less cars on the road lowering pollution that day.

Jakob Barry is a green living journalist for Networx.com. Networx.com helps homeowners save time, money and frustration by connecting them with home improvement professionals. From plumbers and roofers to remodeling contractors and handymen, Networx simplifies the process of locating a reliable professional.

Calling All Eco-Warriors!

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The end of the year is quickly approaching, and that means that CSE is looking for new and improved Eco-Reps! Sadly, many of our current Eco-Reps are either graduating or going abroad next semester, and their positions now need to be filled! Applications are due April 12th, so make sure to get them started! Applications are found here!

The Eco-Reps Program is perfect for those of you who want to be more involved with sustainability, but may not have large amounts of time to dedicate towards a class, research, or an internship. Or maybe you are just super-passionate about educating your peers about sustainable living!

Eco-Reps spend around three hours a week doing various things for the program. All Eco-Reps are assigned to a residence hall (the larger residence halls have two or three Eco-Reps each), and are expected to maintain the compost bin, keep their bulletin board up to date, post signs in the building pertaining to lectures and other information, and communicate with their residents.

All Eco-Reps host one event each semester (with a small budget) – there have been energy challenges, ice cream socials, movie screenings, dance parties, grilled cheese nights, sushi parties, games, and more!

The Eco-Reps also meet once every other week, in order to catch up on what everyone is doing with their residents, discuss and solve problems, propose ideas, and to hear about other sustainability-related happenings on campus.

In addition to the residence hall Eco-Reps, CSE is also looking for a Compost Coordinator, Plastic Bag Coordinator, and an Eco-Rep for Special Interest Housing. If you would like to be considered for any of these, please indicate that on your application!

You get to work in this amazing building! It’s all new and shiny!

So apply now! Applications are due on April 12th. You can find the applications on the CSE website here, or you can just fill out this form and send it back to  sustainability at dickinson.edu by April 12th.

And if you want to be more involved with the Center for Sustainability Education, you may want to consider applying for one of the CSE Internships! There are a couple positions opening up, including my position as the Eco-Warrior Princess (that’s not really my title…) – don’t worry, I’ll still be working for CSE!

The CSE interns are in a 10 hour/week (paid) position. In addition to working in their respective positions, interns also collaborate with each other on large projects, some of which is done at weekly meetings. CSE interns also have get to work in and have 24/7 access to the CSE library and intern office (which is not only beautiful, but also the perfect place to study!). And, of course, interns get to work with some pretty awesome people.

To apply, just fill out the same application as above (also found here).

To learn more about each position, you can read the position descriptions here.

Also, you should watch this amazing video one of the interns made, which explains how awesome CSE internships are!

To know if being an Eco-Rep is right for you, answer the following questions:

  1. Have you ever taken a class on sustainability and LOVED it?
  2. Do you often find yourself walking a different way through your residence hall so you can pass a light switch and turn it off?
  3. Do you want to be able to educate people about sustainability?
  4. Have you ever taken a recyclable out of the trash and relocated it to the recycling bin?
  5. Do you use any power strips in your room?
  6. Have you ever (even once) timed your shower?
  7. Do you feel the need to attend as many sustainability lectures as possible?
  8. Do you own a reusable water bottle? (Or two. Or three…)

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you may have what it takes to be an Eco-Rep!

It’s the Green Devil!

Dirt!

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The Eco-Reps will be hosting the movie Dirt! at 7:00pm this Thursday, March 28th in Denny 317

This week, the Eco-Reps are hosting the movie Dirt!,  which is all about… dirt!

There will be a special treat at the movie!

How is dirt both a non-renewable resource and polluter AND our most valuable source of fertility?

Without dirt, we would not have clothes, food, or shelters. The top layer of dirt (the humus layer) is comprised of living organisms including bacteria, fungi, algae, small vertebrates, arthropods, and insects; billions of organisms reside in a single teaspoon of soil.

The most well known dirt-related organism is probably the Earthworm. Over 1.4 million Earthworms can be found in a single acre of cropland, and 15 tons of soil pass through a single Earthworm annually.

Worms!

Dirt is considered to be a non-renewable resource. It takes more than 500 years to naturally produce 1 inch of topsoil. Rocks must be weathered down by wind, rain, and freeze/thaw cycles. Then, microorganisms must break down organic material. Sadly, the world has lost over a third of its topsoil in the past decade alone.

Topsoil is extremely important – and not just for growing plants. 10% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions are stored in topsoil, along with 2,200 tons of water per acre. The ability to hold such water reduces the risk of floods. Pollutants decrease the soil’s ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere, hold clean water, and produce vegetation. Soil pollutants include pesticides and fertilizers used by farmers.

Over-farming has destroyed much of the remaining topsoil. In the United States, croplands lose over three billion tons of topsoil every year (making agriculture the single largest non-point polluter). In addition, farmers use over 300 different types of pesticides on the foods we eat, and much of these end up in the soil. These chemicals, industrialized farming, and the non-use of crop rotation has killed the soil. Infertile soil has lead to the suicides of over 200,000 farmers in rural India in the past decade (with their weapon of choice – ironically – being ingestion of pesticides).

Agriculture not only pollutes topsoil with pesticides and fertilizers, but increases the rate of erosion

But never fear! There are many ways to maintain and revitalize the soil, ranging from new agricultural practices to composting. Over half of the trash an American family throws away each year (about 1,200 lbs) is material that could be composted.

Sometimes, it takes people a while to figure out what type of composting works best for them, especially if they live in a more urban environment. Worms are often used, although they are much more successful on a larger scale than in a home environment.

Here at Dickinson, though, composting is easy! Food waste from Dining Services is all collected, ground up, and taken to the Dickinson College Farm on a daily basis. Over 800 pounds of food is taken to the Farm each day. There is also composting in the residence halls and some Special Interest Housing. The Eco-Reps maintain the compost bins, and empty them weekly into larger bins that are also taken to the farm.

New Bins!

A lot of different materials can be composted – but there are some general rules for composting in your residence hall:

  1. Any and all produce (fruits and vegetables) can and should be composted
  2. Meat, dairy, and eggs should not be composted in the residence halls (they start to smell)
  3. Any wood products, such as napkins, coffee stirrers, or egg cartons can be composted
  4. Coffee and tea (with the filters/bags!) are excellent for compost
  5. Dryer lint and eggshells can also be composted
  6. Anything that is non-natural (metal, wax, plastic, glass, Styrofoam  etc) should not be put into the compost

To learn more about dirt and compost, come to a showing of the movie Dirt!, hosted by some of the Eco-Reps. There will be some delicious dirt cups – just like you remember from when you were little! Come talk to your Eco-Reps, watch a fabulous movie, and have some yummy snacks!

Dirt cups will be served at the movie on Thursday!

Join the Eco-Reps in Denny 317 at 7:00pm this Thursday, March 28th. We hope to see you there!

For more information, contact  murphmar at dickinson.edu

 

Hit the Lights!

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Conserving energy is very cool! At least that’s what these students at Clemson University thought… Check out their energy conservation rap!

You’re Invisible To Me

Remember that there is an Energy Conservation Campaign during the month of March. Dickinson will “Go All Out” on Friday nights – lights will be turned off, computers will be powered down, and more. On March 23rd, there will be a bonfire on Morgan Field to celebrate Earth Hour. Make sure to stop by to say hi to the Eco-Reps!

Earth Hour will be celebrated on March 23rd at 8:30pm around the globe

Turning the lights off not only conserves electricity, but cuts down on light pollution, a problem that we rarely think about. Lights can affect our circadian rhythms (our body’s natural clock), and there are even connections between artificial lights and breast cancer. This summer, Paris will start dimming streetlights, in an attempt to cut back on light pollution. You can read more about it here.

 

Paris will be dimming the lights this summer

Make sure that you are conserving energy during break! Be sure to power down and unplug your electronics (or utilize your power strips), and turn off the lights before you leave.

Upcycle the Bags!

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You may have noticed a new box in your dorm – one for plastic bag recycling!

Plastic bags are made of polyethylene – a crude oil and natural gas product. This means that the production of plastic bags has a HUGE carbon footprint. Over 12 million barrels of oil is used each year to produce plastic bags… which adds up to around 5.2 metric tons of CO2 annually!

But carbon emissions aren’t the only problem with plastic bags. Unlike most materials, plastic bags do NOT biodegrade. Instead, they undergo a phenomenon called photodegredation. When polyethylene reacts with light, it begins to break down into toxic particles called biotoxins. Not only do these toxins contaminate the soil and waterways (forming a toxic “Plastic Soup“), but they attract and bind to other toxins. Plants then absorb these biotoxins, and eventually animals will ingest them.

Bags in the ocean create a toxic “plastic soup”

While humans can pick up plastic bag trash, it is not possible to clean up the biotoxins that have already formed.

Billions of animals die each year from ingesting plastic bags; many mistake the bags for jellyfish

Another serious issue with plastic bags is the ingestion of this waste by animals. More than 1 billion sea birds and mammals die each year from the accidental ingestion of plastic bags, and even more die from entanglement. Floating plastic bags bear a striking resemblance to jellyfish. Whales, turtles, dolphins, birds, and fish who prey on jellyfish can mistake bags for their food, and subsequently die a slow and painful death. Land animals die and obtain wounds from plastic bags too. This has huge environmental, economic, and human impacts.

Lucky the Platypus was rescued in Tasmania after a plastic bag became wrapped around his body and cut deep into his skin. Thankfully, after treatment and recuperation, Lucky was released back into the wild.

Pete the Pelican was found dead after consuming 17 plastic bags, most likely mistaking them for jellyfish. he now greets visitors to Kiama, Australia, and warns of the dangers of plastic pollution.

One of the most visible affects of plastic pollution (including plastic bags) is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Due to wind and ocean currents, as well as the Earth’s rotation, garbage and other debris collects in certain areas of the ocean. Contrary to popular belief, this is not an island of trash; most of the debris is microplastics – small pieces of plastic. Plastics make up the majority of these garbage patches, and scientists have determined that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains 1.9 million plastic particles per square mile. Plastic biotoxins outnumber plankton by a factor of 6 to 1. The scary part is that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not the only place that massive amounts of plastic are found in the oceans. Scientists believe there are at least five of these plastic masses. Unfortunately, because most of the debris is just particulate, cleaning up the waste is currently impossible.

Much of the larger plastic from these garbage patches washes to shore, in what some call the Great Plastic Tide. While difficult to watch, everyone should take a few minutes to view this video on the effects of plastics that have washed to shore. The plastic also encroaches on people’s homes and lives.

The Great Plastic Tide impacts humans as well as the environment

But don’t despair! You can help with this crisis by recycling your plastics! You can recycle most of your plastics, glass, aluminum, and paper products in the single-stream recycling at Dickinson. It is important to note, though, that plastic bags CAN NOT be put in the single-stream recycling! Due to the mechanics of the machinery that sorts the recycling, plastic bags can get caught in conveyor belts and gears, causing jams and damage.

Fortunately, Dickinson College and the Eco-Reps have found a solution to this problem. Plastic bags can be recycled in all residence halls, or can be brought to the HUB. From there, CSE takes the bags to Giant, who then sends the bags to TREX, a decking company. TREX presses the bags into plastic lumber – some of which is used to make park benches, like the one outside of CSE and DPS.

Plastic bags are made into plastic lumber, which can then make park benches like these!

The Eco-Reps Meet the RAs

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This past Tuesday evening, the Eco-Reps were lucky enough to be asked to participate in the Resident Adviser training. 25 Eco-Reps attended the meeting, which focused on the Energy Conservation Campaign that will occur in March throughout the residences. The Eco-Reps were able to get to know the RAs in their assigned residence halls, and work together on how to carry out this campaign.

The purpose of the Energy Conservation Campaign is to increase awareness and action of sustainable living practices through educational events and campaigns in the residence halls.

Energy Challenge logo

In 2011, Dickinson used 18,100,614 kWh of electricity – which added up to a $1.7 million electricity bill.

This year, Dickinson will “Go All Out” on Friday nights in March – students will be powering down computers and turning off lights in unoccupied areas. Then, on March 23, there will be a bonfire on Morgan Field at 8:30pm to celebrate Earth Hour. Other activities for that evening will include acoustic music and glow-in-the-dark Frisbee. Students, faculty, and staff will be encouraged to turn off their lights and electronics before joining in the festivities.

To learn more about Dickinson’s 2013 Energy Conservation Campaign, check out the link below! This is the presentation used by Lindsey Lyons on 2/12/13 if anyone needs any info from it!

Energy Conservation Campaign

 

 

Drumroll Please!

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I present to you the Spring 2013 Eco-Reps!

This semester we have our largest group of Eco-Reps ever – 18 returning and 10 new, including a whopping 4 first year students! Check out the 2012 – 2013 Eco-Reps to see who is the Eco-Rep in your residence hall.

For those of you who may not know the role of the Eco-Rep program, it is a group of students who serve as a liaison between the Center for Sustainability Education (CSE) and the student body. These students promote sustainable living behaviors, including composting, decreasing energy and water usage, and reducing waste. Check out our Prezi on the What Is An Eco-Rep? page!

This semester, our focus will be on ENERGY CONSERVATION. March is energy-awareness month on campus… so keep an eye out for any Eco-Reps running around campus shutting down computers and turning lights out on Friday evenings (don’t worry, we feed them)! The Eco-Reps will be able to advise you on ways to cut back on energy usage – utilizing power strips, shutting down your laptop at night, turning down the heat, and (of course) turning off the lights.

This semester, we will be focusing on energy!

But don’t think that energy will be our only focus this semester! The compost bins are back in all of the residence halls, so you can resume turning your organic wastes into nutrient-rich soil for the farm (check out this sweet Dickinson College composting video). There are also boxes in your residential halls for plastic bag recycling – these get turned into park benches (like the one outside DPS). And if you want to know about the new surcharge on water bottles, the goals of Take Back the Tap, or where you can fill up your sweet reusable water bottle (right here!), don’t hesitate to ask your Eco-Rep.

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Ready… Set… COMPOST!

These Eco-Reps are ready to rumble. They are all enthusiastic, friendly, and have some pretty interesting personalities. Some things that we learned at Eco-Rep training on Sunday:

If Sam Bogan could sneeze anything other than snot, it would be the flying fairy dust from Peter Pan.

Amber McGarvey has a pretty awesome duck call.

Emily Blau had the opportunity to use the pickup line “you can put a bun in my oven” on a real baker.

Lindsey Lyons (Assistant Director of CSE) once had to pull a pair of pants out of a compost tumbler on campus.

Steve Finley has some sweet dance moves.

Vanessa Ceja-Cervantes thinks that French accents are sexy.

Illana Unger has always wanted to go to Hawaii.

I am pumped to work with the Eco-Reps this semester. They are a really impressive group of people who want to make a difference on campus. I can’t wait to see what we can do!

End of the Semester…Womp Womp

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It’s getting down to the wire, and the Eco-Reps are wrapping things up! In my opinion we have had a rocking semester.  The average number of people at an Eco-Rep event this semester: 25! I’m pretty sure that is doubled from last year.  Way to go Eco-Reps you should be proud.  I was impressed with all of the creative event ideas, and the effort that everyone put in to making this semster awesome.  From Campus Sustainability Day down to the residental hall events, you guys have given your best and it shows! Thanks a bunch!

Today is our end of semester/holiday party at Gaia.  If you have never been to Gaia you should check it out, it is absolutely scrumptious.  I will be giving out awards for the most compost, most detailed audits ect.  It should be good.  It’s a really nice way for everyone to hang out for an hour outside of meeting times and eat some delicious food. I’m pumped.

 

Wanted: Eco-Reps for Spring 2013

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The fall semester is winding down, and for many of us that means that we won’t be coming back to Dickinson in the spring but going on exciting adventures abroad instead! While this is very exciting for those of us going abroad (yep myself included), it also means that we need to find someone to fill our shoes.  Not only do we need new Eco-Reps but we also need a new Eco-Rep supervisor as well!

So if you are interested in becoming a sustainability leader on campus, but don’t have 10 hours a week to put in to being a sustainability intern, consider ECO-REPS!! The Eco-Rep program allows you to spend a few hours a week working with other students on sustainability initiatives as they relate specifically to the residence halls.  Each Eco-Rep is responsible for a residence hall (in the larger ones, multiple Eco-Reps might share one residence hall).  They are responsible for maintaining the compost, their Eco-Reps bulletin board, as well as informing the community through events and outreach about the program and sustainability at Dickinson in general.  We have meetings once a week, and its a time for everyone to catch up with their fellow Eco-Reps about progress, as well as plan events and solve problems that they see in their residence halls.

I should also mention that we will also be hiring a few interns for the spring semester.  If there are any interested Eco-Reps who might want to take on one of these internships, specifically “Leader of the Eco-Reps”, than they should apply!

The application for both internship and Eco-Rep can be found on the CSE webpage.
They are due at 5:00 pm on November 27.