Addressing the chronic emergency of flooding in Northeast Iowa
|
 In light of the massive flooding that Northeast Iowa has experienced this summer and fall,
Kamyar Enshayan, the
director of University of Northern Iowa's Center for Energy and Environmental Education wrote an important piece about the need for change in land management and policy to better adapt Iowa to new environmental conditions. A June 2008 report from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program stated: "One of the clearest trends in the United States observational record is an increasing frequency and intensity of heavy participation events. ... Over the last century there was a 50 percent increase in the frequency of the days with precipitation over four inches in the upper Midwestern U.S." He cites that a changing climate, a degraded landscape, and weak floodplain management are the root drivers that continue to put Iowa in this chronic emergency. Luther suffered water damage to lower campus and athletic facilities, and has been advised by FEMA to raise the levees on campus, a project that is expected to be completed by fall 2017. The Center for Sustainable Communities supports land management practices that better prepare our landscape for major flooding events. Read Enshayan's full article and learn more about Luther's efforts to make campus more responsive to climate change.
|
 |
Audits shed light on Luther's waste stream habits and effectiveness of infrastructure
|
In order to better understand
Luther's waste stream and the material our
campus takes to the Winneshiek County Landfill, Zero Waste Educators Liam Fraser '18 and Megan Oliver '19 are leading waste audits this fall in all academic buildings and residence halls. Data is collected by sorting divertible waste from "true trash" and then weighing each stream: paper, plastics & metals, organics, and landfill. With these data, they assess how the current infrastructure is impacting Luther's waste stream. 4-Compartment Bins reduced the amount of divertible items from entering the waste stream by about 25% between Fall of 2015 and Spring of 2016. Our waste educators would like to encourage you to continue utilizing the four compartment bins located in the CFA, Koren, Olin, Valders, Sampson-Hoffland, Regents Center, Union-Main Lobby, and Marty's. Read more about the other waste-reduction strategies Luther has implemented.
|
Plant Giveaway Day distributes over 250 plants to students, faculty and staff
|
 The annual Plant Giveaway Event on September 28th provided over 250 students, faculty and staff with greenery for their room or office. Started in 2010 by Grounds Maintenance Staff Member Perry Halse, the Plant Giveaway Day has been an annual favorite by many. After the addition of a research greenhouse in Sampson Hoffland Laboratories, the grounds staff inherited the Valders Hall of Science greenhouse and Halse began growing infant plants sourced from campus grounds for students to have in their residence halls. Thanks to the Luther College Grounds Crew and and everyone who stopped by for a plant! Read more about the event in the article from CHIPS. |
| Stay connected with us through Snapchat! |
 The Center for Sustainable Communities is now on Snapchat! Follow us to get daily updates of what is being harvested in the college gardens, recycling and composting tips, and other cool things going on around campus! Scan the image to the left to add us or look us up under the name "sustainluther" and snap us pictures of the cool things you are doing to be more sustainable! |
Have you thought about how you are getting home or to your destination for Fall Break?
The Center for Sustainable Communities offers two great services that can help cut down on the number of cars on the road. The Luther College Ridesharing Facebook group allows you to post if you need a ride, or if you are looking to carpool with others. In addition, you can purchase a ticket on the Luther College shuttle bus that takes students to various locations in the Upper Midwest at the beginning and end of each break.
|
The Center for Sustainable Communities is always looking for ways to improve our publications and incorporate more information for our stakeholders. If you have any questions, concerns, general comments, or story ideas for future newsletters, please email sustainability@luther.edu at any time. Thank you!
|
This newsletter is provided by the Center for Sustainable Communities, which coordinates all sustainability initiatives at Luther College. The mission of the Center is to promote sustainability and be a catalyst for change on campus and in the region. For more information on sustainability initiatives at Luther and the outreach work of the Center for Sustainable Communities, please visit:
www.luther.edu/sustainability.
|
|
|
|
Friday, October 14th
Shopping Shuttle
11am Student Organizational Suite
|
|
Tuesday, October 18th
Wild Utah: America's Red Rock Wilderness
7pm T-Bocks Bar and Grill
|
|
Friday, October 28th
Squash Fest 2016
3pm-6pm Luther College Gardens
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Maren Beard
Assistant Director for the Center for Sustainable Communities
|
|
As the Assistant Director for Campus Sustainability, Maren coordinates initiatives related to all aspects of sustainability on the Luther College campus. Maren's favorite part of her job is having the opportunity to work on energy, waste, food, transportation, equity and other issues with talented and dedicated staff from across campus. She also works to promote sustainability programming within Residence Life and oversees marketing and communication projects for the Center for Sustainable Communities. Maren serves as chair of the Food, Purchasing and Waste Task Group at Luther and as a board member for the Iowa Food Hub and Oneota Community Food Coop. She holds a M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems from Green Mountain College.
|
|
Regional Community Development Specialist - University of Missouri Extension
University of Missouri Extension seeks a community development regional specialist to work with communities in primarily six counties in East Central Missouri south of St. Louis.
Read more
|
Pathfinders RC&D is seeking a motivated individual to join our dynamic team as a Project Director/Community Development Specialist.
Read more
|
|
|
|
