Applications for the fall 2017 First Year Immersion Experience program are now open to current freshman, sophomore and junior students who will be on campus next fall. The Center for Sustainable Communities offers first year students the opportunity to come to campus early for a one- week outdoor immersion experience. Student leaders are encouraged to apply to develop  leadership and outdoor skills, as well as meet and grow with like-minded, fun-loving people! I f selected, leaders will attend mandatory training during 2017 spring semester. The training includes, but is not limited to: group dynamics and strengths, leadership and decision making, outdoor skills, Wilderness First Aid training and certification, CPR training and certification, and a practice campout for a weekend. All applications are due by November 29th. Read more about the program on the Immersion Experience webpage, or contact Emily Neal with any questions. 

To help promote the use of bicycles as an alternative form of transportation, the Center for Sustainable Communities will be offering free winter bike storage for all students and staff. Bicycles will be placed in secure, dry storage in the Ashmore-Jewell Barn (the red barn next to Baker Village.) The bikes will be locked together and placed in storage by college personnel. Students are asked to drop off their bikes Thursday, November 17th or Friday, November 18th from 3-6pm at the Ashmore-Jewell Barn. All bikes placed in storage must be registered. Students can register bikes when placing them in storage, or in advance through Luther's bike transportation webpage. All who choose to store their bikes will receive an e-mail notification of the exact days for bike retrieval in the spring. If you have any questions about bike registration or storage, please contact Sustainable Transportation Educator Sean McKenzie. 

On Friday, November 4, 2016, Luther College's Cafeteria to Community program celebrated its third birthday. A student-initiated project that was started in 2013, Cafeteria to Community allows student and community volunteers to help pack up excess food from the Luther College Cafeteria and deliver it to the First Lutheran Food Pantry in downtown Decorah. Since the beginning of the program in 2013, over  30,000 pounds of food have been donated, and the program has involved over 750 volunteers. The Center for Sustainable Communities would like to thank the Luther College Dining Services, First Lutheran Church and all of the volunteers for making this partnership possible and making Cafeteria to Community a successful program. Learn more about the program and sign up to volunteer at the Cafeteria to Community webpage. 

On Friday, October 28th, the Luther College Gardens hosted SquashFest 2016, an  event intended to get students out to the college farm and celebrate the recent squash harvest. Nearly 40 people attended the event, and partook in squash painting, rutabaga bowling, garden tours, and sampling of Luther- grown squash chips and squash cake. See you all next year!