SUSTAINABILITY E-NEWSLETTER
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A warm welcome back to campus from your friends at the Center for Sustainable Communities. As we begin this new year together, you are invited to learn more about the exciting sustainability initiatives happening here on campus. There are many opportunities for you to get involved! Feel free to visit the Center for Sustainable Communities in Valders 374! In the office you can find personal compost bins for your dorm rooms, free sustainability stickers, and information about the sustainable energy infrastructure on campus. There are opportunities for you to explore around campus through the Sustainability Scavenger Hunt or the Energy Walking Tour. We are excited for another year together, and be sure to email us at
sustainability@luther.edu
with any questions you may have!
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Endeavor Together off to a great start
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Luther’s pre-orientation program,
Endeavor Together
2018, took place from August 18th to 25th around the Driftless Area and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Thirty student leaders took groups of domestic and international first years (totaling 120 students!) on outdoor adventures, ranging from canoeing the Upper Iowa River to crafting benches. Endeavor Together is an updated version of the beloved pre-orientation program, Immersion. The goal of the Immersion program was to create a sense of community through outdoor adventures; Endeavor Together continues that tradition with the addition of integrating the different cultures of all students into the broader Luther Community. 2018 Endeavor Together participant, Francisco Gonzalez Banos ‘22, states, “Endeavor Together was the glue of my transition to Luther College. This amazing program gave me the huge opportunity to feel as if I were at home since the very first second.” Another participant, Emma Hennek ‘22, also expressed her enthusiasm about her experience in the program, “Endeavor Together was the perfect way to begin my college experience, giving me the chance to connect with nature and with others. I found out things about myself that surprised me, and made lifelong friends. It was one of the most rewarding weeks of my life.” The program was a huge success, and we hope that the students involved will continue to help create a very inclusive and home-like environment at Luther. We hope to continue Endeavor Together in the coming years!
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Move Out 2018: 56% Waste Reduction
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After reaching a 40% reduction in Move Out waste for 2017, Luther has surpassed its waste reduction goal of 50% during the 2018 school year move-out week! This achievement is important because Luther students make up about 12% of Decorah’s population and they account for a massive amount of waste produced at the end of each school year. 1,600 pounds of food were donated to the First Lutheran Food Pantry, and 10 truckloads of donated items made their way to the thrift stores, Spectrum and The Depot, in Decorah. By surpassing this goal of 50% reduction, Luther is reducing a significant amount of waste going to landfills. Keep up the good work, Norse!
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It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
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Attention Luther students, faculty, and staff: Plant Giveaway is coming soon! On September 27th from 9:30am-11:30am, there will be plants prepared for anyone to pick up and enjoy in the Valders Greenhouse. Funded by Wellness, the CSC, and Luther Grounds, the plant giveaway is a great time of year to expand your collection of succulents and other small potted plants. Come early because they go fast! The CSC will also be giving away free personal compost containers and sustainability stickers for everyone to enjoy
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Changes In Plastic Film Recycling
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We are sad to announce that plastic film recycling is discontinued at Luther. This week Facilities Staff removed all of the plastic film bins from buildings on campus. The reason for this change is Winneshiek County Recycling is no longer gathering plastic film due to the shrinking market for the recycled film. Please dispose of your plastic film in the dumpster. However, Walmart still offers exclusively
plastic grocery bag
recycling at their location on Old Stage Road. There are big boxes in either entrance to Walmart where you can drop of plastic grocery bags. We encourage students to collect
just
plastic grocery bags and bring them to Walmart to be recycled.
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If you don’t already know, black coffee costs only $1 at Nordic Brew, Oneota Market, and Sunnyside when it’s poured into your own reusable mug. In addition to cheap coffee, you receive a 50 cent discount on any drink when it is made in a reusable mug. Even better, when you bring your own tea bag and reusable mug, hot water is free! Help reduce disposable cup waste and save the environment while saving money on your drink purchases. These discounts benefit the environment and your wallet!
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Student-Worker Spotlight
Samantha Clements
'19
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Samantha is a senior political science major hailing from Aurora, Illinois. While she has spent much time in and around the Center for Sustainable Communities (she started working here back as a wee little first year on the Recycling/Compost Crew), she still feels like she is learning something new every time she comes to work. Last semester, Sam took a break from Luther and the CSC as she studied in Washington DC through the Lutheran College Washington Semester (LCWS) Program! There, she interned at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) as their communications assistant. Her favorite part about living and working in DC was attending environmental rallies, speeches, protests, and demonstrations with her colleagues and roommates. Now that she is back in Decorah for her final semester at Luther, Sam is returning to work for the CSC as a Sustainability Educator and Communications student worker. Don’t hesitate to ask her any random questions you might have about waste sorting, local food, or CSC sponsored events!
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- Thursday, September 13, Biology Colloquium: Karen Oberhauser, "Monarchs in a Changing World: Conservation of an Iconic Insect" - 7:30pm-8:30pm Valders 206. Karen Oberhauser, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the UW-Madison Arboretum, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI will be presenting a colloquium on the importance of monarch conservation. Read more.
- Tuesday, September 18, Electrifying Everything: Greening the Grid - 7:30am-8:30am TBock's Bar & Grill. Join Winneshiek County's Monthly Energy Forum for breakfast and a discussion on why, how, and when to go electric. If you plan on eating breakfast, you must register by September 14th. Read more.
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The Center for Sustainable Communities is always looking for ways to improve our publications. If you have any questions, concerns, general comments, or story ideas for future newsletters, please email
sustainability@luther.edu
at any time.
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 v
isit:
www.luther.edu/sustainability
.
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