Welcome to the Environmental Center (EC) Digest!
Every two weeks, this little gem of digital media arrives in your inbox full of all things environmental, sustainable, socially responsible, and just plain "green".
Scroll down to check out:
- Environmental Center happenings and chances to get involved
- Community and campus events, initiatives, and opportunities
- Jobs, internships, workshops, and trainings
And of course, our thought-provoking opening thoughts from EC students and staff. Enjoy!
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Future and Purpose
A sense of purpose is an integral part of finding happiness and contentment in one's life. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that all across the world, people's sense of purpose has been shaken. How do we contribute? What do we do with our time? Our money? What do we want to achieve in the short term? The long term?
At the end of each semester during our reflection and feedback meetings with our students, we ask (among many things) what they enjoyed about the past semester. We hear several common themes, but one that always stands out to me is that they enjoy doing something to make a difference. They enjoy contributing. They enjoy work with a purpose.
In this new world where work is labeled "essential" and "non-essential" it can be especially hard to cultivate a sense of purpose. Our students and graduates already grapple with some version of the classic questions: "What do you want to do?" Its an infuriatingly huge question, and ultimately an unhelpful one. I believe a better question is: "How do you want to positively contribute to the world around you?"
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Marty Pool
Environmental Center Coordinator
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***Important COVID-19 (coronavirus) update***
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While this newsletter should not be your go-to resource for COVID-19 updates, we will continue to try our best to reflect updated information for environmental and sustainability happenings and opportunities in our community. To stay completely up to date on the status of anything we reference, we recommend you visit the associated web page, Facebook page, or reach out to any listed contacts directly.
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Environmental Center Happenings
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Events, programs, and ways to help make a difference!
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EC Graduating Senior Shout-Out!
Every semester we have the bittersweet joy of seeing another group of amazing ECers graduate and head off to make positive change in the world. This year includes one of our largest groups ever with seven incredible students. They are not naive about the challenges that lay ahead, but we know their time at the EC has helped prepare them!
- Mahdi Adittya - started at the EC way back in 2016 and has been involved in ton of projects over the years – one highlight is his effort leading our paper reduction research and behavior change campaign which contributed to a paper published by AASHE.
- Maggie Magierski - the team coordinator of our Local Food Security Team, has dedicated herself to the caretaking of our Campus Growing Spaces for the past year and a half, with a particular interest in orchard management and a passion for connecting other students to growing food.
- Ty Peaches - a recent addition to the EC team, brought his friendly energy to support our Zero Waste Team’s work this past semester
- Kiera Poehlmann - joined the Real Food Challenge Team for her last semester of college, and brought an inclusive lens and enthusiasm to her work promoting food access for all students.
- Carsyn Randolph - the Team Coordinator of our Zero Waste Team, brought her incredible work ethic to several waste and food projects over the years, most recently overseeing a year-long campaign to educate students on food waste in our San Juan Dining Hall.
- Becca Reath - one of the Real Food Challenge Team Coordinators, has spent three years working both behind the scenes and leading a team to bring more humane, local, fair and ecologically sound food to Campus Dining.
- Shawna Woody - a member of our Local Food Team for two years, used her biology and natural resources background to contribute to both a community food assessment and conduct a workshop on composting techniques.
CONGRATS to you all - Be sure to come back and visit!
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Community Events and Happenings
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What's Going On at FLC and in Our Local Community
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The LPEA Election is Here! Be Sure to VOTE NOW for a Clean Energy Future!
Do you have an LPEA account for your electricity? Then you are eligible to vote in the Board of Directors elections! The Board sets the overall direction of our electric co-op and ultimately decide what the future of our electricity grid (and associated climate impact) will look like.
Ballots have already been sent to LPEA account holders in the mail, and
must be received back before 4 PM on Fri, May 15, be sure to fill yours out and mail it back or drop it off right away! Haven't received your ballot yet? Call 970.247.5786 today!
Check out these resources for more info:
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The Good Food Collective is updating their Food Resources Guide daily - check it out!
The Good Food Collective's
Food Resource Guide is live now on their website. You can check out nonprofit and institutional ways to get free and reduced cost meals in our region. This guide is live, so please keep in mind that it's information is changing and evolving as more services are verified and hours are changed.
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Community Foundation offers resources for Non-Profits
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Uplift has put together a Southwest Resources Document
To support our community across the greater Southwest, the Uplift Organizing Team has compiled a
COVID-19 Resources for the Southwest document. It includes a list of mutual aid groups in the region and links to helpful resources compiled by organizers across the nation. If you know of a mutual aid network or important resource that is missing, please let them know!
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Durango Natural Foods open with curbside pickup
DNF is still committed to providing people in the Durango/Four Corners area with healthy foods that they can obtain in a safe manner. By supporting them you are supporting local and environmentally conscious food options!
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Jobs, Scholarships, Internships, and more!
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Water Fluency Program from Water Education Colorado
Water Education Colorado’s ever-popular Water Fluency Program, now in its 6th year, is coming to Southwest Colorado this summer, and spots are filling up fast!
June 23-24 in Durango, CO and September 2-3 in Cortez, CO.
This comprehensive program is designed to help professionals, such as city and county staff, local elected officials, and water board members gain water fluency and develop tools to navigate water management and policy issues. The topics covered include Colorado water legal and institutional frameworks; water resource planning and protection; and Colorado's water for the future. Anyone looking to familiarize themselves with Colorado water law, administration, policy and planning is encouraged to attend!
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Farmer Network Coordinator for NMSU
The Coordinator will be based out of Aztec, and work with land owners across San Juan County to create list of available farm land for lease, and pair that land with new farmers and farmers that wish to expand their operation. Successful applicants will have a bachelor’s degree in agriculture or a related field, and have experience in program planning, development, implementation, and have leadership skills. The applicant should be skilled in examining and evaluating operations and developing and operating strategies, systems, and procedures. and have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of individuals and constituencies in a diverse community.
Applications due May 1, 2020.
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Website Development Internship at CDOT
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is hiring interns! The internship provides meaningful professional public administration experience under the Transportation Performance & Asset Management Branch that informs both external and internal customers of the performance of Colorado's multimodal transportation system and the management of transportation assets at CDOT.
Applications due May 4, 2020.
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Be Sure to Share Opportunities with Us!
Understandably, organizations are re-evaluating opportunities for the near future, but we know there's still a lot going on in the environmental and sustainability realms.
We pride the EC Digest in being an excellent resource for students and community members looking for jobs, internships, and other opportunities in this field. We believe in the power of strong social networks to share this important information.
Know of an opportunity? Be sure to email it to the EC Coordinator, Marty Pool at
[email protected]
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News and Inspiration from Our Community and Beyond
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- Many of us are already turning the urgency of the novel coronavirus pandemic into impetus for redefining our relationships with each other and the natural world. (Courtesy of the Center for Biological Diversity)
- A Green Stimulus gives us hope to rebuild our economy in a way that is more socially conscious while prioritizing ecological integrity.
- Milan, Italy a city that has been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak, is using the lockdown as an opportunity to re-work clean commute opportunities for the city as it opens back up
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STAY CONNECTED - Like and Follow the EC!
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