November 27, 2018
SUSTAINABILITY E-NEWSLETTER
Luther Gardens: A Year in Review
After a rocky start of the growing season with a late snow in April, the Luther Gardens managed to grow over 5,000 pounds of produce this year! We started off the season with passing our food safety audit performed by the Iowa Food Hub as part of Group Gap (Good Agricultural Practices). This season, we expanded our markets and sold to Oneota Market, the Caf, and contributed to the Iowa Food Hub's weekly CSA box . From beets to zucchini, the Luther Gardens trailed out melons this year! From the light Sun Jewel melon to the 18 pound yellow watermelon, it was a successful trail! We had over 14 different student workers with shifts lasting from 2-4 hours each, working under Food & Farm Fellow Sarah Forsythe. Thank you to Sarah and all the student workers who spent time weeding, watering, and planting! Thank you to Dining Services for partnering with the Luther Gardens and buying our produce. We can't wait for the 2019 growing season!
Reduce, Reuse, Rewear
Do you have any unwanted clothing items lying around? The Center for Sustainable Communities is hosting a clothing swap ! This is a perfect opportunity to shop your friends’ closets (for FREE!) and get rid of anything you do not want before Winter Break. Willing to participate? Bring your clean, gently used clothes/shoes/accessories to Valders 379 the week of December 3rd through December 6th. On Thursday, December 6th, we will be holding a Kick-off Event to the swap from 7pm-9pm in Valders 379. From then on, the room will be open for swapping from 2pm-4pm December 7th, 10th, and 11th. It is recommended that you come early before the clothes are picked over to update your closets! Any items remaining after December 11th will be donated. Contact sustainability@luther.edu with questions.
Community Discussion about Climate Change
The most recent UN Climate Report does not paint a pretty picture of what the world could look like in the next few years. If we want to change anything, we have to talk about this difficult topic and how to tackle it. Join Decorah community members and leaders on December 5th at 7pm to discuss this latest report. Come to the Lingonberry at 7pm with your hopes and fears for the future - leave after discussion and dialogue with a sense of purpose and knowledge of what to do next. 

Sustainability Tip
The season of gifting is upon us! Try to go zero waste and wrap your gifts in reused or reusable items. Here are four ideas for chic, sustainable giving this season:
  1. Wrap your gifts in fabric- colorful scarves, reusable cloth napkins and dish towels are great way to give two gifts in one!
  2. Reuse your gift bags- save money and the planet by reusing gift bags you already own. Attach a decorative tag to spruce up your holiday gifts
  3. When choosing wrapping paper, opt for recycled paper, or reuse brown paper grocery bags to wrap your gifts- just make sure your wrapping paper scraps get recycled after the holidays!
  4. Give your gifts in reusable containers- glass jars, metal tins and tote bags are great alternatives to wasteful wrapping paper, and give your gift-getter another gift to reuse after the holidays!
Student Spotlight
Anna Lavender '21
Anna Lavender is a sophomore from Galesville, Iowa. She is studying sociology at Luther. Anna does a lot with the Center for Sustainable Communities - she is an Educator and the head of the Baker Energy Monitoring program as well as a Gardener. Anna loves working for the Center because she feels like she learns a lot about living sustainably while connecting with the Luther and Decorah community in a meaningful and productive way. On the side, she also works at Winneshiek County Recycling, and will be taking over the role of Student Coordinator of Luther’s Recycling and Compost next semester!
Sustainability Events
  • Wednesday, December 5th, Climate Change Community Meeting: 7pm-9pm, Lingonberry. Learn and discuss climate change issues with Decorah community members. Read more.
  • Thursday, December 6th, Clothing Swap Kick-off Event: 7pm-9pm, Valders 379. Want to shop your friends' closets? Bring clothes you no longer want, and leave with free, new-to-you clothing. Read more.
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 .
Center for Sustainable Communities | sustainability@luther.edu |