It's always fascinating to see the parallels between natural and social systems. Those familiar with ecology or business management (or both) are familiar with the concept of a niche, the specialized place within a larger system that an individual inhabits. To vastly over-simplify the concept, when resources are scarce, an individual must adapt to fill a role that none other does. As a result, the system overall is incredibly resilient.

One way of branding this phenomena is "survival of the fittest" - the best suited thrive, and those that aren't fail. But I prefer to think of it as more of team sport, with every individual able to mold and improve itself to find the best way to support the overall goal. In the world of non-profits and altruistic work, this is especially true. So many groups want to see similar end-results, and in a world of finite resources (i.e. funding), we all have to figure out how to be the most effective we can be without overlapping and competing in unhelpful ways. We all have to know our niche.

So what is the EC's niche? In my opinion, it's our passionate students. We exist to give them the experience and opportunities to create positive change. They work on some awesome projects while they're with us, and then when they graduate and move on we know they will continue to make a positive impact on the world. There are so many incredible environmental and sustainability related organizations out there; it's both inspiring and humbling. Every dollar going to any of them is a win for the overall movement. But if you like the sound of our niche, if you believe in helping FLC students strengthen their commitment to creating a more environmentally and socially responsible world, then we certainly appreciate your support and donation on CO gives day!

For many EC Members, the highlight of the semester was our Fall Retreat. We celebrated Public Lands Day on September 26th by planting trees in a wildfire burn area on Missionary Ridge- partnering with Mountain Studies Institute and the US Forest Service.

This year, our Annual FLC Sustainability Summit went virtual. We engaged the Durango sustainability community in a talk and lively discussion about connections between the climate crisis, racism, and the pandemic. Check the Sustainability Summit page on the EC website to participate in "Virtual Tabling" and find out how to get involved with our community partners! 

Our Growing Spaces Stewards for the 2020 season, Sienna Schulte (entire Season), Maura Benton (Early Fall) and Luke Antonia (Late Fall), hosted 16 FLC volunteer workdays in the Food Forest and Campus Garden this fall. With your help, we grew $1400 worth of fruit and veggies, which were sold to Campus Dining, the Grub Hub, and shared with volunteers. The beds are cover-cropped and the perennials are dormant. We'll begin work in these spaces again after spring break- can't wait for you to join us!

Did you know that FLC's campus has over a dozen fruit trees? This fruit normally goes uneaten, except for the wildlife it attracts to campus. Hannah and Donald led our gleaning efforts with 3 member gleans and 2 class gleans. While a lot of these plums, pears, and apples were taken home by volunteers, the majority of these apples were distributed to students through Grub Hub (630 lbs) or given to local farmers as a sustainable food source for pigs (930 lbs).

Jade is leading our project to calculate current percentages of Real Food served in the dining hall! We'll announce our progress towards 20% REAL food next spring!

Our Harvest Jubilee was a final garden workday celebration to plant cover crop, clean up irrigation, and say thank-you for the season. The Sustainable Food team took on the challenge of providing thank-you gifts for volunteers made of preserved, dried, dehydrated and canned foods from our food forest and garden.

Blake and Sasha offered an incredible service to FLC student renters by offering free energy and water saving equipment kits. The roots of this project go back almost a year when Blake put together a proposal and secured a major donation from LPEA, and the project has persevered through several pandemic event setbacks. Sasha joined Blake this semester to put together some beautiful and informative info pamphlets. This year they braved the cold by offering the kits to students in an outdoor drive-through, and they are excited to give away even more next semester!

What do you do when students can't come browse free donated items in person? Switch to an online catalogue! Bianca, with the help of Kateri and Madeline , did an amazing job switching the free store to a pandemic-friendly format this year. Despite challenges we were still able to keep lots of useful items out of the landfill and into the hands of people who need them - including getting some much-needed items to our local homeless shelter.

Colleen and Brenden have been rockin' it with compost this past year (get it? because the composter is called the Rocket...haha)! Food waste from the kitchen is all composted through this process that is running so smoothly it makes other colleges like Western State jealous. It's also been a great way to get other students involved - Kateri, Trevor, and several FLC classes have all helped sift and shovel our lovely piles.

Ellis and Nova led a community trail clean-up in Horse Gulch in October. As you may know, trail use has seen an enormous increase during the pandemic. Increased use means increased environmental impacts. This was a wonderful way to get outside with friends and give back to these places that have provided us so much during our times of social distancing.

The pandemic has been especially challenging due to the increase in disposable and single-use items. We all hated to see mountains of disposable meal boxes everywhere. But these challenges make our work this semester that much more important! Molly led the charge on investigating how to most effectively get students to participate in the re-usable Green Box program, and Trevor performed trash and recycling assessments around campus to uncover the biggest issues. Crucial information like this helps our campus find the most effective way to reduce our waste and environmental impact!

Luke assisted Mountain Studies Institute with fall field classes at big picture high school, and led some educational programming brainstorming sessions with fellow EC members. He is currently working on high-school level programming on climate change and snow science.

Wyatt led a xeriscape landscape cleanup in early November by Animas Hall. We'll be planning more xeriscape and native landscape stewardship on campus during spring semester.

Sera worked hard to set up some dates with San Juan Mountains Association to work with a ranger on local trail cleanup and management- much needed after increased visitor traffic this summer. Unfortunately, COVID thwarted this project, but we're looking forward to getting our boots on the ground in the Spring.

Any troubles signing up? Email EC Coordinator, Marty Pool, for help at mlpool@gmail.com

Join the Durango Farmers Market for everything you need for your holiday meals and stocking your winter pantry! Vegetables, meat, dairy, honey and fruit as well as beautiful hand crafted local art for holiday gifting. Hot food, drinks and baked goods will be available. Many of your favorite 4 Corners Farmers will be there. Face coverings are required for entry. Vendor booths are at least 6 feet apart for distancing, we will be enforcing one-way foot traffic. Don't forget, they accept Snap and Double Up.

When: Saturday, Dec. 12 from 9 AM to 2 PM

Where: La Plata County Fairgrounds

Visit the Durango Farmers Market webpage for more information.

Holiday shopping can be a lot of pressure. Find the perfect gift, find the deals, get it all done on time. When we're all stuck at home it can be tempting just to use the big corporate options to send a gift, but remember that LOCAL businesses are what make our community shine. This year more than ever they need your support!

Local First has some helpful info on local holiday shopping including some updates for the 2020 Noel Night changes.

Check out their website for more info and local shipping tips!

For more information regarding both of these programs, visit the Old Fort website..

Applications for Incubator and Farmer in Training.

Hey there campus and community organizations! 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 mlpool@fortlewis.edu

The mission of American Rivers is to protect wild rivers, restore damaged rivers and conserve clean water for people and nature. They combine national advocacy with field work in key river basins to deliver the greatest impact. They are practical problem-solvers with positions informed by science. They build partnerships and work closely with local river advocates, business and agriculture interests, recreation groups and others to forge win-win solutions.