Servin' it Up

COMPOST revival

2008-11-14T10:25:00.006-05:00

Hey folks,
Composting has many benefits both locally and globally. On a national level it has been estimated that if every one composted we could divert up to 24% of our current waste stream from landfills and incinerators. On the local scale GMC college campus compost supplies the Cerridwen Farm with a natural fertilizer for their crops many of which end up back in the Chartwells dining hall.
As you may or may not know there have been issues with our compost system over the past year that have resulted in a dramatic drop in usable material being sent to the farm. What does not go to the farm ends up in the trash. But have no fear there is light at the end of the tunnel; we are almost to a point where the compost system will be making a jump back to full usage.
Over the past several weeks myself and several other students have been working with Chartwells and the Farm Crew to develop a system that will encourage those who use the dining hall to compost appropriately. This means less trash in the compost, most usable compost, and less material in the waste stream. We have developed a new bin system that has been approved by Chartwells and are at the point where we need help building it. If you are interested in helping build or decorate the bins or would like to know more about the project please contact me by email at sarubbia@greenmtn.edu. We are tentatively build date is Saturday, December 6th.

Adios

2008-10-30T08:13:00.004-04:00

After three years in my post as Green Mountain College's Service-Learning & Sustainability Coordinator, I'm leaving GMC to take a position in the education program at Merck Forest & Farmland Center in Rupert, VT. I have really enjoyed working at GMC and in Poultney, and am especially thankful for the opportunity to work with so many talented people on and off campus. Thank you all for your support these several years. Keep up the good work!

-Jesse

SHOW UP (It's usually a good start.)

2008-10-21T08:00:00.006-04:00

President Paul Fonteyn will give his Community Conversation address tomorrow at 1pm in the Gorge. His talk is titled "A Greener View: Sustainability and Regeneration." Folks interested in where GMC is going would do well to get there. The title alone indicates that the address will at least reference and perhaps more strongly emphasize our efforts as Charter Signatories to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. The basics of the commitment itself are pasted in below from the website. Look over the info in advance of the President's address if you can, or check back in here if something he says sparks your interest in the commitment. If you want to know more about GMC's progress on the commitment to date, visit their reporting site here.

Accordingly, we commit our institutions to taking the following steps in
pursuit of climate neutrality:
1. Initiate the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible.
a. Within two months of signing this document, create institutional structures to
guide the development and implementation of the plan.
b. Within one year of signing this document, complete a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions (including emissions from electricity, heating, commuting, and air travel) and update the inventory every other year thereafter.
c. Within two years of signing this document, develop an institutional action plan for
becoming climate neutral, which will include:
i. A target date for achieving climate neutrality as soon as possible.
ii. Interim targets for goals and actions that will lead to climate neutrality.
iii. Actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experience for all students.
iv. Actions to expand research or other efforts necessary to achieve climate neutrality.
v. Mechanisms for tracking progress on goals and actions.
2. Initiate two or more of the following tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed.
a. Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver standard or equivalent.
b. Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist.
c. Establish a policy of offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions generated by air travel paid for by our institution.
d. Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff,
students and visitors at our institution
e. Within one year of signing this document, begin purchasing or producing at least 15% of our institution’s electricity consumption from renewable sources.
f. Establish a policy or a committee that supports climate and sustainability shareholder proposals at companies where our institution's endowment is invested.
g. Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition, and adopt 3 or more associated measures to reduce waste.
3. Make the action plan, inventory, and periodic progress reports publicly available by providing them to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for posting and dissemination.
In recognition of the need to build support for this effort among college and university administrations across America, we will encourage other presidents to join this effort and become signatories to this commitment.
Signed,
The Signatories of the American
College & University Presidents Climate Commitment

Get Pump'ed

2008-10-15T07:41:00.003-04:00

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

From our friends at the Poultney Area Chamber of Commerce

------------

The pumpkin fest this Saturday has a new time 2:30 to 5:30. We need help in setting things up at 2PM at the East Poultney Green in front of the church. Also need beverages, cider, soda etc. If you have any questions you can call Karen Festa at 287-2405 or Val at 287-2016 or the Chamber 287-2010.

Nina Corbin
ecko2@together.net

You're In!

2008-10-08T07:44:00.003-04:00

As members of the GMC community, you have member access to the primary online resource for all things sustainability in higher education -- the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) website. As folks committed to sustainability and eager to connect GMC to the happenings in the field, you should be receiving the weekly AASHE Bulletin (if you haven't been getting these, go back and mine their archives, or check out their annual wrap up of Bulletin entries in the Digest).

The Bulletin features:

tons of sustainability news items,
job postings,
new resources,
grant, fellowship, and award opportunities, and
event listings around the country.

If you're not keepin' up with AASHE, you don't know what's goin' on college sustainability, period. So go sign up!

CataMOUNT UP!

2008-10-02T12:54:00.007-04:00

TRAIL WORK VOLUNTEERS NEEDED OCT. 19.

From Thayer Raines, Director of Service-Learning

Hello,
Your help is needed! I am seeking 5 to 20 people (Students, Staff, and/or Faculty; clubs welcome, too) who would be interested in contributing an afternoon of trail maintenance to the GMC Section (Section 11 Ninevah 4 Corners to Tin Shanty) of the Catamount Ski Trail on Sunday, October 19, 2008, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Transportation by van will be provided to and from Brennan Circle. The plan calls for repairing a bridge, removing cut up logs, and trimming back branches. Please confirm your interest by return email no later than October 13.

The Catamount Trail (CT) is a 300-mile cross-country ski trail running the length of Vermont. Starting in Readsboro on the Massachusetts border, it winds its way through the heart of the Green Mountains to North Troy on the Canadian Border. This will be the fourth year of service that GMC has provided to its adopted section of the trail. For more information on the trail go to http://www.catamounttrail.org/.
Regards,
Thayer

4,667 . . .

2008-10-01T07:40:00.009-04:00

Remember that number -- 4,667. That's the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in metric tons that GMC emitted from our operations during the 06-07 fiscal year. This number represents the starting point from which our progress toward carbon neutrality will be measured. As members of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, we will achieve net carbon neutrality "as soon as possible." Through efficiency measures, infrastructure improvements, individual behavior change, and likely offsets of one sort or another, GMC has to get from 4,667 to 0, and we have to develop the plan to do so by September 15, 2009.

To learn more about our greenhouse gas emission inventory READ THE REPORT HERE.

Video Contests in Higher Ed. Sustainability

2008-09-26T10:28:00.002-04:00

Chances to show off your video editing prowess abound in the higher ed. sustainability community these days. Everybody from the National Wildlife Federation to AASHE wants to see what you are doing to advance sustainability at GMC. So dust off your 8mm or get out your phone -- or whatever you use to shoot video -- and win us some stuff, huh?

Presidents Climate Commitment Video -- http://www.aashe.org/conf2008/ACUPCCvideocompetition.php (DEADLINE OCT. 1)
Lucid Design Dashboard -- http://www.luciddesigngroup.com/contest.php (DEADLINE OCT. 24)

COMPOSTERS WANTED

2008-09-24T07:15:00.004-04:00

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Anyone is welcome to participate.
Sign up once, or do it on a regular basis.

Kitchen pickup daily between 3 and 5 pm.
Only takes 20 - 30 minutes.

Deliver the full compost bin from the Chartwells kitchen to the farm and return the empty compost bin from the farm to Chartwells.

If interested please contact:

Amber Sarubbi sarubbia@greenmtn.edu
Or
Jesse Pyles pylesj@greenmtn.edu

REGISTRATION OPEN

2008-09-08T08:24:00.002-04:00

Building the Future
Connecting Student Service, Activism and Policy Work in the Wake of the 2008 Elections

November 8, 2008
McCardell Bicenteniall Hall, Middlebury College
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Conference Registration
Call for Student Presenters
Many Vermont students are trying to create a better world, addressing issues such as climate change and poverty, through a variety of means: activism, community service, advocacy and more.
Join in conversation with students, community organizers, and policy makers to build meaningful collaborations that will create the future we all seek.

Visit www.vtcampuscompact.org for more information and conference agenda.
Green Mountain College has sent a student contingent to this conference in the past. If you are interested in attending as part of a GMC group, contact Jesse Pyles.

CROP Walk

2008-09-05T10:55:00.004-04:00

Everyone from the Green Mountain College community is invited and encouraged to join in this years 7th annual CROP Walk. The walk is to raise money for a wide range of hunger needs, from those around the world to food shelves in Poultney & Fair Haven. "We hope to raise $15,000.00 this year! Will you help us? It's not too late for you to join us." Invites CROP Walk Coordinator, Carol Thompson.

The walk will kick off from the north end of Fair Havens Park on Sunday, September 28th at 1:30 pm. Everyone participating will walk through the part together. Then those who choose to may continue on a 1.6 mile or 4.4 mile journey. There will be water and rest stations along the walking route. At the conclusion of the event walkers will return to the park for drinks and ice cream.

If you are interested in taking part in the CROP Walk please contact Carol Thompson at 802-468-5309 or email her at cthomp4591@aol.com. She can set you up with a walkers packet so that you may start collecting sponsors.

POST UP

2008-08-27T07:28:00.003-04:00

My buddy Rbo (she told me in 1999, "it's kind of like J-Lo") is doin' some amazing work in Kansas City with New Roots For Refugees -- everybody should check it out. New Roots, a partnership of the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture and Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, is essentially developing farms, farmers, and markets by integrating refugee producers into the KC food system.

In addition to being an awesome farm planner, event coordinator, volunteer herder, and community supporter, Rbo is marketing and communications savvy. So today, I'm stealing a play out of her blog book. To find out who was reading her posts to the New Roots site, Rbo raffled off tote bags to folks who left comments on her blog. I don't have totes, but in the school spirit of sustainability, I'm raffling off recycling stickers and free use of our Kill A Watt meters to lucky students who comment. So just make a comment to this post, and keep an eye out for results after Labor Day.

Reporting for Duty

2008-08-20T14:12:00.002-04:00

My work life has become a series of applications and reports. Seems like my summer has been filled with this type of paperwork, or with meetings about doing it. So without bogging you down with the details, I thought I'd share the kinds of things that are coming out of the Service-Learning & Sustainability Office of late:

GMC's greenhouse gas inventory report (more info to be spread around campus soon)
AASHE Conference poster application
Jenzebar Foundation student award nomination
President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll enrollment
Sustainable Endowments Institute Innovator Award application
Service-Learning/Natural Areas journal article intro
AmeriCorps VISTA Progress Report
Rocky Mountain Institute proposal
Orientation posters
Annual staff self-evaluation

Thankfully students are returning next week to knock me off my reporting horse, and onto actual campus and community programs.

Farmed Out

2008-08-06T11:34:00.003-04:00

I've said it a thousand times (including in my recent AASHE interview)but I'm totally in love with our farm. This summer GMC's Farm and Food project has been growing food and their stellar reputation. They had a great piece in the Burlington Free Press a couple of weeks ago on fossil free farming, and I hear there was a piece on them that I can't seem to find in the local paper over the weekend. Meeting with our new admissions team yesterday about sustainability initiatives on campus reminded me how frequently students and others here value the farm as an opportunity to practice the sustainability education they're receiving "in the classroom." In addition to the endless work to be done by committed folks in the farm program itself (talk to Lisa "Pantsy" Veniscofsky about what you can do to help out), more than 60 student volunteers last semester visited the farm as part of our dining hall compost program. The farm regularly benefits and contributes to grant ideas for the Student Campus Greening Fund -- e.g., the greenhouse energy upgrades of last semester, recent hoophouse renovations, and the local food programs of the last couple of years. And the summer Farm Camp, Poultney Farmers Market, and CSA programs are incredible outreach efforts that contribute to the College's strong reputation in the local community. If you're not yet involved with our farm somehow, you're missin' out. Stop down early in the semester to see what's growin'.

NWF Fellowships

2008-08-01T09:12:00.002-04:00

The National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology Program is again sponsoring a fellowship for undergraduate and graduate students working to address climate change on campus.

Fellows confront global warming on their campuses and help to educate and engage
the campus community on global warming impacts and solutions.

GMC students are encouraged to look over the Request for Proposals (pdf), and contact me about how your ideas to reduce our footprint might support ongoing campus efforts. I would be thrilled to help the right student submit a proposal and coordinate efforts in one of the Fellowship's core projects:

• Implementing energy efficiency and conservation initiatives on existing or new buildings.
• Conducting a greenhouse gas inventory and developing a climate action plan
• Hosting a climate gathering involving representatives from three or more campuses

Consider how these programs might fit in with your fall courses, the DEEP Scholars team, the Student Campus Greening Fund proposal process, your student organization, and other preexisting efforts for a Green-er Mountain College.

Student Presenters Needed for VCC Student Conference Nov. 8th

2008-07-24T12:19:00.005-04:00

Shamelessly lifted from Jen Kenyan's email to the Vermont Campus Compact Network:

Vermont Campus Compact is looking for student presenters and community organizers for our 2008 Student Conference: Building the Future which is taking place on November 8, 2008 from 8:30a.m. - 4:30 p.m.! The goal for the day is to build meaningful collaborations among students, community organizers, and elected officials who seek to create a better world through activism, community service, advocacy and more. Our hope is that these students will bring ideas, energy and new connections back to campuses to advance their own ideas and projects.

1. Student Presenters
We are excited to offer a platform for students to present the great work they are doing on Vermont campuses and in communities to their peers. We will have 2 workshop blocks (~45min-1hr, each) when student groups will present their successful models of student service projects and policy projects. Presentations will be about 10 minutes per group and should include an overview of the project, how it started, challenges to success, methods for implementation, etc. Each workshop will include a discussion among presenters and conference attendees. Themes for the workshops include, but are not limited to,
- Poverty/Hunger
- Civic Engagement
- Environmental Sustainability
- Youth/ Mentoring and Education

2. Community Organizers
There will be 2 roundtable blocks (~1 hr each) in the afternoon organized by issue (see above, also: health, environmental conservation, arts activism, safety/domestic violence, sustainable food practices, etc.). Who are your strategic partners (community organizers or organizations you work with) who are dynamic, can connect their organization or work to various topics/issues, and would like to share their personal and professional experiences as activists and organizers? This is an
opportunity for students to sit down for open conversation in order to connect with partners in their communities who can act as a resource to ask questions and discuss best practices, and for organizers to make a connection to students and higher ed. institutions.
Thanks for your help in identifying potential student presenters and community organizers. We are excited about the new direction of the conference and hope to meet student needs and create a unique conference atmosphere, and this is only possible through your help! Please contact either myself (see below) or John Coutley (jcoutley@middlebury.edu) by September 1, 2008.

jkenyan@middlebury.edu
802.443.5068
www.vtcampuscompact.org

Poultney's Greatest Challenge (Teacher)

2008-07-17T08:29:00.002-04:00

CONGRATULATIONS, DAWN!!!

GMC's K-12 Outreach Coordinator of two years has managed -- by her hard work, unflappable dedication to the Poultney schools, and countless other graces -- to land a job as the Challenge Teacher in the Poultney school system. Dawn will focus her many talents on small-group, one-on-one, and school-wide enrichment experiences for the youth of this fine town. I'm so thankful for Dawn's influence in our office and programs, and am certain she'll continue to strengthen educational opportunities for students on both sides of College Street in the years to come. Give Dawn a shout (and a fist bump) when you see her.

GO BLUE DEVILS!

Required Reading

2008-07-09T09:49:00.007-04:00

Julian over at AASHE has rightly pointed to an important article in the most recent Sustainability: The Journal of Record (see his post in the Campus Sustainbility Perspectives blog linked below to the right). The thrust of the article by Daniel Sherman of the University of Puget Sound is that sustainability in higher education will only realize its full, transformative potential if it is focused on sustainability as an integral part of the curriculum. After all, as Sherman puts it, "The primary campus operation is student education." Green Mountain College gets this.

If you're enrolled at, work for, or think about Green Mountain College, read Sherman's article, Sustainability: What's the Big Idea?

. . . it should affirm for you, GMC's leadership role in the field. And it may focus us as we assess our curriculum in support of our Mission and 5-year Strategic Plan.

Student Labeling Initiative

2008-07-02T07:29:00.003-04:00

This came across the Green Schools Listserv from Debra Rowe at the US Parntership for Education for Sustainable Development. Seems a good fit for a lot of the work our students and faculty are doing.

Request for assistance with creation of sustainability criteria
At the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development, we are helping to create a Student Approved Labeiling Initiative that advocates for the usage and consumption of products made in an environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and economically beneficial manner.
Advantages of Student Led Initiatives
Students all over the nation are already analyzing products and manufacturers as part of their academic assignments. We want to make use of their valuable work to help consumers and producers alike make decisions for a more sustainable society. By having a student led initiative, the consumers know that there is no bias. The criteria met is made by and upheld by students.

The goals of the initiative are to:
• Furnish a selected criteria for product approval by students that upholds the triple bottom line.
• Provide a dependable, database for all those that desire to make smarter consumer choices to aid the world in which they live. The information provided will be fed into the site by participating students throughout the nation. All information provided will be to the best of the student’s knowledge based on this. list of selected criteria.
• Generate a “Student Approved” label to represent that a product has officially been approved by the student labeling initiative.

Need
Many people want to consume sustainable products but don't have enough information about their consumption choices.

Solution
Creating enough attention, companies will be encouraged to carry the label. National participation by students will create pride in the labeling system. Consumers will find the student approved labels at their point of purchase on products in stores as well as electronic commerce. When consumers purchase products affiliated with the Student Approved Labeling Initiative, they know that buying a certain product is helping to positively shape the world.

Educators
We need students throughout the nation to help develop the criteria for what meets the standards of the Student Label. We are encouraging professors to carry out the criteria development through class assignments. Educators that take on this task will be provided with supplemental material regarding existing criteria for other labels for their students. If you are interested in participating in this important project or if you have questions or comments, please contact Chad Agrawal at chad.agrawal@gmail.com.

350

2008-06-25T16:34:00.002-04:00

In another lazy man's blogpost, I'm reporting straight from 350's site:

350 is the most important number on the planet. This number is the safe line for
our global climate and a start line for a global movement. Join 350.org to
take action in your community, engage our world leaders, and build an
international movement to solve the climate crisis.

Check out their site to learn more, and let me know how you can involve GMC.

Dismas (don't miss 'dis)

2008-06-02T08:38:00.009-04:00

The Rutland Dismas House is a home of transition for former prisoners and a partner to several in and out of class activities at Green Mountain College. Last night, my wife and I attended their annual dinner auction fundraiser and I was amazed at the number of community folks who came out to support such a unique and inspiring organization. What makes Dismas House so unique is that it seeks to team former prisoners and current students as residents in an affordable housing situation. Residents attend nightly meals together, weekly meetings, commit to abstaining from drug and alcohol use, and pay program fees for participation.

Last night's event featured a live auction, an award celebration, a good meal, and some truly inspiring speakers. And it reminded me that it may be a good time for our students to think about ways they can support Rutland Dismas in the Fall. In addition to internship, practicum, and Service-Learning possibilities, student volunteers can sign up to cook the evening meal, help work on house renovations, prep for the annual dinner, or APPLY TO BE A RESIDENT.

Rutland Dismas House provides a unique and mutually supportive living situation.

We are a group of students and former prisoners who share a home in a residential neighborhood in Rutland.

Our goal is to support each other in a drug and alcohol free environment that is conducive to learning and helps prisoners transition back into the community.

Since 1990 the Dismas Family has included student interns and volunteers from surrounding colleges.

Want to learn more about us? Give us a call: 775-5539 ask for Terese

Room and Board $75 a week!!
Includes: Utilities, Home Cooked Meals, Laundry, Cable TV & Phone.

Eco League of Our Own

2008-05-30T08:47:00.003-04:00

Maybe it's the summer urge to roam . . . or the commencement nostalgia of my own college travel experience with the Audubon Expedition Institute . . . or my review of the STARS draft credits on Education and Research (pdf). Whatever it is, I'm impressed again this morning by GMC's involvement with the Eco League, and I'm particularly struck by recruiting power of such a great program.

From GMC's Eco League website:

Stretching from Anchorage, Alaska, to Bar Harbor, Maine, the Eco League allows students to spend up to two nonconsecutive semesters of study at any of the five colleges [Green Mountain College, Alaska Pacific University, Prescott College, Northland College, and College of the Atlantic], or in any of the international exchange programs offered by an Eco League college. Best of all, students can participate in Eco League without transferring schools; the program is set up to allow seamless exchange of students, with students continuing to pay tuition to their home college.

The Eco League got started in 2004, and seems to be steadily gaining popularity on Green Mountain's campus. Six of our recent graduates participated in the exchange, and several more of our current students have attended other Eco League schools. Servin' It Up's own Dawn Sarli even made the trip out to Alaska Pacific back in her college days.

The Eco League is another expression of a greater commitment to student learning for the environment. I've written here before that sustainability professionals are eager to celebrate successes at other institutions -- even "rival" institutions -- because our hope is for progress in the field. The Eco League takes this a step further, focusing on educational opportunities for the individual by providing easy access to the resources of otherwise "competing" institutions.

Look for STARS this summer

2008-05-14T12:32:00.003-04:00

As we wind things up for the semester, I've got a pretty big portion of sustainability project left on my plate . . . just waiting for the summer. Green Mountain College is piloting AASHE's STARS program this year, and I and my summer student worker are going to wade through the Operations and Administration credits for the next couple of months. STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System), will be the standard by which sustainability in higher education is assessed, and Green Mountain College has been a part of the discussion from the start.

The pilot requires documentation of our sustainability initiatives in three main categories: Operations, Administration & Finance, and Education & Research. We will essentially complete a checklist under each of these areas and submit supporting documentation through an online reporting system. Results in the pilot phase are not made public, but when STARS is officially released reporting will result in a sustainability rating -- something that reveals our status in the higher ed. sustainability field (e.g., we're a four- or five-STAR institution).

We hope to incorporate our involvement in the pilot into course opportunities in the future, and will certainly be encouraging further student involvement in the program. Any interested students looking for summer work may wish to check out the STARS internship available at AASHE.

You can't stay . . . but we'll take your stuff.

2008-05-12T09:11:00.002-04:00

MOVE OUT
DONATION STATION
Donate your unwanted items during spring move out.

In the Gorge’s south storage alcove.

CLEAN, REUSABLE ITEMS ONLY!!!

These items will become stock at the Free Store, or will be appropriately donated to area agencies.

Donations accepted until Wednesday, May 14th.

Student Sustainability Awards

2008-05-06T08:45:00.003-04:00

At the risk of appearing lazy, I'm pasting in Julian's AASHE blog post on a new student award. This is too good to pass up -- and a chance to be published in the new Sustainability Journal. Read on:

posted by Julian Dautremont-Smith on May 6th, 2008
We know that students are producing amazing research on campus sustainability on a regular basis. Too often however, use of this research is limited to the institution where the author is based and the rest of the campus sustainability community doesn’t benefit. In the rare occasion when this research is shared with us, we don’t have a good mechanism for sharing it.
With your help, AASHE’s new Award for Student Research on Campus Sustainability can help overcome both of these challenges.
The award recognizes outstanding student research that advances the field of campus sustainability. A version of the winning paper will be published in Sustainability: The Journal of Record (subject to editorial review). We’re also planning to post many of the submissions on our website, thereby making available a ton of great new research!
If you are a student who has conducted research on campus sustainability in the last year, please consider submitting your paper. If you are a faculty member, especially one who teaches a course on campus sustainability, please encourage your students to submit their papers.
Submissions are due by August 1, following the application process described on the award homepage.
We look forward to reading your papers!

VISTA position opening

2008-04-29T16:23:00.004-04:00

Dawn Sarli has done an amazing job developing positive connection between the Poultney education system and Green Mountain College. However, she will not be with us as a VISTA next year. We will miss her greatly as we attempt to find another ambitious person willing to take on the task of being a Green Mountain College VISTA. If you think you're up for the challenge you may wish to read the job description bellow.
The VISTA at Green Mountain College will work with our successful Office of Service-Learning and Sustainability and the Poultney Schools to develop new K-12 service-learning programs and to coordinate preexisting partnerships. The VISTA will become an active leader in the award winning Poultney Partners mentoring program in which 20-25 college students mentor the same number of elementary students weekly. In the third year of this VISTA position, he/she will expand service partnerships to other area schools, and will be key to the establishment of a new Watershed Alliance program matching GMC interns with area students in water sampling and bio-regional education programs. He/she will have offices both at the college and the high school. The VISTA will update the assessment of current service programs, and suggest the development of new programs. He/she will also develop a sustainability plan for the future of these programs beyond this third and final year.
Think you might be interested? Contact Jesse Pyles by phone at 802.287.9708 (off campus)
by email at pylesj@greenmtn.edu or stop by the office of service-learning and sustainability 310 Main Street (right next to the Two Editors Inn).

Service-Learning Awarded

2008-04-28T09:10:00.005-04:00

Yesterday (Sunday, April 26th) was Honors Tea, the annual Green Mountain recognition of academic and student life achievement. Cloth napkins, fancy sandwiches, center pieces, and two glorious hours of back-patting. The Service-Learning office presented the Student Service-Learning Award to Sam Tischler for his efforts in a recent Ethnographic Field Methods course -among others. Professor Jim Graves received the Faculty/Staff Service-Learning Award, not only for his own efforts instructing service-learning courses, but for regularly recruiting and including other faculty and their students in service-learning efforts that have all but eradicated garlic mustard from the campus grounds.

Congrats to our Service-Learning rock stars, and to all those recognized yesterday.

(net)Workin' It

2008-04-21T14:03:00.005-04:00

That's us. The New England Regional Network class of 2008 Fellows in the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP). I got to spend four glorious days with these folks a couple of weeks ago and, let me tell you, this is an incredible bunch. The ELP Fellowship is meant to build capacity for emerging leaders in the environmental movement, and to increase diversity in the movement as a whole. GMC's own Jacob Park is a Senior Fellow from the inaugural national class in 2000. The program has since broken into regional networks to serve more folks in focused geographic regions, and the twenty of us pictured above represent the six New England States. Our first retreat - besides being about orientation and logistics - focused on diversity in the environmental "movement" (one of our fellow Fellows has even written a book on the topic which you can read online). I'm compiling a list of writings and other resource references this crew made over our long weekend, and hope to share it on this blog soon. Until then, poke around ELP's site, and see some of the good work being done by Fellows in New England and beyond.

*Thanks to Paige for prompting an ELP-related post!**

EARTH WEEK SCHEDULE

2008-04-16T09:57:00.006-04:00

Volunteers turn compost during last year's Earth Week Farm Service Day

Thursday, April 17
Fourth Annual Garlic Mustard Pull *look for the white flag along the Poultney River*
2 - 4 p.m., community garden work at Poultney Elementary School. Meet Dawn Sarli at Ames Circle by 2 p.m.
Issues in Contemporary Art, Earth Week projects displayed throughout campus
6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming webcast, Ackley 334.

Friday, April 18
Fourth Annual Garlic Mustard Pull *look for the white flag along the Poultney River*
10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Campus Environmental Fair, Withey Hall
11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Sacred Circle Dance and Drumming, Labyrinth
1 p.m., Earth Week Keynote Address from Adam Sherman of the Biomass Energy Resource Center, Gorge
2 - 3 p.m., sustainability tours, from Withey Lobby throughout the hour
3 - 5 p.m., Alumni Career Networking Forum, throughout campus
7:30 - 9 p.m., GMC/Community Concert Band Performance, Ackley Theatre
9 p.m., Earth Week Contra Dance, East Room

Saturday, April 19
10 a.m., Spring Farm Day: Work with alums and farm crew to build an earth oven and prep the farm for Cerridwen Farm

Don't forget about all the other great stuff goin' on this weekend. The Spring Concert and Festival starts Saturday at noon, and the Young Alum Event will be kickin' Friday and Saturday.

The Compost Question

2008-04-04T09:29:00.013-04:00

Within the last few months there has been an increasing interest in composting on campus. The questions about our community's food waste have been flying and it's about time some of them got answered. If you're one of those oh so environmentally friendly members of our community just chomping at the bit to learn about the compost process then read on.

First off, rest assured the food waste generated in the dining hall and kitchen is not simply being thrown away. It is being used on the campus farm. The food scraps you put in the compost bin in the dining hall is combined with leaves to create compost for garden beds. Food waste from the kitchen is used to feed two pigs on the farm. And how does this process happen? Check out the map bellow to see where your food waste has been going twice daily.

1. The compost path starts in Withey Dining Hall when you put your food scraps in the compost bin or when Chartwells staff puts compostable material in the compost tote in the kitchen.

2. Chartwells staff takes dining hall waste to the garbage room, where volunteers pick it up each morning from the loading dock.

3. This dining hall waste is taken to the lower acre. Here the food scraps are mixed with leaves and will later be used as compost on the farm’s garden beds.

4. Kitchen waste is taken to the farm to feed two pigs. The empty compost tote from the previous trip is taken back to Withey to be reused by kitchen staff for the next day’s waste.

It's a lot of work but volunteers have made it happen. Be sure to thank these folks the next time you see them: Chartwells Dining Services, Green Mountain Farm Crew, Bio Enviro Club, The Sustainable Living Floor, Kenneth Mulder, Eleanor Tison, Keith Barrett, Katherine McAuley, Alaina Killion, Allison Sasso, Amanda Dickinson, Ashely Staron, Caitlin Berry, Caitlin Crossland, Christina Melendy, Elisa Morales, Garnet Morgan, Hannah Yetwin, Jacqueline Petroski, Jessica Lutrus, Jessica Martin, Jill Bunge, Keith Surbey, Kyla Jaquish, Lindsay Furbish, Nelson Ongiti, Olesea Cojohari, Peter Jerdo, Rebecca Tellar, Rebecca Steinhauer, Wai Phyo Myint, Wyatt Goodrich, Yesenia Gonzalez, Nancy Laughlin, Siobhan Peters, Elijah Morrill, Joe Brown, Rachel Emus, Danielle Orkin, Brendan Comiskey, Amber LaPointe, Robin Lewis, Elechi Kadete, Christae MacAlpine

Online Conferencing

2008-04-02T08:35:00.004-04:00

There's been a good bit of campus interest this past year in webinars, teleconferences, and online versions of bigger conference gatherings. An initial look at our (draft) greenhouse gas inventory reveals a lot of emissions from travel -and often from travel to and from U.S. and International conferences by faculty, staff, and students. Let me be clear, I think it's important for GMC and our community members to represent the College and develop professionally by attending these things, but there are also many opportunities to engage with the broader academic community from right here in Poultney.

Currently AASHE is blogging from the Smart & Sustainable Campuses Conference at College Park (you can keep up with them at their staff blog to the right). And they posted on the staff blog last fall from the Greening of the Campus VII conference in Muncie, IN. Over at Inside Higher Ed., sustainability administrator "G. Rendell" is blogging regularly on trends and topics specific to the field with Getting to Green. And the National Wildlife Federation blogs on their Campus Ecology program here. Of course, reading these blogs isn't going to make you an expert on sustainability in higher education, but it's certainly going to give you the opportunity to engage in the discussion.

Last October we hosted a Campus Sustainability Day webcast at GMC that was lightly attended, but very well received. Shortly after that, GMC student sustainability leader Jane Engelman was a featured presenter on an NWF teleconference highlighting student engagement (scroll down to Nov. 15th to listen to the conference and see the powerpoint).

The point is, we know students are into this, and we have the infrastructure to support it. I'll offer a couple of web conferences this month on campus, and hope folks will be able to come out for them.

Wednesday, April 9th -- 12-1 pm, Dickgiesser Room: ELP's A GLOBAL VIEW OF THE FARM BILL: The Convergence of Climate Change, Food Security and the Future of Family Farmers Worldwide

Wednesday, April 16th -- 7pm, Location TBA: NWF's CHILL OUT: Campus Solutions to Global Warming

If you have ideas about online sessions that you'd like to see on campus, contact our office and we'll see what we can do to support it.

MapleFeasted

2008-03-31T08:40:00.003-04:00

Big thanks to everyone from GMC who helped out with the MapleFest pancake breakfast on Saturday. We had seven students show up to cook, set up, serve, and clean like it was going out of style. Folks jumped in quickly - some starting right at 7am! - and kept at it until past noon.

I hope others got a chance to enjoy the MapleFest-ivities. The sap should be runnin' early this week, so keep an eye out if you want to help Greg collect from campus maples.

Ashley Hill serves it up. Sam Tischler staffs the grill behind her.

Happy Middle

2008-03-27T08:05:00.006-04:00

I get perhaps too excited when my two job areas integrate successfully; but there is a good reason that GMC created and hired for a "Service-Learning AND Sustainability Coordinator." So many of our students and faculty are doing good work that addresses sustainability, and they're addressing it through service to partners.
In this case, the partner is the college-based Campus Sustainability Council, and the partner's need is being addressed by this spring's Environmental Communications course (CMJ 3025). Professor Ron Steffens has asked his students in the class to essentially create a campaign that satisfies the Council's need. The greatest need the Council has, in my opinion, is to communicate its charge to the campus community, and collect suggestions to inform decision-making on College sustainability issues.

So I was thrilled when I received an email from a student in the course, outlining the campaign and program suggestions that she and her classmates had:

"Here are some sustainability proposals from the Environmental
Communications class:
*Cigarette butt collection, 50 butts= tshirt
*Fix Withey solar panels by earth day
*Green community bikes and/or more bike racks
*Where does our garbage go? How can we use less?
*Sustainable Agriculture/buying local
*Shorter showers/charge more minute?
*Ad campaign for CSC, logo, tshirts, website. BY spring concert!
*Heat efficiency in dorms/drafty windows
*Chartwells waste management/composting/clear and engagin presentation of the food cycle/poster?
*Better public transit from Poultney to beyond
*Using less energy in dorms
*Cars with better gas milegage get money back from school for parking
*Change plastic cups in dining hall and book store to something without bisphenol A chemical "

These are the sustainability initiatives that students are thinking about at GMC, the things that our campus community members want to see done here. Students in the Environmental Communications course will get to decide how their service as consultants to the Campus Sustainability Council have impacted their learning, but as a partner in the project I'm pleased to see their ideas, and the methods they've created to get the word out about sustainability at GMC.

So Very Vermont

2008-03-25T08:34:00.017-04:00

Some Green Mountain diners at last year's MapleFest pancake breakfast.

MAPLEFEST
In addition to the Spring Open House activities that our admissions folks have been working so hard to put together for this Saturday, Poultney will hold its annual MapleFest. MapleFest is a statewide event honoring the sugaring tradition in Vermont, and the Poultney Chamber of Commerce and the Poultney Downtown Revitalization Committee (among others) have put together a great schedule of events for the 29th.

Things start early at the Methodist Church on Main Street with a pancake breakfast from 8 - 11am -- COLLEGE VOLUNTEERS WELCOME FROM 7am ON (contact Jesse). The Stonebridge will be the base of operations for the day at Rt. 30 and Main St. where you can find more info about all the stuff going on -- wagon rides, art raffles, baking contest, sugar house tours, deals at area businesses, demonstrations, and more. Family nature walks will leave the Stonebridge at 1:30 with GMC's own Michael Blust.

GMC Represents at the VCC Gala

2008-03-19T09:47:00.006-04:00

Vermont Campus Compact (VCC) held its annual Gala and award ceremony at the UVM Davis Center yesterday and Green Mountain College was there in force. The event recognized service and civic engagement in the 22 VCC member institutions, and offered workshop and display opportunities to highlight these efforts across the state. Jacob Park and Joe Bossen presented Fostering Corporate Citizenship through Service-Learning and several GMC folks were recognized for their incredible commitment to service at the college and in Poultney.

Thayer Raines - Finalist, Campus Leadership for Civic Engagement Award
Susan Sutheimer - Finalist, Engaged Scholar Award
Peter Davis - Recipient, Commitment to Service and Engagement Award
Marli Rupe & the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District - Recipient, Engaged Community Partner Award

Of course, Dawn pitched in with the members of her VISTA team to make sure the event ran smoothly. Also from GMC, Francis Demby, and the Brennans attended. President Brennan was recognized by UVM President Dan Fogel (Chair of VCC's Board of Directors and the Gala proceedings) for his efforts at GMC as Jack finishes his tenure here.

Sustainability Sited

2008-03-14T15:01:00.004-04:00

The new Green Mountain College website doesn't have a "Sustainability" section per se, but our sustainability program is well represented in a ton of places on the site.
Especially under the "ENVIRONMENT" link on the homepage.
Click through the left side bar for a writeup on sustainability partnerships and campus initiatives especially. Kudos to the Communications Office team for a great new site!

Random Acts of Kindness

2008-02-11T11:03:00.000-05:00

According to the Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Foundation it's RAK Week - February 11 - 17. Get your kindness on...and try to keep it there.

This semester I'm co-teaching a philosophy course - Altruism and the Good Life - with the campus philosophy rockstars - Heather Keith, Steve Fesmire, and Bill Throop. So far it has been a wonderful experience. We're atttempting to get people to think critically about their lifestyle, priorties, and ethical values. Last week we read and discussed virtue ethic theories in which Steve reminded us to "be the change we wish to see in the world" (Gandhi). RAK Week is a great way to start being the change.

FOCUS THE NATION

2008-01-31T06:32:00.000-05:00

Focus the Nation at Green Mountain College
Sponsored by the Environmental Studies Department
Brought to you by the DEEP Scholars and Professor Paul Hancock

GO TO THIS STUFF TODAY . . . IT'S WHY YOU CAME TO COLLEGE!

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

9:00 am – 10:00 am

Session IA: Obstacles to Change (Dickgiesser– Griswold Lib.)
Acceptance of Climate Change in the Midst of Inaction: The social psychology of irrational behavior: Jennifer Sellers
Public Opinion and Climate Change: An Immovable Mass: David Moats
Making Change with Media: A 5-minute guide to eco-publishing: Ron Steffens

Session IB: Ethics and Religion (Ames Lounge – Ames Hall)
The Moral Politics of Climate Change: Steve Fesmire
Is Environmentalism a Spiritual Issue? Shirley Oscamp
Climate Crisis Coalition Perspective: Tom Stokes

10:10 am – 11:10

Session 2A: Apocalypse Now (Feick Art Center)
Apocalyptic Imagery in Contemporary Poetry, with an emphasis on Global Warming: Mitch LesCarbeau
Shock and Awe: How Ecological Disaster is Profitable: Paul Hancock

Session 2B: What they Don’t Know (Ames Lounge – Ames Hall)
What They Don’t Know: Sustainability and Science Education in the Schools: Tom Mauhs-Pugh
Data Overload: How to Make Sense of Climate Change Numbers: Jim Wright

11:20-12:20

Session 3A: Big Tent, Big Issues (Dickgiesser– Griswold Lib.)
Climate Change: Ethical Issues and Concerns: Heather Keith
Wisdom for a Livable Planet: Insight and Reflections: Natalie Coe
Global Climate and Freshwater Ecosystems: Meriel Brooks

Session 3B: Changing Land, Changing Use (Terrace 124 – Terrace Hall)
Reducing the Ecological Footprint of outdoor Recreation Programs: Thayer Raines
The Ecology of Climate Change: The Regional Mosaic: Jim Graves
Range Change: Birds and Insects Moving North: Michael Blust

12:30-2:00 Lunch Break & Video recording from Senator Sanders Terrace 124

2:00 – 3:00

Session 4A: Footprints and Solutions (Dickgiesser– Griswold Lib.)
Cow Power: Is this Crap an Energy Solution? Greg Brown
Why is Climate Change so Difficult to Solve? Jacob Park

Session 4B: Some Simple Truths (Ames Lounge – Ames Hall)
A few Convenient Truths: Why it might be a pleasure to reduce our carbon footprint. Ken Mulder
Climate Science Explained: An Overview. Alan Betts

3:10 – 3:35 Bread and Puppet Theater (Ackley Auditorium)

3:40 – 6:00
Remarks from the Provost (Ackley Auditorium)
Roundtable with Climate Change Scholars, VGCCC, Gov. Rep.s and Media: Political, Media and Academic leaders make brief opening statements, and then five students engage these leaders in discussion of issues raised during the day.

6:30-11:00 P.M. Hip-Hop, Reggae, Jazz, Edgy Stuff – as long as it’s LOUD!! (Gorge – Withey Hall)

A Vermonster Lead on Climate Legislation

2008-01-25T07:19:00.000-05:00

Your family has to live through about 180 winters in this state for you to be considered a "Vermonter," so I can't rightly say "I'm proud to be a Vermonter." But a Vermont Public Radio broadcast I heard on the way in this morning reminded me why I'm so glad to live here.

Vermont's US Senators Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy are cosponsoring a bill by Barbara Boxer that challenges the EPA's ruling last month to deny California the authority to regulate it's own greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. If passed, the bill would allow other states -- Vermont among them -- to adopt California's standards which would impose stricter guidelines for automobile fuel efficiency than the federal government does currently. On the same day the bill was introduced, VT Governor Jim Douglas (above right, with Sanders) testified before the Senate concerning the potential negative impacts of global warming on the Vermont economy.

You can read the legislation here (PDF).

ES RIGHT THERE

2008-01-04T11:33:00.000-05:00

The Environmental Studies Newsletter is a great way to keep up on things Sustainability at Green Mountain College and they thankfully do a great job at representing a great diversity of activity from classes, to student groups, to alums. The ES Newsletters are available online here. Kudos to the Environmental Studies Department for keeping us in the loop with the ES Newsletter and to Student Editor Liz Clare for her good work on it this year. Keep an eye out for the latest Annual Report on the department website.

The November Newsletter highlighted our Campus Sustainability Day events of late October and included the above photo -- black bags represent 95% of our building waste stream that went to landfill while clear bags represent the 5% that was recycled at GMC over nearly two years.

Stuff-A-Bus Food Drive

2007-12-10T16:49:00.000-05:00

From the GMC Journal:

The campus community is encouraged to participate in a "Stuff-A-Bus" food drive December 11 to 13. Non-perishable food items will be collected in a GMC van in front of Ames starting the morning of December 11. At 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 13, the donations will be dropped off at the Poultney Emergency Food Shelf. The GMC Staff Council suggested the food drive, which will take place in advance of the December 15 "Open Food Shelf" at the Stonebridge in Poultney. Resident students wishing to make donations may do so in marked areas in residence hall lobbies; the Honors Floor will coordinate the contribution of these items to the "stuff-a-bus" drive.

I'm Stuffed!

2007-12-05T14:54:00.000-05:00

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever. -- from http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Annie Leonard discusses the materials economy and those pesky externalities here.

Idea into Action

2007-11-13T10:09:00.000-05:00

Clockwise from top: Dustin Bowman, Allison Trowbridge, Thomas Wheeler, Peter Davis, Jose Galvez-Contreras, Dawn Sarli - AmeriCorps*VISTA, Rob Pudner.

Students attend Vermont Campus Compact's annual Ideas into Action state-wide students conference at Goddard College, November 3rd & 4th. Keynote speakers included former VT Governor Madeline Kunin, and Will Patten, Executive Director of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. At the conference students participated in nationwide Step It Up rally; an event organized in part by Bill McKibben which took place at the State House.

Local Harvest

2007-10-25T18:12:00.001-04:00

So what's all this buz about on campus about the food being so good in Chartwells lately? Well its a little thing we like to call Local Harvest. What is it? It's a series of local foods being featured in the dinning hall. There have been two days so far that have been Local Harvest days and there are more to come. If you haven't eaten in the dinning hall on the past Local Harvest days don't miss the ones to come. November 7th all three meals and November 14th just thanksgiving dinner will be local Harvests.
So you've had the Local Harvest food and think it rocks. Well you should know the folks to thank for this delicious food. Local Foods has been sponsored by Chartwells Dining Services, The Student Campus Greening Fund (proposal written by Irene Holak), Tom Mauhs Pugh (Dean of Faculty), Student Government, Bio-Enviro Club, Philosophy Club, the Progressive Program, and the fallowing Departments: Environmental Studies, Education, Recreation & Outdoor Studies.

In addition to these groups that funded Local Harvest there were numerous volunteers that helped out with prep work to make these events happen. Pictured to the left are some of the volunteers that helped out with the prep work this past Tuesday. These fine folks chopped, sliced, and diced the hydroponically grown tomatoes that were featured on the pizza, in the chili, and on the salad bar. They also pealed and chopped the butternut squash and onions that were featured. So if you see one of them give them a big thanks for helping bring you a wonderful lunch and dinner.

If you like local harvest and are interested in more information on how you can help feel free to contact me, Amber Sarubbi, via email sarubbia@greenmtn.edu or by phone at extension 8153. I would love to help you get involved.

We Moved!

2007-10-25T18:02:00.000-04:00

Hey folks we are on the move!
If you haven't noticed already 157 Withey is no longer the Service-Learning and Sustainability office. In fact that room is slated to be the new Campus Free Store. Check it out if you get a chance. So while something new and exciting has come to Withey 157 you're going to have to look a little harder for Jesse and Dawn these days. Here's what you need to know:

Their emails are the same. so you can still email them at the same address.
Their phone number has changed to 802-287-9780.
Where is the office? 310 Main Street

Directions to the office: walk out of Ames Circle and head up Main Street. Its the big white house right next to the Two Editors Inn. (that's on the same side as the brown bag) Come on folks, its only two house down on the left it your looking up main street don't be a stranger come visit.

We did this today . . . it rocked.

2007-10-24T20:00:00.000-04:00

Green Mountain College celebrated our sustainability achievements Wednesday, October 24th
Campus Sustainability Day
12-1:30pm CSD Webcast: Building a Durable Future: Community, the Campus, and Deep Economy – Dickgiesser Room, Griswold Library
Presented by:

Norm Christopher, director of sustainability, Grand Valley State University

Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future

Debra Rowe, president, US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development; co-chair, Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium; senior advisor, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education; and senior fellow, Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future

1:30-2pm AASHE Award Celebration – Outside Withey Hall

Learn about GMC’s recent Campus Sustainability Leadership Award, and what campus community members are doing to earn our reputation as a leader in this field. This will be your chance to sign the award certificate to be given to President Brennan.

2pm Trading Ivory for Green: A 12-Year Path Toward Sustainability – Buttery, Withey Hall
Presented by:
John F. Brennan, President, Green Mountain College

Chilly Chili!

2007-10-08T10:53:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday was the 18th Annual Chili Cook-Off! This is one of the biggest - if not the biggest - events in downtown Poultney. And what a blast it was.

Girl Scout Troop 300, who've been wonderful enough to let me hang out with them for the past year, entered this year with their now famous "Chilly Chili" recipe.

Ingredients include:

Apples
Cocoa Powder
Maple Syrup
Local Heirloom Tomatoes, Peppers, Herbs, Leeks
Spices
Liquid Smoke
and much more!

I know what you're thinking, I was weary myself, but this turned out to be some great chili!

The girls came up with "Chilly Chili" as a theme so we decorated our booth with gloves, scarves, hats and, of course, snowmen made from white trash bags and leaves!

Although we didn't win, we had a ton of fun and got many ideas for next year. If you're going to be in Poultney next year for the 19th Annual Chili Cook-Off, vote Troop 300!!!

Shaw Mountain Clean Up

2007-09-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

Hey folks! You may have been wondering what's been going on in the service learning office lately. Well here's the truth.... we took a feild trip. Yup that's right we escaped the basement of Withey and headed outside.

This time our travels take us not to the river for a clean up or an invasive species pull but to Shaw Mountain. Where we were welcomed by a crew from The Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy buys the rights to land in an effort to maintain biodiversity. As a part of this they manage the hiking trails of Shaw Mountain which allow visitors to witness the biodiversity they work so hard to protect.

Last Wednesday we hit the road with the students from Jen Sellers' positive psychology class. After a tour of what seemed like every dirt road in Vermont we arrived at the Shaw Mountain trail head. The task for the day was trial maintenance. The class hiked several miles of the trails in small work crews cutting back brush that had started to take over the trials. They also worked together clearing the path of fallen trees.

Plug-IN-GoC

2007-09-11T16:04:00.000-04:00

We Plug-'n'-went! Jane and I just drove the College's Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle to the Ball State Greening of the Campus Conference where we presented a SCGF poster and gladly accepted Green Mountain College's Campus Sustainability Leadership Award from the highly esteemed Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The conference was great (connect to AASHE's blog at right for some highlights), and the award is a big deal, but those posts will follow.

I just want to highlight how cool the Plug'n Go is. Check out the CVPS page about the car and its related program, and keep an eye out on campus for it. Dr. Steve Letendre's classes will do some work with the hybrid this year to track its performance. On our 1,800 mile roundtrip we averaged 52 mpg, but it does a lot better in stop'n go traffic. We plugged it in at Camperland near Meadville, PA and I plugged right into the wall of the Days Inn in Muncie, IN.

Jane Engelman with the Supercharge at Allegheny College's DOT mural just off of I-79 in Meadville, PA.

Dot Greening

2007-08-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

When we started this blog in April, I had no idea what I was doing. I'd seen student blogs on a lot of websites, but I wasn't sure how it would work for us as staffers. I did know that my primary resource for things campus sustainability is the world wide web. Throughout the spring Eco-Reps class I repeatedly directed students to AASHE's online Resource Center - among other valuable sites - and they regularly came back to class with new links to share. As our own sustainability web presence grows at Green Mountain College, I'm curious to know what our students think about Servin' It Up and what other online tools might be useful. AASHE's staff blog recently featured a post on web-based sustainability promotion that includes a list of web tools I've barely even heard of. So, sustainability student techies, hop over to Campus Sustainability Perspectives, look over their list, and tell them and us what you'd like to see and how we can better use our blog.

Summer Recycling Picks Up at GMC

2007-07-18T09:09:00.000-04:00

Rob Pudner came back to Poultney early this summer to tackle campus recycling while school is out of session. The first student to staff the recycling program in the summer time, Rob has been charged with managing recycling for staff offices and conferences, and will no doubt ease the transition back into fall recycling. Rob has been integral to establishing a campus "Free Store" (look for it this fall), and contributed to environmental outreach activities as a GMC EcoRep last semester. In addition to recycling, Rob will help offer a student perspective on other sustainability projects on campus -- the Earth Tubs and Withey solar panels among them.

Since he got back to Poultney from the Garden State a couple of weeks ago, Rob has already sorted through the entire summer pile, inventoried campus bins, volunteered at SolarFest, and toured the Materials Recovery Facility in Rutland ("It's like an amusement park for waste," he said). So raise your clear, rinsed, no label, lid-removed glass to Rob . . . Here's to summer!

GMC and community folks helped out with recycling at SolarFest last weekend.

L to R: John, Rob, Joe (presented), Alicia, Laura, Irene, Ellen, and Molly.

Yes! In our backyard!

2007-06-21T13:01:00.000-04:00

SolarFest 2007

will bring thousands of people to neighboring Tinmouth, VT next month to celebrate Renewable Energy through the Arts. Green Mountain College has a long and strong connection to this organization and it's only a stone's throw from campus. The two-day festival -- JULY 14 & 15 -- is chock full of music, speakers, workshops, vendors, food, and more!

WHY NOT VOLUNTEER?

Of course the festival relies heavily on volunteers, and you can gain admission by giving a little bit of your time while you're at the celebration. If you want to help me out with RECYCLING, I'll be leading that crew again this year; get in touch with me directly mailto:pylesj@greenmtn.edu.

Keynote speakers include Bill McKibben and John Elder.
A detailed festival schedule can be found here (pdf).

Garden Time

2007-06-13T17:20:00.000-04:00

This past semester I worked with a couple students, Ashley, Jane, and Lyra, and a faculty member, Eleanor Tison to put together a Nature Cub at the elementary school. While they did many great things with the kids (composting, geology education, etc.), the greatest thing, in my opinion, was the completion of the Community Garden!

The Debbie Keezer Memorial Garden is a tribute to this past year's associate principal who passed away mid-May. She was an amazing educator; innovative, intelligent, dedicated, creative, energetic, kind, funny (to name very few of the great qualities that have attributed to her being one of the most inspiring educators I've met in Poultney). The garden is one of many ways that the community will remember Debbie.

The photo to the left is a special bed dedicated to Debbie called, "The Rainbow Flower Garden". The kids planted boatloads of flowers in the shape of a rainbow. If you look above the rainbow you will notice white "clouds" and to top things off a sunflower was placed in the upper-left corner. Yeah, it's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

The idea behind the garden is to create a community gathering space where people can share in good, fresh food and veggies! Since this is the last week of school, yesterday we had the end of the year garden celebration. Parents came to help out and join in on the fun. There is going to be a few more community workdays over the summer and the club leaders also plan on using the garden as part of some Summer Rec. Programs they're running through the town. So, even though the little ones won't be in school, the garden will get plenty of love and care.

To the right is the left side of the garden: handmade sumac tomato cages, bean trellises, a pickle garden with cucumbers and dill, and some sticks that have been collected for the entrance archway. Ashley and Eleanor have been hard at work on making sure no detail is overlooked.

In addition to all the great things that are growing, they have put a table in the middle of the garden space that they plan to paint wacky colors to encourage hearty picnicking . Also, a space has been dug-up to install a sandbox for the little ones to enjoy while they're parents are hard at work tending to weeds and harvesting. To help keep the weeds down we have been spreading carloads of wood chips that will also help to level the ground.

One of the coolest projects going on the garden is the Native American Garden. This is a class project that one of the elementary school teachers is working on. It consists of corn, beans, and squash planted in little clusters that are surrounded by big stones. Very creative and educational! This garden has surely been fantastic on many levels; it brings the community together by providing a communal space for people to work and gather, it has been a great educational outlet for the elementary school educators, and has also given Green Mountain College the opportunity to use the knowledge gained from our unique environmental focus to bring us closer to the community. Local food issues are the GMC "hot topic" right now so this is a perfect project for campus-members to focus their energies on.

The garden is sure to see many changes over the course of the summer. I'll post more pictures as things progress. Cheers to good, yummy, locally loved food!

Bein' the Change

2007-06-04T08:37:00.000-04:00

"I am ready to share what I know and learn more from each new person I meet to help make a postive change for mother earth!" -- Christina-Alexa Liakos

Green Mountain's own Christina-Alexa Liakos has been chosen from over 1200 applicants to participate in Change It 07!

Sponsored by Greenpeace and Seventh Generation, this week-long activism training program will be held in DC in July and will bring together 200 student leaders working for positive environmental change. Congratulations, Christina! Have fun in DC!

We've Been Spotted!

2007-05-25T13:45:00.000-04:00

Green Mountain College is AASHE's current Member Spotlight. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education is the place for all things campus sustainability, and regularly highlights member instituions for their work in the field. If you're not receiving their Bulletin, you're already behind . . . so get over there and sign up!

Congraduations, Rock 'n' Rolinghouse!

2007-05-15T15:05:00.000-04:00

The Eagles have Commenced! But this week the Servin' it Up team isn't just bidding a fond farewell to a great group of senior Green Mountain students, we also have to say "goodbye" to our semester-long Sustainability Sidekick, Angela Olinghouse. Since she arrived at GMC in February, Angela has done a lot of great work on campus sustainability programs -- notably, with campus waste program assessment and outreach. Green Mountain College will continue to benefit from Angela's work on campus, and I am particularly grateful to have worked so closely with a fellow busser.

With her fourth-semester practicum in the bag, Angela will graduate this coming weekend with a Master of Science degree in Environmental Education from the Audubon Expedition Institute at Lesley University.

Congratulations, Angela!!
and a million thanks

. . . good where we've been,
good where we're going . . .

Women’s Studies Service-Learning Project = Success!

2007-05-01T15:49:00.000-04:00

Back: Christina-Alexa Liakos, Aurora Lenz-Watson,

Jessica Arnold, Kelsi Lessard, Molly Austin;

Front: Miles Cleary, Rebecca St. George, Professor Stefanie Wickstrom

So, way back in October I accosted Stefanie Wickstrom in the dining hall about making her Introduction to Women’s Studies class a service-learning course; I had the idea that her students could do outreach at Poultney High School focusing on body image issues and gender. After vigorously writing down these ideas on a piece of scrap paper, she agreed that this was something she was interested in pursuing. Neat-o!

This, my friends is the birth of a service-learning project! At first this baby is new and fresh and full of such wonderful possibilities, then time passes and you begin to grow weary of the unemployed adult that is living in your basement who insists they are a product of your gene pool. Needless to say, as things began to develop with the project the situation got a little...complicated.

I connected with two teachers at the high school who were interested in this type of education being integrated into their classes: one in a creative writing class and the other, a senior seminar class. Stefanie and I also agreed to expand options out to other community partners, one being the Poultney Oral History Project (OHP) and the other, upon request of a student in her class, Aurora, the Rutland Women’s Network and Shelter.

When being involved in a service-learning project where you are working with multiple community partners, it’s a juggling act. In no particular order, the following things must be in place when undertaking such an endeavor: work with a professor who is willing to be completely invested in the project. Luckily Stefanie is totally open to integrating innovative pedagogy so she was a breeze to plan things with. One must also determine the amount of time and during what time slots students will be willing and able to work. This was a tad tricky because this class met at 8 a.m. Eek! Stefanie had her students “in the field” or working on their projects in some way during multiple class-times throughout the semester. Another key ingredient is a willingness to be flexible!!! When you are juggling all these things, random situations are bound to occur. For instance the high school ended up having a snow-day during one a scheduled meeting time. This really jostled planning time for the high school groups.

However, this morning my adult-child living in my basement (yes, we’re still using this analogy) got a job and moved on out! Like any parent I wanted what is best for my child. Meaning, I wanted the ideal service-learning project: fulfilled a community need, was academically challenging and meaningful, and an overall good experience for all those involved. This morning, when the Women’s Studies class gave their presentations on their projects, I was pleasantly surprised! This is totally not to say that I didn’t think the individuals involved weren’t capable, but I was more so generally concerned about how all this coordinating would come together and also very concerned about whether or not the students found this to be useful to their understanding of Women’s Studies and gender issues generally speaking.

While we lost one group along the way because the students dropped the class, I would say, based on the presentations today, that the project was an overall success. The senior seminar teacher at the high school was impressed with the students who came to her class on many levels. The students in this group, Christina, Jessica, and Kelsi reported that the high school kids were a bit unresponsive to their presentation, but hey, they were presented some heavy stuff so I’m sure that they’ll need a bit of time to digest. The Oral History Project group conducted two successful interviews and opened up interest for further investigation on the subject of women’s roles at GMC and greater Poultney. Molly, Miles, and Rebecca had the opportunity to interview Rebecca’s grandma, who attended GMC when it was an all-women’s college, and long-time staff member Perry Moyer. And Aurora, who worked with the Women’s Shelter, not only got a very well-rounded understanding of domestic abuse issues, but volunteered her time to assist them where need be and also helped to deepen the relationship that GMC has with that organization.

The project turned out to be dynamic and innovative. These 7 students did a lot of great work!

Work Study

2007-04-23T11:43:00.000-04:00

Hello peeps. My name's Amber Sarubbi and i am one of Jesse's work study students. He has asked me to post here on what our office is like and what my job is all about.

Well the office can be summarized in a few short words: crazy, friendly, and productive. What can i say we are a bunch of fun loving people who have our moments of insanity in the busy world of service- learning. But somehow despite all the fun and moments of insanity a lot of work comes out of the office. This year we have aided in the rail trail clean up, mentoring program (which dawn organizes), Earth week events such as the natural dyes workshop (given by Angela), the slate valley mathematics competition, and a host of other events involving the community. I would go on but if i listed all the events we have been connected to you would get board and stop reading, the list is long. Basically we are the people who are getting stuff done for America and helping you get your service learning projects rolling. So if you have a project you want to do with community members (or have to do for one cor a class) our office is the place to find out whats going on. Stop in and talk with one of us. We don't bite, I promise.

As for my job in particular. Like I said I am Jesse's office grunt..... I mean work study. Just kidding about that Jesse. Officially the job is Service-learning Assistant but that doesn't tell you much about the job does it. So what is my job about? Well I do a lot of talking on the phone and a lot of typing. Basically I have been contacting community partners and recording what their needs are. That way when students come into the office looking for a service learning project or just a place to do community service we have a list of things you might be able to do. I'm also responsible for posting service events information around campus so you know whats going on. As well i attempt to maintain the two boards outside of Jesse's office with current information on Sustainability and Service-Learning. So along with copying and some filing that's my job.

Balance

2007-04-18T09:39:00.000-04:00

So this week Jesse has been nothing but a blur because he has been running around like crazy organizing events for Earth Week. This is not to say that Jesse isn't normally running around like crazy just trying to keep up with the demand of his job, but this week it has been kicked up into high gear.

On the other I have been having a semi-stressless week. The schools in town are on Spring Break so I haven't been able to be in contact with anyone on that end. This week has involved a lot of planning, mostly for events next week - the Mentor Club's end of the year celebration BBQ, Poultney High School seniors are coming down here for a campus tour and discussion with some of our students, and Jesse and I are looking into running some community service programs with the kids at the elementary school.

So, that's what's been going on in our office.

In other news one of the most AMAZING people in the universe is coming to visit: Kimmy Korona! She just so happens to be an alum of the GMC Progressive Program (shout out!) and one of my best friends! In addition to it being Earth Week, the campus is also hosting a Young Alumni Event in which graduates of the program since its transition to an Environmental College come back to network, visit, and drink free cocktails! Anyways, since Kimmy is super amazing, she was asked to come out here by the Progressive Program director, Heather Keith, to give a presentation to current members of the program on all the wonderful stuff she is doing with her life.

Since graduating Kimmy has received her M. Ed. from the International Institute for Humane Education through Cambridge College. And, in addition to running all sorts of workshops on the subject for that Institute, she works for the Humane Society in Detroit. Her and her squeeze are leaving right after work tonight and driving through the night to get here early tomorrow. We are going to a potluck dinner at Heather's place that evening then Friday is full of all sorts of young alum activities. I'm pretty stoked to say the least to spend time with my idol/bff!

And that's how we're servin' up this week!

Little Carbon Footprints, Big Giant Steps

2007-04-14T08:59:00.000-04:00

AND SHOUT OUT
www.stepitup2007.org
TODAY is a National Day of Climate Action!
And we want to know what you're doing to decrease impact and increase awareness.
~~~~~
Give a shout at Jesse in the Withey Lobby during dinner on Saturday or around campus earlier in the day.

Pure Southern Vermont Maple Fun

2007-04-12T17:25:00.000-04:00

Green Mountain students Nico (Miami) and Francis (Atlanta) came to help out at the pancake breakfast during the Poultney Maplefest a couple weeks back. I'm always pleasantly surprised when students show up on a Saturday morning for anything; these fellas just got an email from me and landed in the basement of the Methodist Church to serve something like 100 pancakes at 8am. It was a little bit early, but we had a buckwheat flippin' good time. Appearances were made (not quite as early) by GMC faculty, students, and President and Mrs. Brennan. I handed off the spatula early to head to Burlington with Dawn (read on).

Could you Surive?

2007-04-11T14:39:00.000-04:00

Last month the Serve & Sus office took a ride up to Burlington, and, while Angela roamed around town, Jesse and I helped to school some college students on poverty issues. The VISTA team, with much work from Kim, Kathy, and John (see VISTA pic below), hosted a successful statewide poverty simulation at University of Vermont.

The idea behind this project was to emphasize the lack of control low-income individuals and families have over their lives. The simulation works like this: participants are randomly assigned a family role ranging anywhere from a member of a family of four to living as a single senior citizen. The participants then have to "survive" a month; making sure bills get paid, the kids get to school, and, of course, avoiding (as much as possible) being oppressed by the system.

Obviously this activity is inherently flawed because nothing can simulate the fear and stress of those struggling to make ends meet, but it is a good prompt for productive conversation.

Sitting down in the background you can see "Servin' it Up's" own Jesse Pyles who, for the second time, took on the role of the Spanish-speaking grocer.

I participated as the Teacher's Assistant. Last time we got together to host the sim I was the teacher and it was the hardest job ever (very true to life if you ask me!). So, this time I assisted one of our volunteer staffers who was the Teacher in this sim.

One of my favorite parts of the whole experience was the talk that was given during the debriefing. A woman from C-CAN, The Center for Communities and Neighborhoods of Burlington, VT, came for the whole event to observe the activity and give a talk that focused specifically on poverty in Burlington. I can't remember her name (sorry!), but she was great and gave realistic advice on how to work on poverty issues in your community.

She explained that the reason she was doing her work in Burlington was because she feels that it is the one place where poverty can actually be eradicated. Because of the size of the population that is in poverty (350 families) and the social-services available in the area, it is realistic to think that poverty in this city can be eradicated.

This is me swooning over this woman's talk!!!! She was great and brought her son...the cutest little baby boy!

As part of her talk she gave a list on what types of environment a child could grow up in in order to help break the cycle of poverty. One that stood out strongly to me was that a kid should be raised in a home with at least 200 books! Perhaps the idea is that familiarizing a kid with books at a young age could possibly make knowledge more approachable later in life. Or, exploring a bookshelf at a young age will help to pique curiosity. Well, whatever the reasons, it will inevitably be the case for my kids.

VISTA*Team Storms the VT Statehouse!

2007-04-04T12:21:00.000-04:00

Here is a 'family' photo of the Vermont Campus Compact VISTA Team at the statehouse. You can find us at various collegiate locations "Getting things done for America!" Now that's homeland security!

I absolutley LOVE my other team members. They are all so motivated, in the mellow way, and fun to hang with. John in the blue has been our acting Team Leader for our year of service; a lovely man to "work for". I should also add that we are acting extra fancy-pantsy...ties are typically optional....

To getting things done!

Servin' it up . . . like whoa d'at!

2007-04-03T20:10:00.001-04:00

Dawn (right) and I (Jesse, left) run the Office of Service-Learning & Sustainability at Green Mountain College -- i.e., we get to hang out with the cool kids. If you work in the business office, students come to you to contest a bill. If you work in campus safety, they come to get out of a parking ticket. If you work in the classroom, they sometimes come to sleep.

If you work in our office, students come to you because they want to volunteer at the food shelf, or they want to run afterschool programs for town kids, or they want to get the solar panels on Withey up and running. In short, we coordinate a wide range of campus outreach, service, and environmental efforts.

But we don't do it all alone; other stellar members of our team include:

Sue Sutheimer, Director of Service-Learning
Angela Olinghouse, Sustainability Graduate Intern
Amber Sarubbi, Student Assistant, Extraodinaire

We're going to use this blog to keep you posted on happenings from our office. So if you stay tuned, you might find out:

why your VISTA enjoys the view in Poultney,
why we've imported a garbologist from Washington, and
how to dig in where you are and make a difference.