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Welcome to the September WSU Sustainability Newsletter!
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Empower Northern Utah Light Bulb Exchange Underway
The Weber State University sustainability team and its partners will host their newest community program this fall: Empower Northern Utah is a no-cost light bulb exchange focused on improving energy efficiency and cutting resident utility bills. The Exchange takes place every Wednesday and Saturday. It began on September 11 and will run as long as supplies last. About 500 bulbs will be available at each exchange date. You may participate in the Exchange by bringing up to 15 incandescent and/or CFL bulbs to one of the following locations:
· WSU Community Education Center at 2605 Monroe Blvd., Ogden, Wednesdays 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
· Weber County Library main branch at 2464 Jefferson Ave., Ogden, Saturdays 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Students may also exchange their bulbs on the Ogden campus, Thursdays starting September 12th through November 21st (excluding October 10th), from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the Shepherd Union atrium with the Environmental Ambassadors.
You may also learn about other no-to-low-cost ways to improve energy-efficiency in your home and how these actions affect our climate and air quality while cutting utility costs.
The light bulb exchange is open to all community members. By exchanging 15 bulbs, residents can cut upwards of $100 per year from their power bill! Empower Northern Utah is the latest program in Weber State Sustainability’s efforts to bring sustainability programs to low-income and underserved populations in the community. In addition to both the energy and monetary savings for those who need it most, this program helps get everyone in our communities involved in and benefitting from being more environmentally conscious.
For more information about the Empower Northern Utah Light Bulb Exchange, visit weber.edu/Empower
New Sustainability Attribute (SUS) Available for Courses
The SUS attribute is now available for faculty to indicate that their course or section of a course addresses sustainability, broadly defined, in some way. A course may focus on a vast array of issues, topics, and approaches in environmental, social, and/or economic aspects of sustainability. This attribute was approved by the Faculty Senate in Spring Semester 2019 and will first appear with courses for registration in Spring 2020. The deadline for faculty to apply for the SUS attribute for spring classes is October 1. The application process is simple – three steps. The “Why, What, and How” of the attribute and all necessary links to apply can be found here.
WSU at the United Nations Conference
WSU students, faculty, staff, and alumni participated in the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference during the first week of the semester, showing their commitment to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, including quality education and climate action. The theme of this Civil Society Conference focused on Sustainable Development Goal 11, "Building Inclusive and Sustainable Cities and Communities," with Salt Lake City hosting as a great example of how to meet this goal. The conference is traditionally held at UN Headquarters, but the 2019 Conference here in Salt Lake City was the first time the event was held in the United States outside of New York. UN officials chose Salt Lake City as host because of its unprecedented efforts to become a more sustainable and inclusive community. This event was an amazing opportunity for the Northern Utah community to host a global community of change-makers, to learn from them, connect with them, and work together on global issues regarding sustainability and inclusion in our societies.
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Sustainable Clubs Update
Joining EA is a great way to get engaged on campus and to make long-lasting connections as well as helping to make these projects a reality! Get involved by participating in our weekly club meetings, held Wednesdays at 3:30pm, and help execute our volunteer and educational outreach events. (Some classes you take may require you to complete a certain number of service/volunteer hours, and the Environmental Ambassadors will provide you many valuable opportunities to get these hours).
Student Light Bulb Exchange
The Student Light Bulb Exchange has started (and will continue through November until we run out of light bulbs)! If you have any incandescent or CFL light bulbs, you may exchange them for LEDs FREE.
"If every household in America switched to all LEDs, the country would save over $14 billion in utility costs every year, according to a recently published New York Times article. Changing a light bulb is an easy way to save money and help ensure a healthy, livable climate for current and future generations." Bonnie Christensen from SPARC at WSU.
Stop by our table on Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon in the Shepherd Union Building to exchange your light bulbs. Or, if you're hoping to get volunteer/service hours, you can help us table, which entails promoting our light bulb exchange and encouraging other students to get involved. Just email me the dates and times you would like to table and I will get you signed up.
Dates for September tabling:
- Wednesday, September 18th, 00 am - 12:30 pm in the SU building
- Thursday, Sept 26th, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm in the SU building
To see more dates on tabling and other sustainability-related events, please visit our Sustainability Calendar: https://www.weber.edu/sustainability/events
Fall Tree Planting
This fall’s Tree Planting will be held on Thursday, September 19th, 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm, west of the A7 parking lot by the Swenson Gym. Come help us plant beautiful trees with WSU Landscapers, get volunteer hours, and make friends!
Remember to bring your reusable water bottle!
Compost Bin Workshop
For our next meeting on September 25th, Grayson Hodge, who looks over our WSU Community Garden, will provide a Compost Bin Workshop for us in Tracy Hall room 348. This workshop will be held at two different times to accommodate everyone's busy schedules. Please fill out the doodle poll ASAP on times that you are committed to attend so we can prepare enough materials for you all! :)
Doodle poll: https://doodle.com/poll/sgeuau8a68vrt764
Youth Climate Strike in Ogden
On Friday, September 20th, Ogden City youth and allies will be gathering together to march and strike for climate change action. We will be joining millions across the globe, demanding climate justice for everyone.
We will gather at the sidewalk in front of Union Station at 12pm and march upwards on 25th street. By holding this demonstration we are hoping to make a statement that Ogden residents recognize the urgency to act on climate change and the need for leaders who fight for a livable future for all.
Contact Urbina.aimee@gmail.com or nathanhole@weber.edu for questions.
Community Garden
The Weber State Community Garden, which is student-managed and operated, is back and better than ever! As of this summer, the garden has been renovated and produced fruits and vegetables all summer. The garden is located south of Wildcat Village (map below). Food from the garden is donated to the Weber Cares Food Pantry and within the local community. The garden offers opportunities to learn home gardening, composting, and plant care. Volunteers gain practical experience working in a horticultural setting and receive the first pick of produce.
Clubs and organizations are welcome to volunteer in the garden if they are seeking service hours. There is still and will always be work to be done.
A special thanks to the Weber State Energy and Sustainability office for financing the renovation and Borski Farms for providing all the seeds and starts this year. Contact Grayson Hodge to get involved today!
EV Charging Stations and Solar Pavilion
Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are currently available in WSU lots A1, A2, and A6. Anyone with any level of WSU permit may park in these spaces as long as they are charging. Charging time is limited to three hours and the cost is 35 cents per hour. When you arrive at the station, easy instructions for downloading and using the EV station app are available.
As these are some of the best parking spots on campus, stations are becoming increasingly popular; however, parking in A1 is still frequently open. Be sure to continue using the stations so we can keep adding them to campus.
WSU has also installed the first of two solar-powered pavilions, located between the Shepherd Union Building and the Stewart Library. The Engineering, Applied Science and Technology (EAST) Concept Center designed the systems. Students may enjoy lunch while utilizing the sun to power laptops, phones, and other electronic devices.
Drop in to the Speaker Series “Climate Change & Utah’s Future”
Tuesdays, 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in Lindquist Hall, room 280
Come learn from experts in the field about Utah's changing climate and what that means for Utah with respect to water, agriculture, education, energy, cities, recreation, economy, population, and more.
Upcoming sessions:
Sept 24 - HEALTH and climate change, "Populations of Concern," presenter Royal Delegge, director of the Environmental Health Division, Salt Lake County Health Department, LH 280
October 1- "Climate Change Theater Action" and the role of the arts, Jenny Kokai and students, WSU Department of Theater (location TBA)
October 8 - Climate Change Education in Utah: A panel presentation by Dr. Dan Bedford, WSU Dept. of Geography; Dr. Adam Johnston, WSU Dept. of Physics; Richard Scott, Utah State Board of Education
Faculty, staff, students, and community members are all welcome to attend all sessions. This course runs over the lunch hour, making it a perfect time to bring a lunch and enjoy the discussion.
Ecopoetic Salon Information
Based in the mountains of northern Utah, the Ecopoetic Salon is a series of public programs in environmental arts with a focus on what Stephen and Rachel Kaplan have called “attention restoration.” This collaborative effort grew out of the Anthropocene Working Group at Utah State University and is based in the Ogden Valley. Musicians, poets, artists, naturalists, tribal leaders, and activists help lead our soundwalks, teach our workshops, and bring music to life outdoors. Workshops, held at the public library in Huntsville, include Documentary Earth Arts, Writing in Place, Gap Gardening: Eco-vocation, Research as Material Inquiry, and Outside Songwriting. Guest workshop leaders help participants take slow time with materials and learn to show their care for the Earth in concrete forms.
Upcoming events include a Writing in Place workshop on Oct. 5 and several soundwalks (led by naturalist Jack Greene, poets Joel Long and Heidi Hart, and Northwest Shoshone tribal chairman Darren Parry) to deepen attention to the natural world, on Pineview Reservoir, Antelope Island, and the Bear River Massacre Site. Musical events such as Wind Harp Days foster closer listening to Earthly sounds, human and otherwise. All events are free and open to the public. For a detailed schedule, see www.ecopoeticsalon.net or contact coordinator Heidi Hart at heidihart@weber.edu.
Stormwater Mindfulness
To keep our water and environment clean, proper disposal of hazardous waste is essential. The University’s Storm Water Management Program Plan (SWMP) describes the best management, measurable goals, target dates, and program rationale. Weber State University’s SWMP was most recently updated in 2018. Community members can play a role in the quality of fluid in the storm drain system.
Remember! Only rain down the drain:
· Conduct vehicle maintenance in a proper place, not in a parking lot.
· Clean up drips and leaks promptly.
· Keep in mind: all oils, including edible oils, are an environmental hazard
· Store oil containers inside secondary containment. If you store several containers of oil, provide enough containment for at least one entire container.
· Store containers out of the flow of traffic.
· Tightly close containers when you are not using them.
· Make everyone in the area aware of what is stored and how to respond to a spill.
· Have a spill response kit available in the event of an accident.
For Information about household hazardous waste or to find proper disposal locations please visit:
Utah Safety Council's guide for disposal of household hazardous waste http://www.utahsafetycouncil.org/uploads/PDFs/Household-Hazardous-Waste(1).pdf
Davis County Health Dept. household hazardous waste website http://www.co.davis.ut.us/health/environmental-health-services/resources-information/household-hazardous-waste
As part of the Stormwater Management Plan, Weber State University prohibits the commencement, conduct, or continuance of any illegal, non-storm water discharge to the storm drain system. Pollutants include, but are not limited to, the following:
· Household hazardous wastes (kitchen and bathroom cleaners, etc.)
· Oil or other fluids from motor vehicles
· Pet waste
· Trash, litter, or debris such as grass clippings
· Construction site-generated pollutants (concrete washout, sediment)
Contact Weber State’s Stormwater specialist, Drew Hodge, at 801-549-7544, for more information on storm water pollution prevention or any of the following:
· To submit questions or comments on the University’s Storm Water Management Plan
· To report construction site-related pollution concerns such as sediment tracking onto streets
· To report outdoor spills, illegal dumping, or other illicit discharges threatening storm drains
Green Department Program Update
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Kyia Hill
Green Dept. Program Manager
801-626-1234
Kyiahill@weber.edu
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Sergey Akhmehov
Green Dept. Intern
College of EAST
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Nicole Kingsley
Green Dept. Intern
College of Science
Welcome Kyia Hill, WSU’s New Green Department Program Manager!
The Energy and Sustainability Office (ESO) is fortunate to have been awarded an AmeriCorps position again this year. We welcomed Kyia Hill in May to help manage the Green Department Certification Program and the 76 departments within it. Kyia is a recent graduate from WSU with a B.S. in geography (environmental studies emphasis) and a minor in botany. As a student for the past three years, she has been working in the ESO as the student sustainability coordinator and president of the Environmental Ambassadors, assisting the previous Green Department Program Manager, Kayla, with the certification program. Kyia is excited that this position will give her additional educational, outreach, and communication experience and, better yet, an opportunity to work with all of you to help you achieve your green goals.
Welcome the Green Department Program Interns!
With 76 departments participating in the Green Department Certification Program, ESO was fortunate to receive funding from five colleges at WSU to hire interns to assist with monitoring and advising the Green Department Program.
College of EAST: Sergey Akhmedov
My name is Sergey and I am a mechanical engineering major. Outside of school, I enjoy working on cars, building computers, and generally tinkering with things. For my future, I am hoping I can continue with my fascination to tinker and work hands-on with engineering problems. Nothing is more satisfying than solving a problem using your own methods, and that is why I got into sustainability. Through classes here at WSU, I have learned that sustainable living is the best way to live, and it starts with the individual. I am excited to bring my enthusiasm for sustainability to the college of EAST, and to work with others who share my ideals. This internship will allow me to network with professors and faculty who have experience in the fields I want to have a career in, and, working together, we can help Weber State reach its carbon neutral goal!
College of Science: Nicole Kingsley
I am the College of Science Green Department Intern and am a junior majoring in applied environmental geosciences. Outside of work and school, I enjoy yoga, climbing at The Front Climbing Gym, walking dogs for Wag, camping, and hiking with my boyfriend, Kade, and dog, Lola. Future aspirations and goals include helping incorporate sustainable practices into city planning through integration of processes of the natural world. I became motivated to practice sustainability when I realized how much trash humans produce and wanted to better our planet, starting with the communities closest to me, in and outside of WSU.
We still have three Green Intern positions open. For more information or to apply: https://jobs.weber.edu/postings/9019
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences: OPEN
College of Health: OPEN
College of Arts & Humanities: OPEN
