Sustainability Week to kick off Friday
Campus Sustainability Week at Grand Valley State University will start Friday with the fourth annual Sustainability Champions Awards Breakfast, celebrating individuals who support the ideals of sustainability both in practice and belief.
“We have about 40 percent of our waste being composted instead of winding up in a landfill,” said Steven Leeser, facility services operations supervisor.
These programs, he said, make the GVSU community more aware that waste can be broken down and reused.
Campus Dining and the GVSU sustainability department have made a huge impact on the composting effort, as a portion of the 248.8 tons of compost was even used in the Community Garden.
This year, the Sustainability Community Development Initiative will partner with Colin Beavan, otherwise known as the No Impact Man, to bring a different experience to CSW.
Beavan’s No Impact Experiment, GVSU’s theme for CSW, focuses on whether or not living a zero-impact lifestyle will lead to a happier existence.
Beavan lived completely without an environmental impact in New York City, eating locally-produced seasonal foods and using no elevators or electricity.
“Each day, we will focus on a specific aspect of life — trash, food, transportation, etc. — and will challenge you to reduce your impact in that area,” said Jenny Jordan, a graduate assistant in the Sustainable Community Development Initiative.
Monday will begin with a focus on trash. Tuesday will focus on transportation and feature a bicycle maintenance workshop. Wednesday will see a showcase of sustainable foods with a farmer’s market in the Kirkhof Center lobby.
Thursday’s emphasis is on energy, and water is the priority on Friday.
Peter Wampler, associate professor of geology at GVSU, will take students and faculty on a “ravine romp” and will also speak about storm water runoff. A service day on Saturday will give students and faculty an opportunity to volunteer together in the Grand Rapids community.
CSW wraps up with the Eco-Sabbath on Sunday. There will be hiking, yoga, meditation and sustainable snacks to wind down with after a full week of events.
“CSW is not meant to simply create awareness for one week, though,” Jordan said.
There have been sustainability efforts all semester leading up to CSW. At recent home football games, the Student Environmental Coalition has been picking up and recycling pizza boxes and plastic bottles to promote a more sustainable community.
Students are encouraged throughout the week to join in by attending movie screenings, panel discussions and other events such as free trade fairs that will be around campus for sustainability awareness.
“I think oftentimes people think about recycling and reducing energy consumption, but there is so much more that can be done individually,” said Andrea Marz, office coordinator of the Sustainable Community Development Initiative.
Marz points to eating seasonally, locally, and whole plant-based foods to replace resource-intensive animal-based foods.
“We recommend minimizing consumption, donating and re-purposing items that would otherwise be recycled or thrown away,” Marz said.
To learn more about Campus Sustainability Week, visit www.gvsu.edu/csw.
jrodriguez@lanthorn.com
- Blog Posts
- Comments
- Popular
- There is only room for one holiday DEC 4 | 68 COMMENTS
- 'We are not going to stop partying' (letter to the editor) NOV 9 | 21 COMMENTS
- Kappa Sigma smashes stress DEC 16 | 19 COMMENTS
- Letter to the readers DEC 8 | 17 COMMENTS
- Letter to the Editor: Confessions from a Disgruntle Member of the Church of Atheism APR 6 | 18 COMMENTS
- John Song on GV club creates electric cars while gaining skills
- Not Kevin on A beginner's guide to turning 21
- DIane on Review: 'Ovaries' inspires, empowers
- Nicole LaRae on A weekend at The Scheme
- Why on Practicality of charging stations questioned
- First impressions of Taipei FEB 6
Posted in: Notes from Abroad - Separated by technology FEB 1
Posted in: Back to School - The proposal JAN 29
Posted in: Notes from Abroad - Beyond a hop, a skip, and a jump: American suburb to Moroccan Medina JAN 23
Posted in: Notes from Abroad - Back to crowded buses and books JAN 22
Posted in: Back to School
Social Media
- Twitter (Sports)
- Twitter (A&E)
- YouTube
- Email Edition
- RSS Feeds
Puzzle Solutions
photos of the week - 01/23/12
GVL / Robert Mathews Junior Corey McEldowney using one of the fitness machines in the GVSU gym.
Read the article »
GVL Archive A dragon makes an appearance during a past Pacific Asian Heritage Celebration
Read the article »
GVL / Ally Young Hurdlers at the Mike Lints Alumni Open which took place Jan. 20th.
Read the article »
GVL Archive Senior Carly Bush
Read the article »
GVL / Robert Mathews Sophomore guard Breanna Kellogg drives the ball past a Hillsdale player during a previous game.
Read the article »
GVL / Bo Anderson GVSU Junior Colin Kammeraad cleans off his car before class
Read the article »
Upcoming Events
- Sun12
- Mon13
- Tue14
- Wed15
- Thu16
9:00 am | 12-Step Meeting
5:00 pm | 12-Step Meeting
All day | Meatless Monday
3:00 pm | 12-Step Meeting
All day | Grand Valley Journal of History- Accepting Submissions
All day | Now Showing: Alice in Wonderland
1:00 am | Recognition Awards Nominations!
8:00 am | PIC's Pics: A Study Abroad Photo Contest
3:00 pm | 12-Step Meeting
All day | Grand Valley Journal of History- Accepting Submissions
All day | Now Showing: Alice in Wonderland
1:00 am | Recognition Awards Nominations!
8:00 am | PIC's Pics: A Study Abroad Photo Contest
3:00 pm | 12-Step Meeting
All day | Grand Valley Journal of History- Accepting Submissions
All day | Now Showing: Alice in Wonderland
1:00 am | Recognition Awards Nominations!
8:00 am | PIC's Pics: A Study Abroad Photo Contest
Classifieds
In Housing / Roommates
- subleaser needed asap, FREE RENT INCLUDED THROUGH MAY!! FREE PARKING PASS INCLUDED AS
In Housing / Roommates
- Female roommate needed at 48 WEST for 2012-2013 school year. Rent is $445/month! 2nd
In Opportunities
- Seeking individuals who are self-motivated and would like to potentially graduate
Join the discussion
You Should Know:
Grand Valley Lanthorn reserves the right to remove any comment deemed racially derogatory, inflammatory, or spammatory. Repeat offenders may have their IP address banned from posting future comments. Please be nice.
Formatting Options:
- Links: "my link":my.url.com
- Bold: *something!*
- Italic: _OMG!_
0 Comments
Be the first to comment on this article!