Sustainability Office
Kagin Commons
1600 Grand Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
651-696-8138
Comments & questions to:
sustainability@macalester.edu

about us
   

Sustainability Office Mission Statement The mission of the Sustainability Office is to act as a resource for encouraging and enabling the advancement of sustainability across campus.  It does this by: helping to form connections between students, staff, faculty and the senior administration creating and supporting campus communication structures acting as a central hub of information on sustainability supporting sustainability projects and policies The Sustainability Office works in conjunction with and under the oversight of the Sustainability Advisory Committee.

The Sustainability Office is located in Kagin Commons. Suzanne Savanick Hansen is the Sustainability Manager and she works with six student workers.  Student workers across campus are also involved in the Sustainability Student Worker Network, where up to 25 students workers in 11 different departments work on sustainability issue across the campus.  Natalie Locke '10 and Matt Kazinka coordinate the network.  The group meets every other week in the evening.

STAFF

Suzanne Savanick Hansen, Sustainability Manager - Suzanne earned her Ph.D. in conservation biology from the University of Minnesota, a master's degree in environmental management from Duke University, and a bachelor's degree in geology from Carleton College.  She developed the Sustainable Campus Initiative at the University of Minnesota and most recently worked for the Science Education Resource Center and as a visiting professor at Carleton College.  Her previous experience includes working for the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance and serving as an elected supervisor of the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District.  She also currently serves on the Forum of Women in the Environmental Field's Board of Directors.  When she is not at work, she cross country skis, canoes, and tries to keep a garden alive at her family's farm in southern Minnesota.

Click here for information on Former Staff.

STUDENT WORKERS

Click here for student worker projects.

Click here for information on Former Student Workers.

	Anna-Kay Brown Job:  Social Justice Coordinator/ Sustainability Office Who I Am:  Fun, bubbly Jamaican with a passion to end inequality, discrimination and corruption in all societies. I am most happy spending time with God, my family, and riends as well as helping others. What Jobs/Projects I am Working On:  I am new to the Sustainability Office, however, my vision for the school year is to facilitate an integrated approach to development such that student organizations develop a rounded view of social justice and sustainability; become more in sync with the initiatives of the sustainability office ( and vice versa); and in general develop strong relations with each other around the idea of social justice and sustainability.  As such, I will collaborate with a number of organizations on various social justice and sustainability initiatives. Goals:  1.  To assist developing countries in realizing the marriage between social justice and sustainability in their development initiatives.  2.  To help Macalester recognize the difficulties with sustainability and social justice and to discover effective ways to tackle these challenges; to move from advocacy into action accounting for the whole picture.  3.  To assist global society in becoming honest, selfless and forward thinking; to extricate society from the shackles that bound our minds and bodies.
	Pukitta Chunsuttiwat '15 Job:  Sustainability Office Assistant Who I Am:  I am a sophomore student from Thailand. I major in Economics and Asian Studies and have a very strong desire to minor in environmental science. Projects:  I work on publication such as main board, bulletin board, daily piper, tabling, poster and other stuff relating to campus out reach; basically trying to make our office and sustainability at Mac more visible. I will also be working with Recycle Mania project and other campus related activities. Goals:  I focus on economics and environmental science. I have a strong belief that the concept of efficient resource allocation of economics actually closely related with sustainability. I want to see people think about sustainability in their daily basis and to get more student involved with events about sustainability on campus. I plan to bring all the knowledge and experience I gain from Macalester back to Thailand. I want to focus on sustainable agriculture and trade.
	Erin Daly '14 Job:  Grounds Crew Sustainability Worker Who I am:  Junior Environmental Studies and Geography major from Weedsport, NY. Projects:  Writing a series of articles relating Grounds to the sustainability theme of the month, working on monitoring the amount of water used in newly planted "sustainable landscape" areas in conjunction with the sustainable landscape master plan. Goals:  I would love to see a greater portion of the student body (and community members for that matter) thinking more actively about how they can be sustainable. I would just like to see our community consume less and recognize the hidden impacts of our wasteful actions.
	Jessica Del Fiacco '16 Job:  Library Office- Student Aide Who I Am:  I am a first-year student from Northwestern Wisconsin. Projects:  I collect and sort the paper from various locations and then deliver it to Document Services to be made into Onesies. Goals:  To make recycling easier and more common than throwing things away.
	Wouter Hammink '14 Job:  ITS Sustainability Worker Who I Am:  I'm an easily overwhelmed Dutch-American quickly realizing I'm still not sure what I want to do with my future.  I'm studying Political Science and Environmental Studies, and I love to sit outside thinking about how their respective realms love to hate each other. Projects:  I'm interested in reducing paper use on campus in my one semester on the committee.  I want to work more with faculty to encourage decreased paper consumption and to allow individual members of the Macalester community to see their printing statistics in an effort to curb consumption. Goals:  On a campus scale, I want to see Macalester embrace the digital era and go completely paperless!  How cool would that be?!  More largely, I want to see a reduction of our dependence on non-local food sources and genetically modified food products.
	Claire Henkel '13 Job:  Waste coordinator in the Sustainability Office Who I Am:  I am a senior Sociology major and Environmental Studies minor from Lexington, Kentucky. Projects:  This year I am working on the outreach and organization of the composting program that's to be implemented this January. Goals:  My goal is to make composting an easy and accessible option thereby reducing the campuses waste dramatically.
	Joseph Huber '15 Job:  Bike Share Coordinator/Alternative Transportation Outreach Coordinator Who I am:  I am from St. Louis, Missouri and am a sophomore here at Mac!  I am majoring in Geography and Economics and am passionate about biking and exploring the Twin Cities area. Projects:  I help keep the Bike Share on campus running smoothly and work on cool projects in the Macalester community.  I am interested in making mass transit and active transportation modes more accessible to the Macalester community and surrounding neighborhoods. Goals:  I dream of a well-balanced transportation system for the Twin Cities, complete with a large portion of commuters walking, biking, ridesharing, and riding mass transit.  I hope to extend all of these modes to the Macalester community in particular!
	Kate Keleher '13 Job:  Purchasing Sustainability Student Worker Who I Am:  I'm a Macalester senior from Boston majoring in International Studies and minoring in English and Environmental Studies.  If I'm not cooking, choreographing, working at an Afghani restaurant, writing, laughing at my own puns, biking, or pretending to speak Dutch with my friends, I'm probably spending quality (Daily) time with my boyfriend, Jon Stewart. Projects:  After working in Facilities as the Zero Waste Coordinator and the Sustainability Office as the Student Worker Network Coordinator, I'm looking forward to tackling our campus' inefficiencies from yet another perspective.  In Purchasing, I hope to focus on the material details of daily life at Macalester, share the story of commodities' origins and destinations, and make realistic, lasting changes where I can. Goals:  I wish for transparency.  If commodities could talk, what stories would they tell?  What are my actions' consequences?  I suspect this knowledge would redefine the choices of my everyday life.
	Maria Langholz '14 Job: Sustainability Student Worker Coordinator Who I Am: I’m a Junior Environmental Studies major, with a core in Applied Mathematics, and minor in Psychology. I still am unsure if I’m a city or small town person: I was born in St. Paul (and love this place dearly), but I lived on Lake Superior, in a town of 8,000, for most of my growing up. This dichotomy is quite evident in the activities I enjoy: running, cooking, wandering through downtown spaces, talking to new people, traveling (especially through Central and South America), and collecting cook books. Projects:  One of major projects for this year is the complete renewal of our website! I’m super excited to do this, as I believe it will help us tell everyone about the awesome stuff going on in the world of sustainability. Also, I am keen on pursing our goal of tying internationalism and sustainability in a more purposeful manner than has been done in the past. This is extremely important on the Macalester campus, as we have a strong-based appreciation for internationalism and multiculturalism. Goals: Both now and in the future, I want to be a part of creating a better understanding of the benefits to living in a sustainable way. I want to eliminate the often-synonymous understandings of being environmentally friendly versus sustainability minded. I believe creating a distinction between these ideas will help to expand the appeal of sustainability. Sustainability is more than the environment- it is also a matter of being socially responsible (loving people) and economically conscious (being smart with money and saving it when you can!).
	Zhe Yu Lee '15 Job:  Sustainability Office - Education Who I Am:  I am a sophomore Environmental Studies and Geography double-major from Singapore. Projects:  Improving awareness of global happenings in the world of sustainability, working with the Sustainability Advisory Committee to re-invigorate sustainability initiatives on campus and institutionalize sustainability through strategic planning Goals:  I want people to realize the importance of integrating Sustainable Development into institutions of higher education. Sustainability should be part of the culture of Macalester’s campus, not just something we do on the side.
	Samilee Moody '13 Job:  Sustainability Network Coordinator in Facilities Who I Am:  I'm a Minneapolis-area native and a senior Physics/Astronomy major with a studio art minor. Not much else to say; I like coffee and vegetables, and one of my friends told me I have a Finnish soul (despite my lack of physical or genetic connection to Finland). Projects:  I'm hoping to get a nice little greenhouse for MULCH, and possibly continue my work on improving the Free Swap. Goals:  I want to make fresh, local vegetables more accessible for people everywhere!
	Erin Porter '16 Job:  Library Office Student Aide Who I Am:  I am a first year student from Aztec, New Mexico. I am a big proponent of creating sustainability in our communities, and in high school I helped create a program for recycling computer paper in my school. I love the wonderful outdoors and traveling. I am currently undecided on a major, but I am considering something in the Humanities or possibly International Studies. Projects:  I am currently part of the sustainability team in the library, and I work with the team on the Onesies project as well as other projects in the library. Goals:  In the long-term, my goal is to help dramatically decrease the amount of paper printed in the library and around campus, though helping Macalester become more sustainable in general would be wonderful too. I am also seeking to spread knowledge of sustainability practices to the community and beyond.
	Gabby Queenen '15 Job:  Zero Waste and Recycling Coordinator Who I Am:  I am currently a sophomore at Macalester and I am majoring in Environmental Science and Political Science with a Spanish minor.  I am from Bedford, Massachusetts and I am from a close-knit North Eastern family that loves the outdoors. Projects:  As a Zero Waste and Recycling Coordinator, my focus will be on developing a Zero Waste mentality here at Macalester.  I'm hoping to develop some student led projects that will allow for student engagement in volunteering for recycling initiatives as well as increased education for the student body with regards to the initiatives Macalester has already worked so hard to create. Goals:  My vision for Macalester is a campus that promotes a sustainable lifestyle.  I would love to see a campus that incorporates sustainability into every aspect of student and faculty life with ease, from accessible composting units on campus to greener technology use from all departments.
	Anne Serra '14 Job:  Sustainability Office Assistant Who I Am:  I am a junior Biology major with Environmental Studies and Chinese minors. I LOVE ANIMALS! Projects:  This year I will be working on the greenhouse gas emissions inventory, STARS, and getting composting on campus. Goals:  My goal is to organize and analyze all our data so that we can upload all of this information to the Macalester website for everyone to view. I also hope to help make the introduction of composting on campus as smooth as possibly.
	Mark Skopec
	Emma Stout '15 Job:  Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Facilities Department Who I am:  I'm a sophomore Environmental Studies major from Roseville, Minnesota. On campus, I'm involved with the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, as well as an organization called Food Roots. This summer I worked as a teacher intern at Breakthrough Saint Paul. Projects:  I'm interested in developing programs to educate members of the community about how to reduce energy consumption at Mac. Goals:  In my ideal world, everyone would have access to clean air and water and healthy, organic food.
	Emily Sylvestre '16 Job:   Sustainability Assistant Who I am:  I am a freshman from Minneapolis, Minnesota and I am very interested in conservation and global sustainability. I also love to run, swim, bike, backpack, sing, read, and canoe whenever possible! Projects/Jobs:  I am planning Earth Day at Mac this year as well as helping publicise the sustainability office’s Monthly Themes from the sustainability initiatives proposed by the UN at the Rio+20 conference. I also just do small jobs around the sustainability office and help out in any way I can! Goals:  For the world to develop sustainably and for the US (Macalester included) to be a world leader in green energy and conservation.
	Sabrina Upadhyay '14 Job:  Sustainability Assistant Who I Am:  Hi there!  My name is Sabrina and I am from Switzerland. I love to dance and enjoy travelling. Projects:  I work on carbon emissions data but am also interested in recycling and reducing consumption. Goals:  I would love to see Macalester become a school of zero waste and be powered by renewable energy.  It would be a dream come true for it to be applied to the world.
	Karen Weldon '14 Job:  Food Sustainability Worker Who I Am:  I’m a junior Environmental Studies major from Norman, Oklahoma, who loves food!  If I’m not eating curry, baking granola, or taking out the compost, chances are you’ll find me browsing cookbooks, shopping at farmers’ markets or Asian groceries, reading Michael Pollen and Wendell Berry, or advocating for a more sustainable food system.   Aside from my great appetite for everything food, I also enjoy traveling Japan, playing in orchestras, drawing from models, taking walks with friends, and collecting postcards. Projects:  This year, I’m continuing a newspaper series on Café Mac workers, working to get the President’s Real Food Campus Commitment enacted, running the Real Food Calculator, reducing waste through Clean Plate Days, and beginning a campaign for meatless Mondays. Goals:  I envision Macalester as a place where all food comes from sustainable, fair, and humane sources. Solar ovens and wind power will cook our meals and power our dishwashers.  Food packaging will all be reusable.  Food waste will be minimal, and will be used to feed the resident pigs.  Side lawns will be converted into “eat the lawn” veggie gardens, and rooftops will sprout orchards.

Macalester College · 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105  USA · 651-696-6000
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