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SUSTAINABLE SCOTS NEWSLETTER
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| Sponsored by the Macalester Sustainability Office | 02 July, 2012 |
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  Hello Everybody!
Fourth of July celebrations are a day away, so what better time do we have to think and reflect upon our sustainable behavior? Suzanne and Maria have arrived back from their two-week stint in Brazil, and have a lot of funny, interesting as well as more serious topics to share. Right now we are in the process of organizing orientation materials for the next batch of students, as well as updating our sustainability data and working on a lot of smaller projects. Drop by the sustainability office to learn more about the different things we work on here. Summer is already half-way through, and there are only a couple months left before the new school year begins! Thank you, and have a safe fourth of July!
Brendan Pierce
bpierce@macalester.edu
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Macalester News and Events!
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O'Sterity: How the Irish Thrived in Desperate Times
Friday, July 13th, 6:00 Reception, 6:30pm Program Begins
Saturday, July 14th, 7:00pm Program Begins
Both Events held in Weyerhauser, Board Room
The future holds daunting problems, such as peak oil, climate instability, and economic turmoil-the Long Emergency. Brian will examine ways in which people can actually thrive in sustainable ways during chaotic times. Please attend if you are interested in transition, traditional skills and cultures, homesteading, and an optimistic future. Free and open to all! Brian Kaller is a freelance journalist, former twin citian and vice-chair of FADA in County Kildare, Ireland, working on transition issues. He also has a delightful blog, Restoring Mayberry. Back to Top
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MacBike Open Shop
Thursday, July 5th, 2:00pm - 5:00pm Doty Basement, Bike Shop
MacBike is hosting Open Shop from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, July 5, in the bike shop (basement of Doty). Come by to get some help fixing up your summer ride. All students, faculty, and staff are welcome. Back to Top
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Rio de Janeiro - World Symposium
June 5th-6th, 2012 (Past Event)
Suzanne Hanson and Maria Langholz have recently returned from their trip to Brazil. They attended the World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities, an official parallel-conference to the larger Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The World Symposium was conducted in order to share and learn about sustainable development that is taking place across universities throughout the world, and to frame the need for integrated approaches towards sustainable development in higher education.
For some more information on the World Symposium, please visit the sustainability office symposium page. More about the trip to come soon!
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Energy-Saving Tips It's always a good idea to save energy, but somehow in February, the bill drives the message home. Fortunately, we have a few resources that could be very useful to you.
 First, you can borrow a Kill-A-Watt from the Sustainability Office. This funky little tool allows you to measure how much electricity individual appliances use. Use it to find the biggest electricity hogs in your house, then try to minimize your use of them to save money, and CO2 emissions. Or, compare the energy drawn by your computer when it's on, in stand-by, or shut down. Or, figure our if it's more energy efficient to use your stove or your microwave to heat up soup. Or... Also, if you haven't had them come by already, consider contacting the Home Energy Squad to look at ways to increase efficiency in your house. On visit, and they'll survey your house for potential energy leaks and do the necessary installations to fix them. Moreover, Xcel helps cover the cost, so you pay just the cost of materials, and the HEQ does the work that could have you saving hundreds of dollars a year. Interest piqued? Good. Check out their website to schedule an appointment.
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MacGrove Moves!
 The Macalester-Groveland neighborhood has a program to encourage biking and walking this summer. Get fit, save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion by challenging yourself to roll or stroll where you need to go. Residents everywhere, regardless of neighborhood, are invited to participate:
MacGrove Moves
MacBike, the Sustainability Office and WHAM would like to keep you informed about items of special interest to the Macalester community of bicyclists and alternative commuters.
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BicycleBenefits.Org
 Bicycle Benefits is self-described as "a progressive bicycling program designed to reward individuals and businesses for their commitment to cleaner air, personal health, and the use of pedaling energy in order to create a more sustainable community." By buying a $5.00 sticker, which you then attach to your bicycle helmet, you can get great discounts at participating businesses. The idea is to encourage more people to reexamine how they 'do transport' and make the move to a more sustainable, cost-efficient and healthy way of living.
For more information about participating businesses, including how to get the sticker, visit their Homepage.
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National League of Cities introduces the Sustainable Cities Institute
The National League of Cities (NLC) helps local governments and city planners build better communities, almost in a team-building fashion. They recently introduced the Sustainable Cities Institute (SCI) under their branch in order to 'catalyze, inform, celebrate and support the efforts of local government as leaders in advancing and strengthening the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of America's cities and towns.' The SCI will expand its efforts to bring the resources and information that communities need to encourage sustainable growth.
For more information on what they do, visit their Homepage.
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Internship and Grant Opportunities!
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Sustainability Small Project Fund
 Rolling Deadline The Sustainability Office has designated a portion of its funding to support small on-campus projects that promote sustainability through creative and innovative action. If possible, projects should encourage collaboration between staff, faculty, and students. An individual or group can apply for up to $1,000 in funding. Applications are rolling but funding is limited. Click HERE for the application.
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NEED HELP?
Contact the Sustainability Office We are located in Kagin Commons, 124. Email us: sustainability@macalester.eduEmail Sustainability Manager Suzanne Savanick Hansen: shansen2@macalester.eduSend one of your student workers to the Sustainability Student Worker Network! Assign one of your students to work on sustainability issues for your department and send the Sustainability Office their contact information. We will assist with project planning and connect them with a twice-a-month sustainability network meeting. * * * * * To submit something or make a correction to the Sustainable Scots Newsletter please contact: Maria Langholz - mlanghol@macalester.edu Brendan Pierce - bpierce@macalester.edu |
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