Sustainability and Finals Week: Never Fear, Pet Partners are Here a Little Longer!

Yes, finals week is upon us, and with that sometimes comes stress and looming deadlines, but fear not dear students, you will get through it! And if you are in need of a break, a way to de-stress and relax a bit, our lovely "Pet Partners" will be in the library again this week through June 13th! Nothing makes you smile like getting to be around one of these cuddly animals. What can be better for promoting sustainability and health during finals week than this?

E-books galore

Are e-books more sustainable than paper books?  Seems logical.  While you ponder that, here are some e-books on related subjects the library has received in the last month.  All available to you, full-text.

Crimes against nature : squatters, poachers,thieves, and the hidden history of American conservation

The Ecopoetry anthology

Green vs. green: the political,legal, and administrative pitfalls facing green energy production 

Human Dependence on Nature : How to Help Solve the Environmental Crisis.

Integrated forest biorefineries:challenges and opportunities

Methods of sustainability research in the social sciences

Soils and food security

The unending frontier: an environmental history of the early modern world 

Charging up at the library

Well, this is cool.  The Central Park Library in Santa Clara, California has a charging station for electronic cars.  Will more libraries get on board the e-mobile? 

"World Environment Day" is Today!

 I tend to like the practice of designating specific days for the purpose of being particularly mindful of certain significant things. I am a fan of birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, as well as days like Earth Day. And while I agree that generally it is wise to appreciate whatever it is these days are celebrating every day, (and not just once a year), I really enjoy days that are centered on deliberate and intentionally-focused celebration.

That being said, today is one of those days that makes me happy because beginning in 1972,  the United Nations started an annual "World Environment Day" celebration, and today happens to be this year's day, which also has the theme of "Think. Eat. Save."

"This year’s campaign rallies you to take action from your home and then witness the power of collective decisions you and others have made to reduce food waste, save money, minimize the environmental impact of food production and force food production processes to become more efficient." (from the unep.org website).

One thing worth checking out while you are thinking, eating, and saving, is what is happening here at Western. For more information, go to the Office of Sustainability's webpage that talks about food and operations, and you can learn quite a bit  about how Western is trying to accomplish our sustainability goal to "provide healthy and sustainable food and food services to campus." From the "Real Food Challenge," to "Viking Supported Agriculture," there are plenty of things happening for us to be excited about, today and every day!

Elemental this weekend

There will be a special showing of a new film about sustainability, June 8-9, at the Pickford here in Bellingham.  Here is the Facebook event page.

"ELEMENTAL is a visually striking and inspirational documentary which inter-weaves three remarkable eco warriors' stories from across the globe. Separated by continents yet sharing an unwavering commitment to protecting nature, the characters in this film each have their own unique path, personal challenges and deserved breakthroughs. When you have a chance, please review more info below and watch the trailer here."

Hans wants to talk to you about composting

 
I know the stereotype about monkeys is that they eat a lot of bananas, but Hans is actually more partial to citrus fruits himself. Sometimes he does need a little help peeling them, but one thing he always does, be it banana or tangerine, is compost his peels. You see, Hans knows that biodegradable food waste that ends up in a landfill does not decompose in the way we might think it does.

"This is not to say that no biodegradation occurs within a landfill...It does mean that easily compostable things, like paper or food scraps, are going to waste inside a landfill where they are entombed rather than broken down into valuable nutrients that could reenter the earth's life cycle." (--Amy Korst, from The Zero-Waste Lifestyle).

In case you are ever in the library looking for some way to make a difference when it comes to stopping your own food waste from going into a landfill, Hans wants you to know that there IS a compost bin inside Zoe's, so feel free to drop your compostable materials in there whenever you can. And know that if you do this, you will be making Hans one very happy sock monkey!

The Green Energy Fee Grant Program Awards Expo

 
The Green Energy Fee Grant Program Awards Expo was held on May 30, 2013 in the Academic West skybridge. It was a really wonderful event, and we enjoyed getting to hear about the range of amazing and creative projects that have happened as a result of the Green Energy Fee. This picture features participants related to various GEF sponsored projects, and the photo itself was taken by the Office of Sustainability's talented Zero-Waste Coordinator Jacob DeGuzman. (I "borrowed" it from the GEF Facebook page and posted it here so that I could encourage you to check out their page to see more awesome photos, and to learn more about the program.)