Sustainable food and water too

I hope you all know about the Hydration Station in Wilson Library (turn left when you leave Zoe's Bookside Bagels and keep walking until you see it on your right).  Besides a place to fill your water bottles we also have displays of information about sustainability activities on campus (contact Clarissa or Rob if you want to add something).  AND we have a small bookcase there with a themed assortment of books and videos.  Winter quarter the subject was sustainable design (the books on sustainable fashion were very popular).  This quarter: sustainable food.  You can check these books out so take one to lunch!

Connecting Communities

Often when we talk about sustainability, we talk about how communities can become more sustainable. What are the things we can do to help each other and how can these things help foster sustainability in our every-day lives?

The week of April 11th through April 18th at WWU is a special week devoted to highlighting some of the things that demonstrate how we at Western are "Active Minds Changing Lives," and sustainability is a common theme that runs throughout many of the activities planned during this period.

One such example of this is something sponsored by the Teaching-Learning Academy (TLA). In 2014, TLA proposed the creation of a trust-building event in response to the BIG question, “How do we ignite individual passion, purpose, and potential to co-create a culture of trust?” As a result, they come up with the idea of planning some activities to feature and highlight "Connecting Communities," and these upcoming events are also being featured as part of Active Minds Changing Lives Week.

 Connecting Communities Launch (Monday, April 13)

Faculty and staff may drop by Wilson Library 270 anytime between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to learn how they can volunteer with various organizations within Whatcom County. Individuals will also have an opportunity to sign up for a service event on Friday, April 17. Light refreshments will be served.

Connecting Communities Day of Service (Friday, April 17)

On Friday, April 17th, faculty and staff may join their colleagues in a day of service. This is also a wonderful opportunity to use Community Service Leave available for Professional staff and classified staff. Service projects are available on- and off-campus, and can select from a variety of volunteer sites. Projects range from creating a short film for the Family Meals Project, to assisting Tara Perry’s class with assembling backpacks for the homeless. For a full list of service projects, please see the TLA events page. 

The new Federal Sustainability Plan

The White House has just announced a new federal plan for sustainability.   "This new sustainability plan for the next decade directs federal agencies to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025. That means big cuts to the dangerous emissions driving climate change – and also big savings. In addition to 21 million metric tons of emission reductions – the same as taking 4.2 million cars of the road for a year — achieving this goal will save taxpayers up to $18 billion in avoided energy costs between 2008 and 2025,"

Have you seen the CEDAR?

I don't think we have talked about CEDAR here.  CEDAR is WWU's institutional repository, which is library jargon for a digital storeroom for a university's research products.

Articles and books by professors, staff, and sometimes students are easily accessible through CEDAR.  The coolest part is that if you go to the CEDAR page you can watch - in real time! - as people all over the world download research done at Western.   A writer friend of mine in New York called it "a slow video game for nerds," and admitted she watched it way too long.

But this is a blog about sustainability, so, here are the top five most-downloaded articles if you search CEDAR for: sustainability

The Impact of the Recent Global Financial Crisis on Microfinance Sustainability
 

Planning for the sustainability of SeaTac airport 

Clean, green, and not so mean: Can business save the world? 

Central Puget Sound Regional Open Space Strategy: Illuminating the value of open space in advancing urban sustainability 

Post-construction evaluation of waterfront (re)development in the Salish Sea

See you in the spring!

Have a happy, sustainable spring break!  Read something fun, too! 

Recyclemania!

I am not usually big on competitive inter-school sports, but I could get into this one.

Wilson Library and Sustainability

Carol Berry from Western's Office of Sustainability presents the Tutoring
 Center with their award, February 2015.

On February 5th, the Tutoring Center and the Map Collection, both housed in Wilson Library, were awarded "Sustainable Office Certification." The Sustainable Office Certification program (SOC) is offered through Western's Office of Sustainability, and participation in the program creates opportunities for departments and offices here at Western to protect the environment, conserve resources, and promote safety and health through the measurement and recognition of sustainable practices that are adopted in the workplace. 

Members of the TLA Team receiving their award in 2013.

The Map Collection was first inspired to pursue Sustainable Office Certification after both Western Libraries Circulation Services and the Teaching-Learning Academy (TLA) achieved certification in 2013. The recent certification of both the Tutoring Center and the Map Collection has subsequently inspired other Learning Commons partners and library departments to also consider participating in this program. 

"I would love it if we could take a look at certification for all of the areas of the library and Learning Commons in both Wilson Library and Haggard Hall. It would be great if we could come together and do this in a unified way, and perhaps even become a model for other buildings on campus to work towards," said Map Collection Manager, Dennis Matthews.

Members of the Map Collection with their award, February 2015.

There are resources and toolkits available online through the Office of Sustainability for anyone who is interested in participating in this program. Matthews explained that the certification process is very straightforward, and that the checklist helps participants become more aware of easily-adoptable small actions which turn into natural habits.
In using the checklist, Map Collection staff were able to recognize sustainable practices they had already adopted, as well as identify new practices that could easily be implemented.

"There were some things already done for us, like the lights in the Map Collection already being connected to motion sensors, but there were other things we realized we could implement easily, like printing double-sided, turning off our monitors, little things like that. Carol Berry in the Office of Sustainability was really helpful, as were the TLA students who also advised us," stated Matthews.

An example of artists Emma Nestvold's art,
 made from discarded maps

Other operational practices in the Map Collection include recycling, using compostable materials, and "up-cycling" maps that would otherwise have been discarded. Maps that are not needed in the Map Collection are first offered to other libraries located both regionally and globally, and then leftover maps are given away to the public. Students at Western have been particularly innovative with these maps, using them for decoration, wrapping paper, and even art projects. Several years ago, a student and artist named Emma Nestvold transformed some of these maps into beautiful works of art that were on display in one of the library art galleries.

While there are a number of benefits to participating in the Sustainable Office Certification Program, one of the positive outcomes that many people may not expect is that participation in the program can also help instill a sense of meaning, purpose, and connection in the everyday actions and routines that make up our daily work-lives.

"When you participate in this program, you not only become more aware of your environment, but also of how your actions affect and connect you to others. It helps you build a sense of community because you feel like you are working towards something a little bit bigger than yourself," stated Matthews.

Click here to learn more about the SOC Program.