For those of us that weren’t able to make it, keep an eye out for the pictures we will be posting this weekend. Until then, you can take photo tour at Merry Lea’s site: http://www.goshen.edu/merrylea/education/webmap/map.html

The majority of our visit was spent at Rieth Village (featured left) which is an ecological field station for undergraduate programs and a fascinating model in sustainable design. Rieth Village was designed and constructed with a strong commitment to sustainability, successfully meeting the highest standards of the LEED rating system. The village consists of two cottages, which provide housing for up to 32 students and a third cottage which currently serves as the initial classroom and office building. This is the page for Reith Village: http://www.goshen.edu/merrylea/rieth/index.php

During the course of our visit, Merry Lea’s Executive Director, Luke Gascho, described many aspects of the design and implementation process for the center, facilitated a discussion between the IU, Purdue, and Goshen College representatives, and gave us an extensive tour. I propose that we use the blog to record some of the highlights and observations we made during the trip.

I will begin with what struck me the most:

-First, it was encouraging to see the fast pace of the steps Goshen College is taking towards sustainability. The college has signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment and has a five-year plan to Ensure Operational Excellence (among many other initiatives).

-Within the Merry Lea center, I was particularly impressed by the water-treatment system: a “cleansing biotope” consisting of gravel beds and a rooting system comprises the entire on-site water treatment system, whose final product meets Indiana’s requirements for treated water without the use of any chemicals.

-The center has also successfully designed the landscape to achieve a 0-storm water discharge.

- In the design of the village, great attention was paid to the types of materials used in construction in order to ensure the integrity of the sustainable system. Some of the factors taken into account were the environmental footprint of the production of the materials, durability, recyclability, and potential interactions with the environment. Some examples of the materials include rapidly renewable products (products which renew themselves every 7 years or less), such as a sunflower-hull/resin mix used to make the kitchen cabinetry, recycled concrete used to build the road system, recycled plastic and wood chips used as decking for the cottages.

Feel free to continue the list…

]]> http://iubsummersustainability.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/our-trip-to-the-merry-lea-environmental-learning-center/feed/ 0 isabelestevez http://iubsummersustainability.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/state-of-the-campus-environment/ http://iubsummersustainability.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/state-of-the-campus-environment/#comments Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:58:06 +0000 aashkin http://iubsummersustainability.wordpress.com/?p=42 ]]> As I was looking at green policies at various schools I came across the State of the Campus Environment.  This is a national campus environmental scorecard issued by the National Wildlife Federation.  Their group, called Campus Ecology, works to fight global warming through various sustainable efforts. The site states, “Campus greening is still at the heart of what we do, but with a renewed purpose – encouraging campuses to make lowering emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases the goal of greening efforts.”

The incentives and benefits of joining this group seem well worth it….

The Benefits of Campus Ecology Membership

Whether it’s introducing recycling or forging ahead with green construction, Campus Ecology will be a partner. And anyone – individual faculty, staff, and students or campus teams – can join.

Campus Ecology members have access to:

One-on-One Support

• Phone Consultations
  Test out ideas and problem solve with Campus Ecology’s experienced staff through one-on-one phone consultations.

Networking

• Teleconference Series
  Talk out an issue with experts and fellow campuses during moderated teleconferences. Follow along with PowerPoint presentations or listen in later to podcasts.

• Field Gatherings
  Join other members for training, information sharing, goal-setting, and support during these regional events.

Educational Resources

• Online Case Study Database
  Showcase successes and learn about others’ work by submitting a climate action case study to Campus Ecology’s well-publicized online case study database of sustainability practices (featured in Princeton Review and major national and local campus newspapers).

• Reports, Guides, & Research Studies
  Extensive catalog of publications exploring campus-greening topics, including a national report card on environmental performance of campuses across the country.

• Web Course
  Build the knowledge and skills to take on global warming in this online course. Successful completion earns NWF’s “Global Warming Ambassador” certification.

• Campus Ecology E-newsletter
  Monthly e-newsletter with project ideas, tips, new publications, upcoming events, and more.

Recognition and Incentives

• Certificate of Recognition
  Awarded to campuses that have met the 2% emissions reduction goal for an academic year. Includes prominent display in the annual compendium of campus case studies and use of the NWF’s Campus Ecology Climate Champion icon.

• Fellowships/Mini-Grants
  Primarily for students from campuses that have applied to earn the Climate Champion designation, fellowships facilitate more extensive work with a modest grant, special project support, and recognition.

• Chill Out Competition: Campus Solutions to Global Warming
  Annual competition celebrating climate action innovators on campus. Winners receive grant money and are featured in the Chill Out Broadcast reaching thousands of students, faculty, and staff

Maybe if a group of us check out the site (http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/index.cfm) and feel it would be positive for our campus then we could present the idea to Prof. Hamburger.

http://www.sustainablelifemedia.com/

Here is an article from the site about 6 ways that we can approach sustainability advocacy and make it attractive to skeptics. It is especially geared toward business interactions (which will certainly apply to some, if not all of us) but I think that these tips can be applied in many settings–including here on campus!

Six Tried and True Strategies for Inspiring Environmental change

Many business leaders find it challenging to lead others on the path to sustainability – and not necessarily because they’re working with a tough audience (although that happens too). Rather the trouble lies in their inability to communicate in way that generates real-world action and measurable results. But certain individuals seem to have cracked the code – they’ve figured out how to turn environmental conversations into sustainable changes for their companies, and for the environment. What exactly are these leaders doing differently, and how can we learn from them? I spoke to a few and came up with the following six tried-and-true principles.

Principle #1: Emphasize the business necessity.

Aspiring change leaders must have their heads wrapped firmly around the financial implications of their pet environmental initiatives. Environmental strategy consultant and author of Green to Gold Andrew Winston believes that creating a compelling business need is by far the most critical factor for getting decision makers on board with green initiatives. The good news for aspiring sustainability leaders is that the case for business necessity is getting easier to make with every passing day.

“Customers are asking questions about environmental performance,” Winston says. “Companies like Wal-Mart will give more shelf space to those companies that can reduce their footprint. Employees demanding more from companies they work for is another clear force that creates a compelling business need – it’s tough enough to compete for the best talent without turning them off on values-driven and environmental issues.”

The take-home? When seeking to serve the sometimes elusive triple bottom line, make sure you start with the bottom-line that decision makers value most- cold, hard cash. This topic is sure to get them listening.

Principle #2: Frame environmental goals in terms of the other’s self interest.

With work demands and obligations bombarding them at every possible moment, how can we get organizational leaders to make our green initiative a priority? Here’s the secret of all motivational conversationalists: Take the perspective of the person you are speaking to and frame your agenda so that it occurs to other person as highly relevant to their own personal goals.

Of course, to accomplish this requires that we do a minimal amount of homework to learn more about our audience. What are their goals? How do these goals relate to our proposal? What do they have to gain by our success? This may seem like a lot to think through up front, but if we are willing to make a habit of this sort of analysis our persuasive abilities will skyrocket.

A good example comes from Shelley Billik, VP of environmental initiatives for Warner Brothers Entertainment. She has a distinguished track record of leading change in her organization and attributes much of her success to this simple habit. “There are multiple benefits to all environmental initiatives, so the language we use to impart the message has to mirror that diversity,” Shelley offers. “For example, if I’m promoting an energy conservation initiative such as a lighting retrofit for Warner Brothers facilities, I will need to alter my message based upon my audience. I need to address the financial savings on our utility bill to the finance folks, the labor and maintenance benefits to the technicians in the field, and the quality of light with clients or tenants of the facility.”

Principle #3: Appeal to enlightened self-interest.

Once you’ve framed your proposal in terms of ever-pressing financial imperatives and the other person’s self-interest, feel free invoke the “better angels” of your audience’s nature. Invite them to see how jumping on board with your initiative will also serve the more high-minded planetary and humanistic bottom-lines. Sometimes the best way to do this is directly, by discussing the positive global impact that your green proposal will create in terms of waste and greenhouse gas reduction. Other times it may be preferable to first be discreet, seeking topics that evoke in your audience a feeling of selflessness and a desire to contribute.

Donald Wilkes, founder and CEO of California-based Blue Pacific Flavors, a passionately sustainable food and beverage technology company, is a longtime student at creating rapport through meaningful conversations. “A great tactic is to look around and find something that the person you’re talking to really cares about. I’ve found that a universally powerful topic is children. If you can get people take a second to think about their children, and the effect that their choices might have on them, they seem to open up and be much more willing to consider higher causes like the environment.” Whatever your angle, remember that – beneath the cynicism and chaos – people want to do the right thing. You are, in fact, giving them a fresh opportunity to do just this.

Principle #4: Use humor to melt defensiveness.

Unfortunately, for most people there is still a huge gap between environmental awareness and environmental action. This gap often causes them to feel slightly guilty and defensive when the topic of saving the environment is even raised. If we don’t overcome it, this subtle mental block can make our audience unreceptive and make our words more likely to fall upon deaf ears. What are we to do? How can we get past this mental filter and raise our audiences to consider new possibilities? One strong approach is with humor.

My firm, Evenson Design Group (EDG), has turned the tactic of using humor to overcome environmental guilt into an art by designing a stylish faux legal contract called an “Environmental Guilt Waiver.” This contract bestows clients and friends with a “24-hour exemption from all existential torment in connection with the environmental crisis” for making simple positive environmental choices in their daily life. The result? After receiving the waiver, clients who might normally be resistant to discussing the environment open up more easily and take a more active interest in the topic. “Making people feel guilty doesn’t help the environment,” says Stan Evenson, EDG founder and CEO. “People want to have fun and be part of the solution. We’re doing what we can to make saving the planet a more pleasant experience!”

Principle #5: Paint an inspiring vision.

Martin Luther King painted a picture of racial equality. John F. Kennedy gave us the image of a man on the moon. These world leaders knew that all great accomplishments start out as little more than compelling images that capture our imagination. Granted, few people will ever reach the heights of power and influence that these historical figures attained, but each of us can nonetheless draw from that same well of wisdom when we seek to cause changes in our own work-life sphere.

Want to be a true visionary? Simply do this: envision the end result that you are seeking to cause for your organization and help others see it too. Make it vivid, make it compelling, make it believable and make it personal. What are the implications for your audience of this goal coming to fruition? How will their life – and the life of their organization – be changed as a result of small efforts made today? If you can get others in your organization to use their imagination to experience your environmental proposal in this way, you will generate astounding levels of motivation for your cause.

Principle #6: Stick with it.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither were our current environmental challenges. As you do your part to reinvent the wheel in a new shade of green, remember to be patient and – even more importantly – be persistent. No matter how eloquent, business savvy and sincere we may be, sometimes the only way to get through to people is with good old-fashioned repetition. Allow yourself to be the squeaky (green) wheel that gets the grease!

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once remarked that breaking up with someone is a lot like trying to tip over a refrigerator…you have to rock it a few times before it actually topples over. Getting people to change their environmental thinking and behaviors is the same way. So stick with it. Be persistent. After all, how much does environmental change really matter to you? Are you in it to win a popular contest or to do the right thing? Are you willing to continually raise the issues that matter to you most, even when those around you don’t seem interested? If so, you are a true leader, and success is only a matter of time.

Anyway, I thought this was an interesting page, and I wanted to share it with you all. It seems to be an easy way to learn about what companies are doing for the environment. Enjoy!

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/green-games-race-against-grime/2008/07/07/1215282747907.html

http://www.democracynow.org/

Amy Goodman interviews Stephen Susman and John Holdren:

Groundbreaking Lawsuit Accuses Big Oil of Conspiracy to Deceive Public About Climate Change

Attorney Stephen Susman helped file a groundbreaking lawsuit earlier this year on behalf of 400 Inupiat villagers in the Alaskan town of Kivalina who are being forced to relocate because of flooding caused by global warming. The suit accuses twenty oil, gas and electric companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips and Peabody, of being responsible for emitting millions of tons of greenhouse gases causing the Arctic ice to melt.

“Global Disruption” More Accurately Describes Climate Change, Not “Global Warming” – Leading Scientist John Holdren

Leading scientist John Holdren says “global warming” is not the correct term to use; he prefers “global disruption.” “‘Global warming’ [is] misleading. It implies something that’s mainly about temperature, that’s gradual, and that’s uniform across the planet,” says Holdren. “In fact, temperature is only one of the things that’s changing. It’s a sort of an index of the state of the climate. The whole climate is changing: the winds, the ocean currents, the storm patterns, snow packs, snowmelt, flooding, droughts. Temperature is just a bit of it.”

With our new flight departing this afternoon, we’re set to arrive in Paris at 9:30am tomorrow. At 1pm the Interface Design finals will commence, and we will be given a brand new challenge with 24 hours to design, build, and present our solution. No rest for the wicked, I suppose. Nevertheless, we are psyched to be competiting in the world’s biggest technology competition, all under the theme of environmental sustainability. And we’re optimistic: maybe sleep deprivation is just the stimulus we need for some out-of the box thinking

I’ll try to post some more updates once we land in Paris. If you are interested you can also check out the Imagine Cup details on the website or follow frequent updates on their blog.

Southern Indiana Renewable Energy Network

SIREN is a community group of volunteers working together to expedite the transition to renewable energy production in Southern Indiana. Come to a meeting or join our email discussion list to learn more. Feel inspired? Download our membership form and become a member.

Visit SIREN’s website: http://sirensolar.org/index.htm

Their next meeting is on July 9 at the MCPL.

]]> http://iubsummersustainability.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/southern-indiana-renewable-energy-network/feed/ 0 isabelestevez SIREN http://iubsummersustainability.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/accepting-simple-changes-like-the-design-of-milk-jugs/ http://iubsummersustainability.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/accepting-simple-changes-like-the-design-of-milk-jugs/#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:15:06 +0000 menoch http://iubsummersustainability.wordpress.com/?p=30 ]]> Check out this New York Times article on a change that both Wal-mart and Costco are making to lower their costs as well as improve their environmental impacts. Consumer reaction here is key: A simple change, like the design in a milk jug, has a negative response. How can we educate the average consumer to help them understand why changes like these are necessary?

Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth