Issue 135/31/11
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Sustainability in the News
IU Bloomington reports major tree damage 

Dunn's Woods Damage

As a result of Wednesday's (May 25) severe weather in Monroe County, Indiana University Bloomington sustained significant tree damage, which the university's veteran landscape crew members are calling the worst tree damage on campus in the last 30 years. At most recent count, IU Bloomington has lost nearly 300 trees, according to university officials who surveyed the campus in the wake of the storm, and this does not include damage north of the intersection of East Tenth Street and the Bypass and the IU Golf Course.

 Read More >>

2011 Sustainability Course Development Fellowships recipients announced 

SCDF_IUBCampus

Two Sustainability Course Development Fellowships have been awarded to Indiana University Bloomington faculty by the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs. This landscaping site on campus was created to foster a sense of respect and stewardship for the natural environment. It integrates aesthetics and ecological integrity by using native plants, organic fertilizers, and natural pest control. The vegetation features prairie and woodland plants native to Indiana celebrating our natural heritage. Read More >>

Volunteers and donations needed for Hooiser to Hoosier Community Sale effort 

Hoosier to Hoosier Logo

Donate:  If you have items you'd like to donate, you can contact us throughout the summer to arrange a pickup (email h2h@indiana.edu). 

Volunteer: Interested in volunteering to pickup donations, sort items, or help with sale day?  We need lots of volunteers on May 5-6 and May 9-10 (9-noon and 1-4pm each day), and there will be plenty of other opportunities throughout the summer.  Email h2h@indiana.edu for more info. Read More >>

Journal article examines effectiveness of state-level energy policies

Sanya Carley, SPEA

States have taken the lead in developing energy policies in the U.S., experimenting with a variety of approaches while the federal government has remained deadlocked over energy and climate policies.  Sanya Carley, an assistant professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, examines the state-level policies and assesses their effectiveness for meeting energy and policy goals in the current issue of Review of Policy Research.

Read More >> 

IU-led $2.4 million NASA project eyes climate change in Greenland --  with a third eye on Mars  

Greenland

Indiana University Bloomington scientists will use knowledge about methane production by cold-weather microbes on Earth to help NASA zero in on evidence for similar, carbon-based microbes that could have evolved on Mars, the Jovian moon Europa, or Saturn's Enceladus. The three-year project, funded by a $2.4 million grant from NASA's Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP) program, will be led by biogeochemist Lisa Pratt.  Read More >> 

IU Bloomington kicks off No Waste Week

2011 E-Waste Collections

In collaboration with the City of Bloomington, IU Residential Programs and Services, United Way of Monroe County, Habitat for Humanity and Pick Up America, the Indiana University Office of Sustainability kicked off its first No Waste Week today (May 5) with Hoosier to Hoosier collections at IU Bloomington's Gladstein Fieldhouse. No Waste Week marks 10 days of events focused on recycling what can no longer be used, reusing what can, and working to reduce overall consumption.   Read More >>

Global warming won't harm wind energy production, climate models predict

Wind

The production of wind energy in the U.S. over the next 30-50 years will be largely unaffected by upward changes in global temperature, say a pair of Indiana University Bloomington scientists who analyzed output from several regional climate models to assess future wind patterns in America's lower 48 states.  Their report -- the first analysis of long-term stability of wind over the U.S. -- appears in this week'sProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.   Read More >>

Hoosier to Hoosier initiative finds new home for cast-off belongings 

Hoosier to Hoosier Logo

Indiana University's Hoosier to Hoosier program begins its second year this spring. The volunteer-driven initiative intercepts and finds new homes for reusable items that might otherwise be tossed out by IU Bloomington students at the end of the school year.  Read More >>

Kelley, Briscoe and Kappa Alpha Theta crowned IU Energy Challenge winners

2011 Spring Energy Challenge

As the 2011 Spring Energy Challenge came to a close last week, the Kelley School of Business, Briscoe Residence Center and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority emerged as winners. The four-week challenge to reduce electricity and water consumption is designed to foster behavioral changes in students, faculty and staff. This marked the fourth spring running of the Energy Challenge. All 12 residence halls, 17 academic buildings and 17 Greek houses participated in the competition.   Read More >>
Sustainability in the News
IU Bloomington reports major tree damage
2011 Sustainability Course Development Fellowships recipients announced
Volunteers and donations needed for Hooiser to Hoosier Community Sale effort
Journal article examines effectiveness of state-level energy policies
IU-led $2.4 million NASA project eyes climate change in Greenland --...with a third eye on Mars
IU Bloomington kicks off No Waste Week
Global warming won't harm wind energy production, climate models predict.
Hoosier to Hoosier initiative finds new home for cast-off belongings
Kelley, Briscoe and Kappa Alpha Theta crowned IU Energy Challenge winners
Support the Office of Sustainability
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Here Comes the Sun  
by Bill Brown
Solar Panels at IMU
The Mann Plumbing team install the solar array on the roof of the IMU.

 

History was made this month when IU Bloomington's first solar photovoltaic system installation on the roof of the Indiana Memorial Union was switched on.  Free, clean electricity is now flowing into the IMU, thanks to the determined efforts of a relatively new student group, Coal Free IU, that received a $12,000 Senior Project grant from the IU Student Foundation. But there are many more heroes in this story.

 

In a "flip-the-sun-on" ceremony on a sunny May 4th, Coal Free IU leaders Lauren Kastner and Nick Mckay told the story of how the two-kilowatt system came to be. They found out about the senior grant program a day before the initial application was due, yet still succeeded in being named one of three finalists and eventually the recipient of the grant.

 

"We got tired of just talking about taking action to reduce coal on campus," Mckay said, "and we decided to do something about it before the end of the year"

 

Kastner thanked Mark Menefee, assistant director of utilities, "for his enthusiastic support of our project and an amazing support letter." Kastner noted that Menefee runs the coal-fired central heating plant, which has often been the object of Coal Free IU's protests.

 

Kastner also thanked university engineer Jeff Kaden for his heroic efforts to find a location for the panels, write the bid specs, oversee the bidding process, and generally run interference for the students as they navigated the complexities of the facilities side of the university. Gary Chrzastowski, IMU assistant director, was also recognized for his support for the project and his collaboration on everything from the location and installation to the display panel and the food for the reception.

 

Kastner also thanked the local contractor, David Mann, of Mann Plumbing and Solar for their heroism in providing a system of that size at that cost in a nearly inaccessible location. The roof hatch was too small for the panels to go through and the ground was too wet for a crane, but they wanted to get the system in before the students left campus, so they used muscle, long ladders, brains and guts to get the job done. Anyone knowledgeable about the actual cost of this installation would conclude that Mann made nothing on this job, except for some very proud students.

 

Lesser mortals would have found many occasions during this story to throw up their arms and say this is too complicated and it can't be done. Happily, only heroes were at work here.

 

This is only the beginning. Briscoe Quad and Tulip Tree Apartments will soon each feature 20-kilowatt solar photovoltaic systems. Both of those systems will also come with online monitoring systems so they can provide educational opportunities as well as carbon-free energy.

 

You can view the real-time output of the new carbon-neutral IMU power system on a monitor near the information desk or via this web page.  Click here to view photos of the installation reception at the IMU. 

 

2011 Summer Sustainability Internship Program Update 

 

Seminar

Monday, May 16th marked the start of the three-month-long 2011 Summer Internship Program in Sustainability. In addition to their summer of service, interns are enrolled in a one-credit summer seminar in sustainability.  The seminar, taught by Director of Sustainability Bill Brown, aims to provide students with a common background in sustainability, while providing them a forum for exchanging project ideas and collaborating.  

 

In our first seminar, we discussed the history of the campus sustainability movement at IU Bloomington.  Student interns reviewed resources relevant to their internships and provided IUOS staff with feedback regarding the effectiveness of current IUOS communication strategies.   Last week, we headed outside with professors Jim Capshew (History and Philosophy of Science), Michael Hamburger (Geological Sciences), and Heather Reynolds (Biology) to discuss the geology, ecology and recent history of campus .  Many thanks to our guests for leading this "sense of place" tour through campus.  

 

Interested in learning more about the Summer Internship Program in Sustainability?  Here are some resources: 

  1. - For general information about the Summer Internship Program in Sustainability, visit our website: http://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/Intern/learn_program.html.
  2. - To learn more about the interns' summer projects, visit: http://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/Intern/su_interns_11.html. 
  3. - On Friday, April 22  the Office of Sustainability held its second annual Academic Year Sustainability Internship Symposium in the Neal Marshall Grand Hall.  We had such a great time, we made a new webpage to celebrate the day!  Visit www.indiana.edu/~sustain/Intern/symposium.html to view the symposium program, student intern presentations, photos from the event, and student intern posters. 
Events, Jobs and Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in having an event sent out over the listserv, please send an email with the title, time, date, location and description to susevent@indiana.edu by the Saturday evening before your event occurs.  Occasionally, we will send out additional notices, but we'll try to keep those to a minimum.    

 

For a complete listing of sustainability events, visit:

http://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/calendar/index.html 

THIS WEEK 

See below for next week's events.

 

Tuesday, May 31 - Thursday, June 2    

 

Help Paint the "Pick Up America" Bus  

When: All day 5/31-6/2

Where: TBD 

Description: Pick Up America is the nation's first coast-to-coast contiguous roadside litter pick-up. The nonprofit, youth-led initiative encourages environmental stewardship and zero-waste through art, education, and community outreach. So far, the group has picked up over 100,000 pounds across 900 miles of road from the coast of Maryland. The group has been in the Bloomington area for the past three weeks and will be completing Pick Up Indiana in early June. The group of six travelers are hoping to recruit some help from local artists to paint their home - a bus that runs on waste vegetable oil named Due West. Flexible on ideas and timing. More details and contact/signup information at http://pickupamerica.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/help-paint-the-pick-up-america-bus-due-west/.

 

Thursday, June 2    

 

The Nature Conservancy Generation Conservation Garden Soiree

When: 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Where: Albonandy Garden in Zionsville

Description: Tickets are now available for the Gen C Garden Soiree on June 2nd at the Albonandy Garden in Zionsville.  We'll enjoy fresh, seasonal food straight from the garden along with Sun King beer, wines selected by sommelier Lindy Brown, and music by Celtic group Edge of Erin.  Indiana State Director Mary McConnell will be on hand to talk about the exciting conservation work that is going on around the Hoosier State.

Check out the details and buy tickets here: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/events/generation-conservation-garden-soiree-1.xml  Please email Jenna Morrison (jm98@indiana.edu) if you are interested in carpooling from Bloomington.

 

Friday, June 3    

Clips of Faith: Beer and Film Festival 
When: 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM; Where: Bryan Park
Description: Bloomington Community Bike Project and New Belgium Brewing Co. are teaming up to present the Clips of Faith Beer and Film Festival at Bloomington's Bryan Park on Friday evening, June 3rd: An evening under the stars sampling yummy craft beers and watching hand-crafted short films. This event is part of an 18 "bike friendly" cities tour to promote sustainability, bicycling, and FUN. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Bloomington Community Bike Project and its grass roots mission to promote cycling and sustainability in Bloomington.  BCBP's "parent" non-profit organization is the Center for Sustainable Living (http://www.simplycsl.org/). Details on the event and information about volunteering at http://bloomingtonbikeproject.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=21.       

 

UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

 

Donate to Hoosier to Hoosier 

When: Thu, May 5, 2-6pm

Where: Gladstein Fieldhouse (across from IU Outdoor Pool)

Description:  If you have items you'd like to donate you can drop them off at the Fieldhouse on May 5 (2-6pm), or you can contact us throughout the summer to arrange a pickup (email h2h@indiana.edu).  If donating to H2H isn't convenient, there are numerous other organizations in town that will make pickups (like St. Vincent de Paul and Habitat ReStore) and accept donations (Opportunity House, Goodwill, Salvation Army).  Please also pass this information to neighbors who might be moving, and if you teach a class, let your students know how to donate!  If you live in an apartment complex, encourage your landlord to provide an area for tenants to make donations.  If you live on campus, all residence halls have a donation area. 

 

Volunteer with Hoosier to Hoosier 

When: Thu-Fri, May 5-6; Mon-Tue, May 9-10

Where: IU Campus 

Description: Interested in volunteering to pickup donations, sort items, or help with sale day?  We need lots of volunteers on May 5-6 and May 9-10 (9-noon and 1-4pm each day), and there will be plenty of other opportunities throughout the summer.  Email h2h@indiana.edu for more info.

 

Weekly Workdays at the Bryan House Garden

If you are looking for something to do this summer and want to show the IU community that we can sustain a garden over the summer, come out to the Bryan House Gardens for our weekly work days! Every WEDNESDAY from 6-8 PM, we'll be maintaining our vegetable and herb gardens. Plus, if you volunteer 10 hours over the summer, you will receive fresh produce from the garden!

If you would like to volunteer, or if you are enrolled in a course or work with an organization that you think might be interested inthis garden initiative, please email garden intern Stephanie Hopkins at iugarden@indiana.edu.

The Bryan House Garden is located on the eastern lawn of the Bryan House, just to the west of the Musical Arts Center.

 

Hoosier Environmental Council 2011 Summer Internship Program   

 

The Hoosier Environmental Council (www.hecweb.org) works to raise awareness and stimulate discussion about environmental issues in Indiana-and ultimately help change laws, create jobs, protect and improve the environment, and make Indiana a healthier, better place to live and do business.  HEC aims to recruit top quality undergraduates and graduate students for its 2011 Summer Internship program. 
·    Position is competitive; up to 2 positions per HEC program (energy, water, land use, development/marketing) 
·    Interns working in the school year receive course credit & a recommendation from their supervisor; summer interns receive, inaddition, an HEC email address and a modest honorarium. 
Visit http://www.hecweb.org/about/jobs-internships/ to apply.     Student Conservation Association Internships

The SCA is one of the biggest partners for national parks and forests. Each year, they send thousands of youth across the country to get conservation experience in awesome places. Living expenses, housing, and round trip travel provided. Internships run from 3-12 months and are available in all 50 states. See http://thesca.org/serve/internships for more information and to apply.

 

Pick Up America Internships

Pick Up America seeks interns year-round. It's a great opportunity for young people to get nonprofit experience while getting the chance to travel slowly. Students work closely with the core PUA team. Travel with us, pick up trash, and focus your skills on a specific project this year. Our goal is to make it to Denver by November. If you're interested in this great opportunity to see the USA one step at a time, email Johnna Jackson [johnjackson113@gmail.com] with a brief letter to the Pick Up Artists, a resume, and references. At this time, we must ask interns to pay for room/board. $60/week. Or $45/week if you have a car. We'll pay for fuel while you're on the road with us. Visit http://pickupamerica.wordpress.com/help/ for more information. 


Office space available in Bloomington Eco Center  

Great downtown location. Shared meeting space.  Fantastic deal, includes all utils. and internet. $350/mo., Contact harmony@indiana.edu for details. 

 

Contact Us

General comments and questions should be directed to sustain@indiana.edu.

Our address:

IU Office of Sustainability
1001 E. 10th St.
Geology 429
Bloomington, IN 47405

For IUOS staff:

Bill Brown
Director of Sustainability
brownwm@indiana.edu
812-855-1822

Emilie Rex
Assistant Director of Sustainability
ekrex@indiana.edu
812-855-2678