Sustainability at Western Technical College

Here are some great tips for showing a little love for both your sweetie and the planet:

Flowers:

-Buying organic flowers not only helps the environment, it helps your honey too. Traditional roses are grown with tons of chemicals and pesticides, harming both the environment and the workers. Once in your home, those chemicals are still on the flowers. Who wants to stick their nose in that?!  Try www.organicbouquet.com , or try local farmer’s markets.

Candy:

-Opt for organic, fair-trade chocolate this Valentine’s Day. The People’s Food Co-op in La Crosse has many varieties of these chocolates and fudges.

Cards:

-Create your own at home. Make them out of old cards, used paper, old wrapping paper, etc. This is a fun project for the kids!

-Send E-Valentine’s cards. Savings in paper use and postage!

Jewelry:

-Mining for jewels and ores is a very destructive process for both people and the earth. A few companies are raising the bar on worker safety and environmental stewardship by using recycled materials and practicing good ethics. www.greenkarat.com has eco-friendly jewelry, and you can donate your old jewelry to be recycled into new jewelry. Cred Jewellery, www.credjewellery.com also uses ethical values in producing their jewelry. The company purchases its metals and jemstones from small-scale community mines, which must meet strict environmental and human rights guidelines.

Food and Dining:

-Make reservations at a locally-owned restaurant, or one that serves seasonal, local, natural, and/or organic cuisine.

-Cook a romantic meal at home and forego all the waste accumulated from take-out containers.

-Buy organic or local wines and beers to savor with your special meal.

-For listings of restuarants and gifts, check out www.localharvest.org .

Happy Valentine’s Day!

As part of Western’s promise to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, the college is undertaking the RecycleMania Challenge. Solid waste is a major issue at campuses across the country. Reducing our waste will help decrease our carbon footprint and make us more aware of the goods we use and dispose of. Western’s goal is to increase awareness of our consumption and be proactive in minimizing it. Remember, “it’s easy being green at Western Technical College!” Check out www.recyclemania.org for more information.

How can you participate?

November 9-13: Free Old Medication Drop Off! The La Crosse County Household Hazardous Materials Facility will host a medicine drop off on Saturday, November 21st, from 9am-1pm at the Viterbo Fine Arts parking lot, 929 Jackson St. Acceptable items: Prescription Medications and Over-the-Counter Medications: Tablets, Capsules, Liquids, Creams, Ointments, Aerosols, Inhalers, Patches. Check: www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/solidwaste/HHM/ for more information or call 785-9999. Flushing medicine down the drain is hazardous to the environment. Do the right thing and bring them in!

Nov. 16-20: If you are purchasing something to eat from the cafe or a local store and bringing it back to your desk, consider keeping metal utensils in your desk for reuse. Taking plastic disposable utensils from the store each meal really racks up a lot of unnecessary trash, and costs the store more money!

Nov. 23-27: Happy Thanksgiving! When planning the Thanksgiving meal, consider local, in season produce. Squash, potatoes, yams, and root vegetables are all in season–do an online search for great, tasty recipes. Also, purchase a turkey that was raised free-range, anti-biotic and hormone free–preferably organic. Be thankful for all this planet has to offer us, and be midful of those resources.

Nov. 30-Dec. 4: Although Black Friday has passed, it is always good to limit overconsumption. Consider what gifts friends and family REALLY want and will use. Avoid gag gifts and unneeded purchases. Check out “The Story of Stuff”: http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Dec. 7-11: The holidays are here! If you decorate with lights, consider switching to LEDs. These consume 90% less electricity than regular string lights. Depending on your usage and number of strings, you could save quite a bit of cash!

Dec. 14-18: Well the snow has finally arrived, and that means getting out the snow-removing tools. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the typical two-cycle snowblower can expel nearly a pound of carbon monoxide for every hour it runs. That is pollution happening right where you breathe! Manually shoveling snow is not only good for the planet, but good for your health. If you cannot shovel, consider asking a neighbor to help you out.

Dec. 21-25: Happy Holidays! For all your eco-friendly holiday tips and ideas, check out Western’s Frog Blog: https://westernfrogblog.wordpress.com/ !!

Dec. 28-31: Holiday Break!

Jan. 4-8: Happy New Year! If your resolution is to be more eco-friendly, there are many places you can check out for 365 days of greening your life: Green as a Thistle http://greenasathistle.com/green-listed/; The Green Life http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/; 365 Days 365 Ways http://goinggreen365.greenhabbers.com/, and many others!

Happy Holidays!

For some simple holiday greening, try these tips:

• Wrap gifts in old newspaper or office paper. Have children make designs and drawings on the repurposed gift wrap.
• Make ornaments out of natural items, such as pine cones, twigs, leaves, flowers, herbs, and the like.
• Purchase local and/or organic foods for holiday parties.
• Serve meals on real china instead of disposable wares.
• Only purchase gifts for loved ones that they will really use. Avoid novelty gifts.
• Shop online instead of driving to the mall.
• Better yet, shop in local, non-chain stores in your community and give the local economy a boost.
• Use a real tree from a managed tree farm instead of a plastic artificial tree. Artificial trees are much more toxic if there were a fire, and are hard to dispose of or recycle after their useful life.
• Buy LED holiday lights. Depending on use and number of strings, a family could save around $50 on electricity bills for the season.
• Send out email holiday cards instead of snail mail ones. Think of the paper, time,postage, and other expenses you will save!
• La Crosse has a holiday tree recycling pick up, which turns trees into yard waste compost. If your community doesn’t have this program, check Earth 911 for where you can recycle your tree.
• Use a shovel to remove snow instead of a snowblower. These machines emit tons of carbon monoxide, and right where you are breathing!
• Use soy-based or beeswax candles. Most regular candles are made of a petroleum by-product called paraffin, which releases toxic chemicals when burned.

Enjoy the holiday season, and my it be merry and bright!

What can you do to have a more eco-friendly Thanksgiving?

• Tis the season for consumption, but do try to hold back some. Only purchase enough food for the big meal as you think you might really need. Send any left-overs home with guests or donate to a local pantry so that nothing is wasted.
• Bring your own bag when grocery shopping for the big day.
• Plan local, seasonal dishes. Purchase from a local farmers market and/or buy organic. Choose turkeys that were humanely raised–free range, no hormones, no antibiotics, no flavor enhancers.
• Use real china and utensils instead of disposables. Start a compost bin for kitchen and plate scraps, and be sure to recycle everything you can.
• Have the meal at a home most central to extended family and guests to reduce travel.
• Want to decorate? Take a trip to the thrift store, or have the kids make cute turkey hand cut outs from used paper or other materials already laying around. Natural items also make great decorations–dried leaves, pine cones, dried corn, gourds, etc.
• Turn the thermostat down. Lots of warm bodies in a house will heat it up. Save on the energy bills!
• Be thankful for all the planet has to offer us, and understand the importance of those resources to future generations.

October 5-9: Is finding a parking spot on campus a hassle? Do you commute a long distance? Consider signing up for the Wisconsin Rideshare Program, www.rideshare.wi.gov , a FREE service to match you with carpoolers in the area. Share the ride, save money on gas, and decrease pollution!

October 12-16: Did you know? The TC Cafe now offers Seattle’s Best Coffee, one type of which is both fair trade and organic! Try a (reusable) mug or thermos of it today!

October 19-23: Not sure what to do with soda bottle caps? Aveda and the Ultimate Salon have teamed up for “Cap it Forward.” When a guest brings a gallon size container (ex: zip lock baggie, milk jug, etc.) filled with plastic bottle tops into the salon(s), they will receive a “Cap it Forward” certificate for a complimentary Ultimate Cut. This certificate must then be given to a person whom they feel is a perfect recipient of such a gift. The caps will be sent to Aveda for recycling into new caps and bottles. For more information, contact the Ultimate Salon in La Crosse, 608.782.8720.

October 26-30: Happy Halloween! When the kids go Trick-or-Treating, have them use an old pillow case instead of a new plastic bag or pumpkin pail. Check out more Halloween tips on the newly updated Green website: http://www.westerntc.edu/green/halloween.html

November 2-6: Did you know?: By age 25, the average American has spent one whole year of their life in a car. Lower that scary statistic by taking the bus, walking, and bicycling to your destination more often. Don’t forget about the Green Commuter Challenge! www.westerntc.edu/wellness/CommuterChallenge.asp

August 31-September 4: September 4-14, 2009 is Eat Local America and the People’s Food Co-op’s Eat Local Challenge! Savor the tastes of locally produced food as often as possible. For more information, check out this website: http://www.eatlocalamerica.coop/

September 9-11: Do you often buy fountain drinks at convenience stores? Next time, wash out the thick plastic cup it comes in, and reuse it the next time you go. You will cut down on waste, and save the store money. One of those cups a day equates to 365 wasted plastic cups a year. That’s A LOT of trash!

September 14-18: Fall Natural Step Study Circles are here! If you are intersted in learning about sustainability, the Natural Step process, and interacting with other interested community members, sign up today. Sessions run Mondays 4:30-6:00 pm, Oct 5-Nov 2 in the Community Room, People’s Food Co-op, La Crosse, WI. For more information see www.cpslax.org/sc/sc.html and contact Erica Black, blacke@westerntc.edu.

September 21-25: Conserve trash liners. If feasible, take your trash to central office or hallway bins instead of putting them in the bin by your desk. This will leave the bag empty so it isn’t collected and “wasted” on just a couple of wrappers.

September 26-October 2: It’s Oktoberfest time! Just a reminder for all those festers to make sure your parade spot isn’t littered when you leave, and to recycle as much as possible in the fest area (should be soda can recycling bins). Prost!

Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. has switched all of the La Crosse campus’ vending machines over to their Lights Out program, and will have the Regional Learning Centers switched soon. The program simply turns off the lights in the main body of the machine, and allows customers to purchase beverages as usual.

Savings from this initiative will be about $180 per machine per year, or about $4,100 per year for all 23 machines at Western.

If you notice a machine with the lights out, don’t worry—it still works!!

July 27-31: All employees, students, and staff can ride the Municipal Transit Utility (MTU) for free with their ID card. See their website for ride schedules: http://www.cityoflacrosse.org/index.aspx?nid=19 . Ditch your car, take the bus!

August 3-7: Despite our recent drought conditions, remember to water lawns wisely. Watering during the early morning, late evening, and during low winds will decrease evaporation and allow plants to soak up more water. Also, don’t let those sprinklers run too long!

August 10-14: The perfect addition to any home is a rain barrel. They connect to your downspout, collect rain water, and then you can use that to water the lawn and plants instead of City water. Barrels are available from the Washburn Neighborhood Association in La Crosse, or from City Brewery.

August 17-21: Don’t forget that Western can recycle many types of paper, including magazines, glossy paper, phonebooks, and even Post-Its. Check the materials list at: http://www.westerntc.edu/green/pdf/Materials%20Chart.pdf

August 24-28: Welcome back students and faculty! Western has come a long way over the summer. We have calculated our carbon foot print, and are seeing results from our recycling program. Look for more sustainable initiatives this fall. Please visit our website at www.westerntc.edu/green for Western’s initiatives, recycling info, blogs, and good links. Please uphold our mission to decrease waste by reducing, reusing, and recycling (using the bins on campus). With your help, we can really make a difference. Remember, It’s Easy Being Green at Western!

Western Technical College began purchasing wind energy through Xcel Energy’s Windsource Program in August 2009. The college is purchasing enough for about 30% of its energy to come from renewable sources.

Recent Tweet about this:

“Very excited to have @WesternTC as a new Windsource customer in WI. They’ll be one of our largest green custs in WI.”