October 2015
Sustainability Bulletin
4
Campus Crunch
6 Energy Campaign 10 Faith and the Environment Series
14 Around Town
Sustainability Week November 10th US Green Building Council Speaker Series: “Is there a low carbon diet in your future?” November 13th Energy Campaign Reveal Ceremony November 16th Environmental Film Series presents Gasland November 21st Harvest Fest December 10th Environmental Sustainability
For a full event calendar, go here.
What’s Happening on Campus
November 8-November 14
Celebrate Local Food and Agriculture with the New York Campus Crunch In celebration of Food Day 2015, UAlbany has joined other colleges throughout the state to take the Second Annual New York Campus Crunch on October 23, 2015. Meet us at the Small Fountain at noon to hear from local leaders and students, and then bite into a New York grown apple at 12:30. Come out to support New York apples and the orchards and farms our food is grown on! The New York Campus Crunch is organized by the Farm to SUNY initiative to increase the purchasing of New York-grown vegetables and fruit products by SUNY campuses. Farm to SUNY is a partnership between American Farmland Trust, Farm to Institution New York State (FINYS), the SUNY Office of Sustainability and four pilot campuses: University of Albany; SUNY New Paltz; SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Oswego. Any college or university in New York State is welcome to participate in the crunch, and a full listing of registered campuses are available on the New York Campus Crunch 2015 map.
New York is the second largest apple producing state in the U.S., averaging 29.5 million bushels annually that include 19 of the most popular varieties.
New York designated the apple as official state fruit in 1976.
Purple Danes Going Green
Ninth Annual Energy Campaign
Campaign aims for decrease of electricity use across campus
Our ninth annual Energy Campaign at the University at Albany started Wednesday, September 2nd, running for ten weeks until November 8th. The campaign aims to reduce electricity consumption on campus by 10%. Each week, the campus creeps closer to the goal of a 10% reduction. As of week 6, we’ve reduced our electricity use by 7.8%.
On the academic side, the cumulative results show that the Lecture Centers has the highest percent reduction. This marks a distinct difference from last year, when the Lecture Centers waivered around the 10%-15% range. This decrease demonstrates the collective commitment of individuals to turn off electronics in communal spaces. Other buildings that are doing well include: Education, Social Sciences, Arts and Sciences, and the Campus Center! Way to go!
The resident competition is heating up. Freedom and Empire are above the 20% mark! Alumni and Dutch recently joined Colonial in meeting the 10% reduction mark. Indian Quad, though they’ve been feverously switching out incandescent bulbs for CFLs, is struggling to
Residential Building
Percent Reduction
KWH Saved
Carbon Dioxide Saved (in tons)
Freedom
33%
24,174
14
Empire
24%
101,845
38
Colonial
13%
61,659
23
Alumni
11%
24,174
9
Dutch
10%
48,833
18
State
5%
22,362
8
Liberty
1%
4,067
1.5
Indian
0%
1,876
0.7
LIVING AREA TOTAL
10.3%
301,461
112.2
ACADEMIC BUILDINGS
6.4%
312,431
116
CAMPUS TOTAL
7.8%
613,892
228.2
Join in the Conversation on Social Media Staff and faculty can upload photos of their energy saving habits in the workplace to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtag #UAlbanyEnergy to enter to win a free breakfast for the entire office. One winner will be chosen every two weeks. Students can also upload photos of their energy saving habits on campus to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtag #UAlbanyEnergy to enter to win a $100 gift card during the campaign.
Watts Going on? Energy Checks The Energy Check Team, made up of Green Scene volunteers, have been diligently performing Energy Checks in the buildings who are the low performers in the Campaign. These students take time every Friday evening to go through classrooms to ensure that lights and computers are shut off for the weekend, a two day time period when most will not be in use. As you leave for the weekend, be sure to shut every electronic off; computers, monitors, and lights enjoy a weekend respite as much as you.
Empire Commons Electricity Bills The Office of Environmental Sustainability distributes simulated electricity bills to residences living in Empire Commons. Over 300 bills are given to over 1,000 students living in the apartment complex. The bills inform students about the amount of electricity they consume per month. The lowest users and those who beat their baseline are recognized by Residential Life.
University Library Display Have you noticed the lightning bolt display in the entrance to the University Library? The display was put up by student members of the Green Scene Team. Each individual lightning bolt is a student pledge to change one action during the course of the Campaign. Stop by to see the many examples of easy changes you can make in your life! Special thanks to the University Library staff for sharing providing the space for the display.
Lightbulb Exchange In the residence halls, students are swapping their traditional incandescents for energy-efficient CFLs. Resident Assistants have been knocking on dorm doors to ask students to check their lamps for the oldfashioned bulbs and offering a replacement of free corkscrew-shaped CFL, which uses only 20% of the electricity for the same amount of light. The simple switch will produce electricity savings all school year, if not longer since incandescents last only about a year while CFLs can last 10 years. If you have a desk lamp in your office and are still waiting to switch to a CFL, just email gogreen@albany.edu for a student rep to deliver a new bulb.
Sex in the Dark On Monday, October 19th, Carol Stenger of the Advocacy Center for Sexual Violence teamed up with Mary Ellen Mallia, Director of the Office of Environmental Sustainability, to bring us “Sex in the Dark,” during which they answers students’ lurid questions about sex or energy.
Faith and the Environment Series The following speech was given at the third installment of the Faith and Environment Series, a Farm to Table Dinner, on October 15th at the Interfaith Center. Derek Healy, President of UAlbany Interfaith Coalition, addressed over 80 students, staff, and faculty, before we indulged in a delicious fall meal, prepared by volunteers. Even as the popularity of spiritual ecology and environmentalism is growing, there is still much ambiguity in these realms. The concept of sustainability especially perplexes students and citizens alike. Figuring out what role we each play in the global climate is an especially important one, however the ability to make the environment a priority also seems to perplex our many political leaders just as much as on our young people. Acknowledging our faulty systems and behaviors is key to creating a healthier culture. Luckily, there have been key figures speaking up and shining a light upon this issue for many generations, and recently none so highly appointed than His Holiness the Pope and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Papa Francisco’s poignant points in the Encyclica include "The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish. Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years."
"The idea of infinite or unlimited growth, which proves so attractive to economists, financiers and experts in technology ... is based on the lie that there is an infinite supply of the earth's goods, and this
leads to the planet being squeezed dry at every limit. Yet all is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start." After the Encyclical was publicized, the Dalai Lama also speaking at a panel on climate change, praised the encyclical and said that it was the duty of everyone to “say more.” That “We [all] have to make more of an effort, including demonstrations… It is not sufficient to just express views, we must set a timetable for change in the next two to four years.” His Holiness called on fellow religious leaders to “speak out about current affairs which affect the future of mankind.” He also called for increased pressure on governments around the world to stop burning fossil fuels, end deforestation and transition to renewable energy sources. 'Religious leaders have a duty to speak out about climate change so that others may not only be aware, but so that their spirits may be so moved, that they will be called to do something in their own lives and behaviors. So with great pride, I must say, The Interfaith Center and the UAlbany Office for Sustainability did just that. In our first installment, key spiritual & community leaders from the Humanist, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions sat on an Interfaith Panel to respond to the Pope’s Encyclical at the Performing Arts Center. In our second, Tom Porter, a Chief Elder from the Mohawk tribe, spoke on the necessity of environmental justice to be not just an issue to be dealt with by heads of state or chiefs, but of everyone, every member of the community, because “We have forgotten who we are.” It is easier sometimes to leave problems for the fixing for our presidents and officials, because that is supposed to be their job.
But we mustn’t keep diverting the responsibility when it is our own actions that contribute. Every time we do not recycle, we contribute. Every time we leave the lights, heat and car on, we contribute. Every time we eat food without knowing from whence it came, we contribute. Every time we allow whole rainforests to be deforested, whole rivers and lakes to be polluted, and air quality to be moot; we contribute; and every moment we choose ignorance over compassion, we contribute. Every moment of every day we are met with these sustainability choices. During tonight’s program, we will discuss in what ways we can learn to be more culturally and spiritually aware of these relationships. We will break bread with others we wouldn’t normally. We will hopefully laugh and have fun as we paint a picture of a better world. I would first like to share with you all the following words from the UN Environmental Sabbath Program, echoing some of the words of Mohawk Chief Elder Tom Porter. “We have forgotten who we are. We have alienated ourselves from the unfolding of the cosmos. We have become estranged from the movements of the earth. We have turned our backs on the cycles of life. We have forgotten who we are. We have sought only our own security. We have exploited simply for our own ends. We have distorted our knowledge. We have abused our power. We have forgotten who we are. Now the land is barren And the waters are poisoned And the air is polluted. We have forgotten who we are. Now the forests are dying And the creatures are disappearing And humans are despairing. We have forgotten who we are. We ask forgiveness. We ask for the gift of remembering We ask for the strength to change. We have forgotten who we are. “ With that said, let us remember the words of the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis: "We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single human family. We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it. We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental." And lastly, "There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself."
Summer Intern Summary
Solarize the Capital District
Watchable Wildlife
Join Solarize the Capital District on Thursdays from 6PM-8PM in the Community Room at Honest Weight Food Coop. Solarize is a bulk purchase of solar equipment and installation services. By working together with many households interested in buying solar, we can get better prices on better equipment. This process has been used successfully around the US to dramatically reduce costs and make it easier for home and business owners, because the Solarize team does a lot of the hard work for you. This increases overall demand for solar, a true win-win for all local installers, for our communities, and for the environment. If you are interested in helping make this a reality for the Albany area, or putting solar on your property, please email Dave Hochfelder at dphochfelder@gmail.com
At this time of year, beavers are busy. They are cutting down trees and storing branches for their winter food supply. Evening or early morning is the best time to spot a beaver toiling away. Visit the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on the evening of November 5th at 7PM for a stroll to look for beavers and signs of their work. Learn more about their complicated social lives, their building behaviors and how they are uniquely suited for survival in their environment.
Bike Share
Live Life Local: Foods & Crafts from Around the County On Saturday, October 24th, from 8AM to 2PM, Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy and a host of supporting partners will showcase local Capital Region businesses that are living “green” and working hard to reduce, reuse and recycle at Farnsworth Middle School This jointly-hosted event will celebrate Guilderland Central School District’s 10th community recycling and re-use extravaganza! Since its inception in April of 2011, Guilderland Schools have collected (on average) over 70,000 pounds of recyclable and re-usable goods at each event. This is a tremendous reduction in the carbon-footprint of the community. This FREE to the public event will highlight many unique and special environmentally friendly businesses, offer educational presentations and host a recycling event in conjunction with the Guilderland Central School District.
Owl Prowl and Hors’ d’oeuvres Love is in the air! No, it’s not Valentine’s Day yet. The breeding season for barred owls, greathorned owls and screech owls, residents of the Albany Pine Bush, is approaching. As the breeding season begins you are likely to hear the calls of male owls as they defend their territory. Come for this 1.4 mile night hike and learn about the habits of these nocturnal birds and listen for their calls. Meet at the Discovery Center on November 3rd at 5PM and enjoy some snacks and an indoor presentation before the hike.
This semester is all about you Being on campus without a car isn’t always convenient. You can grab a bus, ride your bike, or get a lift from a friend. But sometimes you just need access to a car. That’s why we’ve brought Zipcar to campus. Zipcar is an 18+ service that gives students access to shared cars – gas and insurance included! To celebrate the new school year, you can now join Zipcar for $25, and get $35 in free driving credit. Sign up today at Zipcar.com to take advantage of this great deal in 2015.