Tag: sustainability

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Statements from Students!

As we near the opening of the election on the Green Fee, some of us are curious to hear what students have to say about it. The Green Fee Committee has began collecting statements from students across all demographics; ASB Senators, club members, student leaders, and students at large. Here are a few of our favorites:

“My name is Evonne Aguirre; I’m a student senator here at Everett Community College and I am in support the Green Fee Initiative. Every day I see my peers not only working hard at creating bright futures for themselves, but also are coming together in support of protecting our planet through continued efforts to keep EvCC eco-friendly. This student-led initiative reflects the care that we as students share for wanting to foster a healthy environment, and the Green Fee has the potential to help us reach our goals of creating a future for our planet that’s as promising as our students. I’m proud of what our students have accomplished so far, and I’m excited to see what new heights we can reach when we pass the EvCC Green Fee Initiative!”

  • – Evonne Aguirre, ASB Senator

 

“I’m supporting the green fee because I think that for the price of my breakfast from Starbucks once a quarter, promoting sustainable programs on my college campus is a no-brainer. Being a good steward of the Earth is something I think we should all want to do, and this has got to be the absolute easiest way to do it.”

  • – Cameron Calder, ASB Senator & Social Justice and Current Events Coordinator

 

“I support the Green Fee because great things start from small community. In this era of technology, we need more initiative to keep the Earth safe while working on new innovations, and i know this Green Fee is a good start!”

  • – Zarith Sofiy Mohammad Azlan, ASB Senator & Student Ambassador

 

I’m voting green because I believe in funding opportunities for students to become more engaged in sustainability on campus.

  • – Katherine Abdallah, SEA Club President

“I support the Green Fee Initiative because I know that my small contribution will lead to a more sustainable campus, thus making a positive impact for generations to come. Together we can lead the way to a sustainable future by supporting this initiative. “

  • – Emmerson Hunter, ASB Senator
  • “I’m voting green because it’s the responsible thing to do!”

– Marlene Barnes, Student-at-large

Thanks to all those who provided a statement. If you’d like to provide one, just email your statement to sustainability@everettcc.edu.

Visit our web page for a complete list of statements at EverettCC.edu/GreenFee.

 

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Earth Week 2018: Plant Sale, Recycled Art and More!

Once again, EvCC took Earth Day to a new level, with an entire week of events planned and carried out on campus to bring awareness to issues surrounding the environment, climate change, and resource consumption. After another successful celebration, lets take a look back to see what went down.

Monday, April 16: Electric Vehicles!

Tesla parked in grass. Photo by Matt Henry on Unsplash

Partnering with the Engineering Department, the annual EV display is held the first day of each Earth Week. This event is always a hit with students, as they get the chance to see an in-depth tour of the vehicles and can even try out the drivers seat (without actually driving the vehicle…)

On display you can find EV’s ranging from high-end, expensive Tesla’s, to the more economical Chevrolet Volt, among others.

 

Tuesday, April 17: Plant Swap and Ciscoe Morris

The masterminds behind the Plant Sale, setting up prior to the event

Another favorite of the Earth Week series is the annual Plant Swap and Sale. Here, students, staff and community members can purchase garden starts, seeds, and even take home a vast variety of flowering plants and shrubs for FREE! Perhaps the best part of this event is the presentation given by the eccentric TV personality, Ciscoe Morris!

Top: Kimi Crombie (Administrative Services) posing with Ciscoe. Bottom: Michael Moore and Gwen Bennetts from Purple Cow Gardens

A special thanks this year to Michael Moore and Gwen Bennetts, for providing dozens of veggie starts from their local nursery, Purple Cow Gardens. Estimates of attendance at this event put the number of visitors at nearly 1500 students, employees and neighbors.

 

Wednesday, April 18: Sustainable Vendor Fair

Bagfoot and Sacksquatch pose in front of the Green Fee Initiative banner

The third event in the Earth Week series is the Sustainable Vendor Fair, in which business and community leaders who practice and advocate for sustainability and environmental stewardship are invited to set up booths to sell their products, educate students on their work, and recruit volunteers to help with environmental restoration projects. Some vendors this year were Costco, Everett Transit, and Sno-Isle Co-Op, with many more having been in attendance. Of course, it’s never a truly successful Earth Week without the appearances of Bagfoot and Sacksquatch.

These handmade costumes contain over 500 plastic bags, and are supposed to represent the number of bags an average American uses in a single year. This fun and creative gimmick is a great way to visualize how much plastic we as consumers use without even thinking about it!

 

Thursday, April 19: Electronics Recycling

To wrap up the week-long celebration, we invite 3R Technology to set up shop on campus and give employees and students the chance to recycle their old electronics for free. This year was record breaking, over 4000 lbs. of electronics recycled or safely disposed of!

Earth Art Competition

This years special event was the Earth Art competition. This is a challenge for students and employees to express their creativity and their resourcefulness by creating pieces of art made up of at least 75% recycled, upcycled, or reclaimed materials.

Our winners this year are:

1st Place: Annie Loomis

Annie Loomis won first prize with her piece, titled The Girl with the Newspaper Earring. On her registration form, she notes that most of this piece isn’t what it seems, and that “most of the girls face is actually made out of Mark Zuckerberg’s forehead.” Congrats, Annie!

2nd Place: Karalee Garcia

Karalee took 2nd place with her entry, which she dubbed “Make Tea Not War.” She explains that she is an avid tea drinker and, as such, produces a ton of waste, so this seemed to be a unique opportunity to make something positive with it. Congratulations, Karalee!

3rd Place: Jessica Hall

Jessica’s entry is called “My World,” and is made from a chair that she rescued from the side of the road. She though it would be perfect for this competition, and wanted to give it a new life. “The chair is now the atmosphere, and the center is my world: my family.” Thanks for participating, and congratulations Jessica!

In conclusion…

Thanks to all of you who helped us make Earth Week a success. We couldn’t do it without your generous support and time. Now it’s time to gear up and prepare for next years Earth Week Celebration, and if you’d like to be a part of that, email us at sustainability@everettcc.edu.

Keep on keeping green, everyone!

 

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UPCOMING EVENT: Energy Efficiency Fair by Snohomish County PUD

Purchase low cost energy efficiency appliances here on campus, on Wednesday October 18 from 11:30 am till 2:00 pm in the second floor hallway of Parks Student Union. The PUD team hosting this event will be selling a Home & Bath Savings Kit which includes 8 LEDs, 2 filament LEDs, a showerhead with smart adapter, and two faucet aerators for just $10.00 plus tax. This normally would cost $75.00 so don’t miss your chance to save up to $250.00 annually on energy costs for a fraction of the retail price. Also offered at this event is an LED flood light pack, that has the savings potential of up to $45.00 per year. Please read this flyer for more details.

 

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EvCC Partners with 3-R Technology to benefit Bangalore Orphanage

“I’m happy to report that our latest shipment of laptops refurbished by 3R Technology just arrived at the Homes of Hope India orphanage in Bangalore. This facility provides housing, meals, and education for over a hundred young women and girls from one of the most disenfranchised and under-served communities in the world. These laptops help ensure much-needed education and training for their academic and employment future.”
Many thanks to you and all our customers for helping us make these donations possible! Your commitment to environmentally sound and ethical electronics recycling makes a tremendous difference…”    

       

 –Glen Giados, the CEO of 3-R Technology,  regarding the more than 5 tons of electronic waste that Everett Community College and local community members have recycled by partnering with 3-R Technology/Recycling  in the past 3 years during EvCC Sustainability recycling events.

 

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EvCC Wildlife Habitat (Bird Garden) Installation Update 7-24-17

EvCC is ready to break ground on the wildlife habitat (Bird Garden) installation, funded by EvCC, Snohomish County Conservation District and the Pilchuck Audubon Society.  Pre project pics of the largely turf covered area between the West wall of Index B and the East wall of Graywolf hall show minimal landscaping and LOTS of grass…

The project, scheduled for completion in late September of 2017, will include native plants that are bird habitat friendly as well as a water feature.

The project will not only create a wildlife habitat, but beautify this corner of the campus.

 

 

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EvCC Wildlife Habitat Installation

Baby bird feeding time!

EvCC and the Pilchuck Audubon Society are in the beginning stages of planning for a wildlife habitat installation designed to support the local avian population.

EvCC Sustainability team members Molly Beeman and Max Tinsley met with Jed Holmes, the Pilchuck Audubon Society’s Backyard Habitat Coordinator late last month to determine a suitable site on EvCC’s main campus to develop a bird friendly habitat.

EvCC Sustainability and Pilchuck Audubon are currently working on developing the necessary resources for this project, which will likely be completed by summer of 2018.

On completion, the project will provide habitable spaces for bird nest construction and native plants that attract insects to support the feeding of avian young.

The completed project will result in a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife certified backyard wildlife sanctuary for Everett Community College.

 

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Leadership Academy Focuses on Sustainability

EvCC’s Leadership Academy provides a professional development opportunity for college faculty, staff, and administrators to enhance skills with specific emphasis on leadership practices, working styles, diversity, communication, group dynamics, design thinking, change management and conflict resolution. The academy takes place over the course of  eight months and focuses on building small teams who work together on a projects that give back to the college.

Team Hufflepuff
Team Hufflepuff: Elise Robinson, Lisa Jones, Brittany Padgett, Mile Labitzke, and Stephanie Coxon

For the 2016-2017 academy, Team Hufflepuff worked with client Pat Sisneros, Vice President of College Services.

One of Pat’s areas of focus was making sustainability more institutionalized at EvCC and for the college to eventually be recognized as a national leader for sustainability.  Of course, we already know that EvCC is doing some great work with sustainability, but it turns out that we needed to do a better job at telling our story and encouraging everyone to get on board.

Team Hufflepuff tackled this project with the goal of completely revamping the college’s sustainability website with easier navigation, updated images, and action-oriented language. It would be an area to show off the great work that is already happening on campus as well as bring in new tools and resources to help spark greater interest on campus.

The Results – After 8 Months

  • A new campaign was created (Go, See, Do!)
  • The website structure and design was completely overhauled
  • A new dashboard was created on the website, based on EvCC’s Climate Action Plan
  • New photos were taken to highlight areas on campus where sustainability is happening
  • EvCC President Dr. Beyer issued a statement on sustainability
  • Current and new sustainability resources were highlighted
  • A new sustainability pledge was created
  • A new sustainability hero award was created
  • A new sustainability resource map was created
  • A new sustainability blog was created (and you are reading it now!)
  • A sustainability audit process that was first conceptualized through a previous leadership academy project was resurrected
  • Team Hufflepuff presented to faculty, staff, and administrators to help raise awareness and encourage participation in sustainability practices

Have you visited the new sustainability website? Have you used any of the new tools and participated in sustainability practices?

Notice a colleague committing “random acts of greenness?” Then be sure to recognize them!