Hey everybody,
Here’s a link to an article in the Express Times on Wednesday:
Category Archives: Spring 2009
Earth Week Events!
LEAP Photo Contest
Description: LEAP invites all students, faculty, and staff to participate in its first Earth Week photo contest! The contest seeks photograph submissions that spotlight the natural environment, such as wildlife or the landscape. The contest will be open until midnight on Saturday, April 18th. The top 12 photos will be featured in a 2010 calendar. http://moodle.lafayette.edu/course/view.php?id=3122
KEYNOTE: U.S. Environmental Policy, Kate Sheppard from Grist Magazine Date: Friday April 17th Location: Hugel 103 Time: 12 PM (Free Food!) Description: Kate Sheppard from Grist Magazine (Ithaca ’06) will be here to discuss United Sates environmental policy being shaped by our legislators in Washington D.C.
Environment & Religion, Rev. John Colatch, Rabbi Daniel Swartz, Professor Herman Tull Date: Monday April 20th Location: Kirby 104 Time: 6 PM (Free Food!) Description: College Reverend John Colatch, Rabbi Daniel Swartz of Temple Hesed Scranton, PA, and Visiting Professor of Religious Studies Herman Tull will be here to discuss how the environmental movement has been shaped by religion.
Environmental Poster Display Date: Wednesday April 22nd Location: Farinon Time: 12 PM Description: Come join your fellow students as they display their environmentally-themed research posters in Farinon.
Earth Day Celebration Date: Wednesday April 22nd (Rain Date: April 23rd) Location: The Quad Time: 4 PM Description: Come join LEAP as we celebrate Earth Day on the Quad! We will have a solar panel display, compost display, crafts, Frisbee, volleyball, WRJH, and homemade snacks!
Movie Night in Farinon: Planet Earth Date: Thursday April 23rd Location: Farinon Atrium Time: 9 PM Description: LEAP will conclude the celebration by having a movie screening of Planet Earth in the Farinon atrium. All are welcome to watch this exciting movie.
KEYNOTE: U.S. Environmental Policy, Kate Sheppard from Grist Magazine Date: Friday April 17th Location: Hugel 103 Time: 12 PM (Free Food!) Description: Kate Sheppard from Grist Magazine (Ithaca ’06) will be here to discuss United Sates environmental policy being shaped by our legislators in Washington D.C.
Environment & Religion, Rev. John Colatch, Rabbi Daniel Swartz, Professor Herman Tull Date: Monday April 20th Location: Kirby 104 Time: 6 PM (Free Food!) Description: College Reverend John Colatch, Rabbi Daniel Swartz of Temple Hesed Scranton, PA, and Visiting Professor of Religious Studies Herman Tull will be here to discuss how the environmental movement has been shaped by religion.
Environmental Poster Display Date: Wednesday April 22nd Location: Farinon Time: 12 PM Description: Come join your fellow students as they display their environmentally-themed research posters in Farinon.
Earth Day Celebration Date: Wednesday April 22nd (Rain Date: April 23rd) Location: The Quad Time: 4 PM Description: Come join LEAP as we celebrate Earth Day on the Quad! We will have a solar panel display, compost display, crafts, Frisbee, volleyball, WRJH, and homemade snacks!
Movie Night in Farinon: Planet Earth Date: Thursday April 23rd Location: Farinon Atrium Time: 9 PM Description: LEAP will conclude the celebration by having a movie screening of Planet Earth in the Farinon atrium. All are welcome to watch this exciting movie.
Farm Auction!
This past Saturday, Professor Dave Brandes, Professor John Wilson, their sons Owen and Jack, and myself went to the 25th Annual Hilltop Sales and Service Spring Auction. We got there at 9AM sharp and it was freeezing and windy, but we got some neat stuff!
Here’s what we got:
-Wheelbarrow $6
-Lawnmower (old fashioned bladed kind) $2
-Planting pots of all sizes $2
-Auctioneer making fun of me for being excited about the lawn mower..priceless
Total: $10.60!! 🙂
The auction was a lot of fun and we got some great stuff for cheap. Owen in particular loved the all the tractors! And both Owen and Jack braved the cold weather extremely well!
Now we need to find shovels, hoes, and stuff at another auction and hopefully we can get a great price again! If anyone knows of good places to buy implements for cheap, feel free to leave a comment here.
Jenn
“Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” web resources
This is a nice compilation of local, sustainable, and responsible food links from Barbara Kingsolver & Steven Hopp , authors of the great book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Their book is well worth the attention of anyone who cares about these issues.
Dickinson Farm Director, Jenn Halpin’s Visit!
Jenn Halpin came today and gave a presentation about the Dickinson Farm program. It was a GREAT presentation and I think it really got everyone excited about our gardens here. She was here all afternoon for visits and meetings. Here’s what we did:
First, Jenn H. arrived and gave a brown bag presentation in Hugel 103.
Then, we had lunch with Professors Dave Brandes, Art Kney, Andy Smith and Annette Diorio at Gilberts for a Q & A for them!
Then, we had a meeting with Dining Services, including Joe Binotto and Bob Meyer where we talked about serving vegetables in the dining halls.
Finally, we met with garden team students interested in helping starting the garden for more Q&A.
It was a great learning experience and we’re so grateful Jenn H. came and gave us advice! Now we’ll have to go out there and visit sometime!
Jenn
The Obama Family Thinking Locally
Just wanted to share this story from the NY Times: Obamas Prepare to Plant Garden at White House
It’s so exciting to hear even the president is thinking about this!! 🙂
Jenn
Materials are Arriving!
News: Some of the supplies have begun arriving including the deer fence and the two 1,000 gallon tanks for the rainwater collection system. Thanks so much to Bob Chunko and the rest of plant ops staff that helped us unload these things!
Soon to be arriving: seeds ordered from Seeds of Change.
And Prof. John Wilson is providing the posts for the deer fence that will be completed soon!
So exciting! 🙂
-Jenn
PS. I’ve added pictures to the site now. Some from the conferences I’ve described below and some of the future site at Metzgar. I’ll try my best to keep it updated!
Garden Speaker Coming March 30th!!
ATTENTION!
Jenn Halpin, the Dickinson College Farm Manager, will be coming to give a brown bag presentation on Monday, March 30th at Noon in Hugel 103. She’ll be talking about the VERY successful Dickinson farm program! Come check it out! Lunch is provided.
4th Annual University Hunger Summit!
On Feb. 27-March 1, Professor Art Kney and I traveled to Auburn University in Alabama for the 4th Annual University Hunger Summit Conference. We were invited to present and sit on a panel discussing the “sustainable food loop”.
We attended events on Friday and presented on Saturday. This conference was also a great experience and really inspiring! Lafayette can work on local hunger issues by working with dining services and perhaps donating our excess food? Something we might want to think about!
LVAIC Conference!
Lafayette students involved with SEES and LEAP presented posters on Friday, Feb. 20th at the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges Sustainability Conference.
There was some great speakers and break out sessions including keynote speaker John L. Cusack, the founder of Gifford Park Associates, Sodexho representatives, and Matt Steiman the Biodiesel Plant Manager and Assistant Farm Manager of the Dickinson College farm!
There was also a poster contest for students to display various campus sustainability efforts! We had the biggest showing of any of the colleges with 9 posters and 11 students present at the conference! The poster I presented entitled “Creating a Sustainable Food Loop at Academic Insititutions through Food Waste Composting and Organic Vegetable Production” placed second in the student poster contest. Yay Lafayette!
Click here to see an article on the Lafayette website about it!
Jenn