Campus Sustainability Updates - Mar. 22, 2024 - Sustainability Hub for Innovation & Environment

SHINE LETTER WRITING EVENT 

Join us on March 25 from 6-7:30 pm in Jamrich 1311! To further promote climate initiatives, learn how to write a letter with Robert Anderson, a retired law attorney, who has had multiple letters published in newspapers around Michigan. By writing letters to politicians and publishing in the newspaper, you can influence climate action in your community. Bring a computer to work on a letter supporting an issue you feel passionate about!

NMU GENDER FAIR 

Please join the Gender and Sexuality Studies program at the Gender Fair! Festivities will kick off with a keynote talk by Dr. Jesus Gregorio Smith on Thursday, March 28 at 7pm in Jamrich 1100. And then the Gender Fair itself on  Friday, March 29 from 10am to 3pm in the Northern Center Ballrooms. Highlights:

• Dr. Smith's talk will be livestreamed and include ASL interpreters
• Campus and Community Organization Tables with information and activities
• Student poster projects
• A raffle with prizes from local shops
• Snacks!

Come by, see what's going on, and learn more about Gender and Sexuality topics and issues and about the Gender and Sexuality Studies minor! Visit the Gender Fair website or send an email to gender@nmu.edu for more information!

NEW STUDENT ORGANIZATION - RENEWABLE ENERGY COALITION 

The Northern Michigan University Renewable Energy Coalition will be an organization of students that have a passion for renewable energy-based solutions and want to help the greater Marquette area turn its electricity production green, while assisting Michigan to become carbon neutral by 2050. The primary focus of the Renewable Energy Coalition is for students to develop knowledge and skills related to solar and renewable energy by finding local non-profits, assessing whether or not they are good candidates for solar, and helping them through the solar installation process. The objective of our program is to install solar systems to power non-profit organizations in the Marquette area that will save them money, allowing the non-profit to better achieve their mission while creating green energy.

How Do We Get There? - We will achieve this goal by partnering with NMU faculty that have knowledge and experience in our field of work along with the national nonprofit RE-volv. Faculty can provide guidance and knowledge on technical and policy related aspects of solar energy. RE-volv helps finance solar systems exclusively for other nonprofits in the US. Through their Solar Program, they will teach students about community engagement and solar financing. Through the solar program, we will also get the chance to connect with students interested in solar from numerous universities across the country. We will conduct community outreach events in different ways to inform our community about the importance of renewable energy and how it works. We will learn about different policies and regulations embedded in renewable energies, specifically solar energy to have the knowledge to answer questions and be a source of information for others interested in renewable energies.

Why Are We Doing This? - We are doing this because we want to enable our community to create clean energy for years to come. Renewable Energies are an emerging technology that will guide our state to reaching carbon neutrality and we will be on the front lines, spreading information about what it is, how it works and what we can do. 2050 and carbon neutrality seem far away but there is lots to do, and it is up to us to take care of it and get there. With the help of SHINE, RE-volv, NMU and most importantly; us, we can reach carbon neutrality as a community, one project at a time.

For any information, feel free to contact pormsby@nmu.edu

ECOREPS WORKSHOPS & EVENTS 

EcoReps meetings are Thursdays from 5-6pm in Jamrich 1311. Register on the Hub to receive EcoReps emails. EcoReps has many exciting events coming up!!

• March 28 - Art & Activism Workshop
• April 4 - Mindfulness and Sustainability
• April 18 - Recycling 101 Workshop

CONSERVATION CREW EVENTS 

Register for the Conservation Crew on the Hub or email to join the email list to get details on events. NMU Conservation Crew has fun events coming up!

• March 25 - Sugarloaf Hike
  • Meet at the OLA pavilion at 4pm to carpool. Ice cleats are recommended.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION - BEGINNER SEWING SERIES ON APRIL 26

 The three-part beginner sewing series to promote sustainable fashion has final event on April 26 at 5 p.m. at the SHINE building (1400 Presque Isle Ave). This event will be centered around sewing machine basics! At this event we will put our new skills to the test and sew reusable period products for women overseas!

This series is centered around promoting sustainable fashion and teaching the basics of sewing & mending. We are stoked to have @dumsterslayer444 come and show us the ropes of creating projects from recycled materials!

This event requires an RSVP as there is a limited number of available seats (please RSVP to mikroger@nmu.edu.) We are very excited for this series and can’t wait to see what it brings!

MINO-BIMOSE’IDIWAG (WALKING THE PATH TOGETHER) PROGRAM - APRIL 11-12 

Upcoming training opportunities hosted on April 11 and 12th through the Mino-bimose'idiwag (Walking the Path Together) program at Northern Michigan University. These sessions are valuable for enhancing your skills and understanding when working with Individuals, particularly in areas of diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency.  

Our three training opportunities include:

• Four Hills of Life:  April 11th, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm (1.5 CEUs)
• Thirteen Rights of the Anishinaabe Child:  April 12th, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (3 CEUs)

Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWjx1Adp-6EpzJlwIXpApryb_Y44qoNUIom-Didl4QM1zTJg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Lenny Hayes, MA

• The Impact of Historical and Intergenerational Trauma on the Two-Spirit and Native LGBTQ Community. An Implicit Bias Training: April 12th, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (2 CEUs in Implicit Bias)

Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZjVNIKjRhO0tUoQMEfDQjKY_LQNdL2rGklhvZMdnFjipp5w/viewform?usp=sf_link

** Virtual attendance is only available for the Lenny Hayes presentation. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

CONSERVATION CREW EVENTS 

Register for the Conservation Crew on the Hub or email to join the email list to get details on events. NMU Conservation Crew has fun events coming up!

• March 16 - Laughing Whitefish Falls Hike
  • Meet at the OLA Pavillion to carpool at 11am. There is about a 30 minute drive there, and 30 minutes back. Please bring your own  snack/lunch for yourself to have a picnic after the hike.
• March 17 - Mural Painting
  • The Mural will be in the tunnels between Harden Hall and Weston. All supplies will be provided, and you are all more than welcome to join in creating this.
• March 25 - Sugarloaf Hike
  • Meet at the OLA pavilion at 4pm to carpool. Ice cleats are recommended.

NORTH WIND ARTICLE ON DR. MARTIN REINHARDT'S RETIREMENT 

Dr. Martin Reinhardt is professor of Native American Studies at NMU and the primary investigator for the Decolonizing Diet Project. The North Wind featured an article on Dr. Martin Reinhardt’s legacy and his upcoming retirement. Read more here!

STUDENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COURSE PUBLISHES OP-ED IN MINING

Read Sarah Edgell’s article in the Mining Journal here.

EPA'S NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE 

Registration is now open for EPA’s Watershed Academy webcast on Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience, which will take place on March 26, 2024. This webcast features professionals from across the country that are conducting nature-based projects to promote climate resilience. Join us to hear speakers discuss a variety of work related to the restoration, protection, and management of natural and modified ecosystems.

For more information on this webinar and to register visit this link. For more information on the Watershed Academy, visit this link.

BRIDGE LUNCH BREAK - MICHIGAN'S DISAPPEARING WINTERS 

Bridge Michigan invites readers to a free Zoom discussion from noon to 1 p.m. on March 28 about Michigan’s disappearing winters!

Guest panelists will include Nancy Langston, distinguished professor of environmental history at Michigan Technological University, and Richard Rood, professor emeritus of climate and space science and engineering at the University of Michigan. Bridge environment reporter Kelly House will moderate the discussion. An additional panelist will be announced soon. Participants can ask questions of our panelists via the Zoom chat feature throughout the event. Pull up a chair, grab your lunch and join us for this interactive discussion.

Please fill out our Lunch Break registration form to be sent a calendar invitation to the event, including the Zoom link. This registration form also includes an opportunity to submit questions for our reporters.

LEAVE NO TRACE TRIVIA 

You are invited to Leave No Trace Trivia night with Respect Marquette coming up on April 5th at Kognisjon Bryggeri!

WORLD WIDE CLIMATE JUSTICE EDUCATION WEEK - APRIL 1-8

April 3rd's Wednesday webinar will be a special cross-institutional seminar hosted by artist and activist Mira Musank designed for students to engage with climate art with the chance for their work to be featured in a collective online gallery. 

The seminar will explore a virtual reality gallery on Wednesday, April 3rd at 9am and 12pm EDT. Please share this opportunity with your campus. Together we will explore art works, exchange with attending students at other schools, and respond to prompts curated by the hosting artist, Mira Musank. RSVP here!

2024 GREAT LAKES ENVIRONMENTAL FESTIVAL 

You are invited to the 2024 Great Lakes Environmental Festival. Please visit our website for more information. If you have an interest, please join us in Manistee Michigan located along the enchanting Lake Michigan. If you know of students who would be interested in submitting an environmental poster to the 2024 Great Lakes Environmental Festival please have them go to the web site to submit an abstract. Certificates will be provided for each student submitting a poster to add to their portfolio for their participation.

10TH ANNUAL ANDERTON'S EARTH WEEK 2024 - APRIL 21-27

See the draft schedule here.

UPPER MIDWEST ASSOCIATION OF CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY (UMACS) CONFERENCE

NMU is part of the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability (UMACS). SHINE will pay for student registration & travel to attend the UMACS conference Sept 20 & 21. Submissions are due April 1. UMACS seeks proposals for conference sessions that will further our mission to “advance a more sustainable and just Upper Midwest” and welcomes proposals from anyone working to advance sustainability in higher education. If you're already submitting for the Celebration of Student Scholarship, you can use the same submission for UMACS. UMACS also has a newsletter for students with great information! Subscribe here.

SWITCH TO ECOSIA BROWSER AND PLANT TREES 

Small individual actions, even something as seemingly insignificant as the search engine you choose online, can have a global impact… if enough people do them.

That’s exactly the premise of a company called Ecosia. For the last 15 years, Ecosia has provided a search engine that uses the ad revenue it generates from your searches to plant trees where they’re most needed, from Thailand to France. They have other climate projects too: from building roof-top solar in Germany to providing seed investments to regenerative agriculture entrepreneurs.

Ecosia estimates it takes around 45 searches to pay to plant one tree. By January 2024, Christian Kroll, Ecosia’s CEO, announced that the company has planted 200 million trees in over 30 countries. Recently, they’ve expanded their offerings to include a train travel search engine; a tag on banks that invest in fossil fuels; and a “green” AI chatbot.

INVITE FLYING FRIENDS TO YOUR YARD 

The sights and sounds of songbirds in our yards are some of the best perks of gardening. Here are a few tips for planting a bird-friendly garden.  
  
1. Provide a clean water source 
2. Stick to organic gardening practices 
3. Provide habitat and shelter with native plants including grasses, shrubs, and small trees 
4. Add bird feeders and bird houses 
5. Provide nesting material 
6. Remember that bugs are bird food
7. Don't forget your binoculars for birdwatching!