Campus Sustainability Updates - Oct. 6, 2023 - Sustainability Hub for Innovation & Environment

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY - OCT. 9, 2023 

Join NASA in celebrating and honoring Indigenous People's’ Day is Monday, October 9th! Northern Michigan University is located in beautiful Marquette, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Superior upon the ancestral and current homelands of the Anishinaabeg.

• Morning Celebration - 10am-11am 
  • Gathering by the Land Acknowledgement sign for opening remarks 
• Healing March - 11am-12pm
  • After our opening remarks we will be marching from the Land Acknowledgement sign to the firesite located by Whitman for our closing remarks. 
• NASA Reception - 1pm-4pm
  • Join us Whitman Commons for light refreshments, snacks, and cake! Come celebrate and learn more about NASA. 
• Evening Celebration - 6pm-9pm 
  • Gathering in Whitman Commons, we will be hosting keynote speaker Dr. Martin Reinhardt followed by a panel discussion reagrding the topic of Native Youth and their barriers to higher education. 

Contact NASA's email nasa@nmu.edu to learn more! 

CAMPUS BIKING SURVEY CLOSES OCT. 10, 2023

By taking this short survey you'll help NMU make decisions to improve bike infrastructure, gain campus recognition and earn possible grant funding! 

CLIMATE@NOON AND SUSTAINABLE TABLING 

The Northern Climate Network is a campus and community organization dedicated to providing opportunities to discuss and learn about climate change in our region. The Northern Climate Network hosts Climate@Noon seminars that allow climate leaders a space to present to the Marquette community. Learn more about the Northern Climate Network here. Anyone is welcome to participate!

Prior to Climate@Noon, an informational table is led by SHINE Climate Education Intern, Isabelle Honkomp, and will have informational graphics. This will be a great time for questions about sustainability on campus!

Dates for Climate@Noon include:

• October 13 - 11:00 - 12:00 p.m. SustainableTable (Jamrich Lobby)
  • Climate@Noon (12:00-1:00 p.m.) - Climate on the Brain with Dr. Josh Carlson (Jamrich 1313)
• October 20 - 11:00 - 1:00 p.m. SustainableTable (Jamrich Lobby)
  • 12:00/12:30 p.m. Sustainability Walking Tours (meet at Jamrich)
• Nov. 3 - 11:00 - 12:00 p.m. SustainableTable (Jamrich Lobby)
  • Climate@Noon (12:00-1:00 p.m.) - Climate Action Updates from Superior Watershed Partnership (Jamrich 1313)
• Dec. 1 - 11:00 - 12:00 p.m. SustainableTable (Jamrich Lobby)
  • Climate@Noon (12:00-1:00 p.m.) - Climate Action Updates from the League of Women Voters (Jamrich 1313)

ECOREPS CLOTHING SWAP AND COLLECTION BINS 

EcoReps Clothing Swap - October 13, 2023 at 11:00am-4:00pm in Jamrich (next to Starbucks)

Drop off clothes in the clothing swap bins around campus or bring them to the event to swap! 

One clothing swap bin is located at the FitZone and one at SHINE building (located in the old InventNMU building on Presque Isle Ave.). If you have clothes to part with or want new new clothes, this is a great sustainable option!

GREEN FUND 

What is the Green Fund? The Green Fund is a student-paid fee that funds sustainable student-lead initiatives on campus. Any student can submit a proposal to improve sustainability at NMU! Learn more about it here.

If you have an idea that you want to submit to the Green Fund, fill out this application. If you have questions about the Green Fund or about how to submit an application, contact EcoReps at ecoreps@nmu.edu.

A video about the Green Fund will be shared soon. Stay tuned!

NMU'S CARBON NEUTRALITY PLAN 

NMU announced the Carbon Neutrality Draft Plan to the public this week! SHINE is hosting informational meetings to learn more about the plan and to ask questions.

• Tuesday, October 10 - 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. (in person, Jamrich 1318)
• Wednesday, October 11 - 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (virtual - join zoom meeting)
• Monday, October 16 - 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (virtual - join zoom meeting)
• Thursday, October 19 - 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (in person, Jamrich 1322)

To learn more, go to: https://nmu.edu/president/carbon-neutrality-task-force

BE WELL IN WESTON EVENTS 

The Weston building on NMU’s campus is hosting sustainable events like lunch-time walks, visiting the WildPups, practicing mindfulness, and Friday yoga sessions. Currently, there is the “Count Your Steps, Plant a Tree” challenge for October! Learn more about the events on the Be Well Weston website.

NMU STUDENTS APPOINTED TO NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL ASSOCIATION BOARD

Congratulations to Ceirighen Gill and Taylor Kenyon for their appointment to the Marquette Chapter of the North Country Trail Association! Ceirighan and Taylor share their thoughts about this exciting appointment below: 

“I joined the NTC board to gain more leadership experience and to make a difference in the surrounding Marquette community. I love being outside and going on hikes, so it is a good fit for me. This position has helped me learn more about the maintenance of trail systems, being an active part of building trails, and bringing the outdoors to more people.” - Taylor Kenyon

“I am super excited to be on the North Country Trail Association's Marquette Area Chapter board because it allows me a space to interact directly with the community over a common interest. This position is unique, it gives me the opportunity to learn from my elders firsthand while contributing my knowledge and representing the younger generation. As a board member it is not only my job to teach and organize, but also to learn and get hands-on experience, especially with people I never would have before. Since being on the board, I've realized how important it is that we all stay connected and how powerful we can be when we do!  It's our duty to continue exchanging information from generation to generation in order to keep our environment in tip-top shape. There is a lot of separation between student environmentalist groups and community ones, but we're all working towards a common goal, why wouldn't we work together?

 I was introduced to the board member position because of the NMU Conservation Crew. I have been a co-leader of this club for almost two years and a member for four, recently we have been making more of an impact than ever. I credit this to our community action, guidance, and collaboration that began with the help of our NCT friends. I can't thank either group enough for the opportunities I've been given, the progress we are making together, and the development our future holds. I'm excited to see what we can do!” - Ceirighan Gill

JOINING ECOREPS 

Get involved with EcoReps to be involved with sustainability on campus! Meeting times are Thursdays at 4:30pm in Jamrich 2309. 

NPR'S CLIMATE WEEK 

This week is NPR’s Climate Week and they’re sharing a lot of great, sustainable content if you want to follow along!

CONSERVATION CREW HOSTING "HIKE OCTOBER" 

The NMU student organization, Conservation Crew, is logging miles members hiked in October for mental health awareness. The more miles hiked either at Conservation Crew events or in your personal free time, the more money is donated! 100% of proceeds go to mental health research and wildlife conservation.

Maddie Loebig, an NMU student and a local artist who makes art out of trash, is partnering with the Conservation Crew for trash cleanups for her Capstone Project. These events are listed below:

• Cleanup at Marquette Commons - October 22nd at 4pm
• Campus cleanup - October 28th at 9am

Join the Conservation Crew for more fun events such as hiking, biking, trash cleanup, and more!

SHINE SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION TABLING EVENT - TIME TO WALK THE TALK 

Looking to learn more about environmentally conscious ways of transportation at NMU? Join SHINE on a walking tour October 20 at 12:00pm or 12:30pm. Meet us in the Jamrich common space.