sustainability

February 14, 2019

Get involved in making SIU greener

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale just keeps getting “greener” and there are many things happening this spring that illustrate that commitment.

As stories of climate change and its implications are making the news worldwide, there are many opportunities for people to get involved with what’s happening on campus and make a positive difference, according to Geory Kurtzhals, sustainability coordinator.

Apply for Green Funds

Since the inception of a $10-per-semester Green Fee in 2009 as the result of a student-led initiative, about $2.1 million in Green Fund grants have been awarded to 181 diverse projects conceived to enhance SIU sustainability. Applications are now being accepted for the 2019 Green Fund grants.

Proposals are due March 1 and the winners will be announced during the Earth Month sustainability celebration in late April.

The final pre-application grant workshop for the semester is set for Friday at noon in Morris Library, Room 480A. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to apply for funding as individuals or groups and the workshop will offer valuable information to assist in submitting the funding request.

Opportunities for campus and the community

There are various ways people from campus and the community can get involved in SIU sustainability actions:

  • Sustainability Working Groups: Anyone is welcome to join one of the Sustainability Working Groups, helping find ways that SIU can be more sustainable in these areas: air and climate, energy, food, transportation and water.
  • SGAT: Become part of the Saluki Green Action Team, a program that helps participants learn more about how their daily actions impact the environment and society. SGAT members get weekly emails with sustainability tips to help reduce their carbon footprint. Each month there’s a different theme.

Also, the SGAT monthly meet-ups will continue this spring, giving SGAT members and interested people the chance to connect and learn how to support a more sustainable SIU. Games, prizes, food and refreshments are offered during the noon to 1 p.m. events at the Sustainability Hub, located near Bowling and Billiards at the Student Center. Meet-ups are set for Feb. 22, March 26 and April 24.

  • RecycleMania: Lend a hand as SIU participates in RecycleMania, an eight-week national competition that encourages colleges and universities to promote waste reduction activities on their campuses and increase recycling efforts. Last year, SIU diverted 19.37 percent of its waste from the landfill – a total of 109,801 pounds of materials – during the eight-week event. The goal is to increase the impact this year.
  • Food waste composting: Something new happened for the first time in 2019. Already, University Housing turns food waste from the campus dining halls into compost. That is in turn used to fertilize a plot used to grow more food. But earlier this month, food waste from the popular International Festival was also collected for composting at the Forced Air Compost facility.

Kurtzhals notes that, according to Drawdown.org, nearly half of the world’s solid waste is organic or biodegradable but much ends up in landfills where it decomposes, producing greenhouse gas methane, which is 34 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a century. Although many landfills have some type of methane management, the most effective way to reduce this effect is to divert organic waste to compost instead of landfills.

  • First Friday Green Tours: Participate in a First Friday Green Tour. The walking tours, which are open to everyone, depart from the Sustainability Hub in the Student Center at noon on the first Friday of each month. Participants can get a look at about a dozen different projects funded by the Green Fee; tours can also be customized to participants’ interests.
  • Earth Month: Submit events or programs for SIU’s Earth Month celebration in April. SIU extends Earth Day commemoration for an entire month, celebrating sustainability in a wide variety of ways. See last year’s calendar of events to learn more.
  • Other events: Attend other events on campus designed to inform people about sustainability issues and bring about positive change. “Exploring the UN Sustainable Development Goals” is set for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Feb. 28 in the Student Center Art Gallery and later this semester there will be a campus and community event focused on Drawdown solutions. Keep an eye on http://sustainability.siu.edu for more dates and more details.

Students are active in many ways

In addition to being involved in those programs and activities, students are also playing other significant roles.

The University has four new Sustainability Fellows this semester:

The fellows help organize various events and outreach/education projects and programs including Earth Month, RecycleMania and the university’s ink and toner recycling and sharing program.

In addition, Hala Jaber, a master’s student from Amman, Jordan, who is majoring in electrical and computer engineering, is working as a graduate assistant in the Sustainability Office.

One of his primary tasks is preparing SIU’s new Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) report, due every three years. The university currently holds a silver STARS ranking.

The university also boasts an impressive group of Environmental Ambassadors. This will be the 18th year students who volunteer a minimum of 30 service hours toward environmental initiatives have been recognized with a special award. Since the program began, students have volunteered more than 9,000 hours and organizers hope they’ll break the 10,000 hour milestone this year. It’s never too late to start getting involved.

The University Housing EcoReps are also hard at work trying to reduce waste at student-organized University Housing events.

Learn more

To learn more about SIU’s ongoing efforts to make campus and the world a greener, more sustainable place, visit the Sustainability Office website, call 618/453-2846 or email sustainability@siu.edu.