Orange, Black and Green

“We like to think we’re pretty savage at cooking,” said Mara Livezey K’13 from team Rhubarbarians at Farms to K’s annual cook-off in Hoben Lounge on Monday evening. The sold-out…

During Winter Quarter, the college's environmental organization (Envorg) in partnership with the college's Facilities Management Department hosted a competition to see which residence hall could reduce their water and electricity usage the most. Each week points were awarded to dorms bases on gallons of water used per capita and on the percentage of electricity saved in comparison to past winters.

Three rising senior students were chosen to be sustainability interns for next year. The students were chosen based on their leadership, enthusiasm, and commitment to sustainability on campus. The three sustainability interns for the 2012-13 school year will be Trace Redmond, Alicia Pettys, and Rebecca Cummins-Lanter. These interns will pursue projects focused on reducing the college's impact on the environment.

The annual Sustainability SIP Symposium was held once again on Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Seniors presented the results of various individualized project related to sustainability. 

All are invited to the 2011 Sustainability SIP Symposium to be held on Tuesday, April 26th, in Dewing 103 and the Dewing Commons.  Presentations will be from 6pm-8pm followed by a poster session from 8-9pm.

The College’s third-week Community Refliection this Spring was sponsored by the student environmental organization, EnvOrg, and served as a precursor to Earth Day.  Dr. Binney Girdler, and students from the student organizations Farms 2K, EnvOrg and D.I.R.T. spoke on their relationships to environmental activism.

EnvOrg has had a very busy Fall Quarter in 2010!  This longtime K student organization focuses on promoting sustainable practices across campus in a variety of manners.  With record numbers of attendance, the group has been active and visible across campus.

Sustainability Interns Adam Smith and Katie Weeks took time during 8th week to talk about sustainability with youth members of Keeping the Doors Open, a math program that pairs Kalamazoo College students with KPS elementary and middle school students.

First Years participated in a showing and discussion of "Hope in a Changing Climate", a documentary about ecological reclamation in many areas suffering from desertification.

Over the summer sustainability intern Adam Smith, K'11, compiled data from across campus to complete Kalamazoo College’s biennial Greenhouse Gas Audit, as required by the American Colleges and Universities President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).  He completed audits for each of the last two fiscal years, finding that the College has successfully reduced its CO2 emissions by 10% in just two years.

Five students present the latest green initiatives at K while networking with other like-minded community members.

This year, the volleyball team opened their 2010 season wearing their traditional orange and black, but adding a flavor of green to the mix.  This year, the annual Labor Day tournament was revamped in order to promote the team’s new commitment to sustainability.