Fall 2011 Res Hall Plug-In Device Inventory

This fall, one of the projects of the Eco-Reps Program was to visit different residence hall rooms around campus and to count the number of plug-in electrical devices. Below are the results. Note that rooms range from single occupancy to multi-room suites. Next year we'll remember to count the number, gender, and major of the rooms' residents.

Building	Spinner	North House	Hill Hall	Schillhammer	Quarry
Room 1	10	8	25	6	24
Room 2	7	29	12	14	27
Room 3	9	10	21	6	12
Room 4	9	8	13	5	18
Room 5	8	11	21	10	18
Room 6	5	10	12	8	23
Room 7	9	9	12
Room 8	7	19	18
Room 9	6	11	9
Room 10	8	14	14
Average	7.8	12.9	15.7	8.2	20.3

Going on now: Better World Books collection

Have some books that are lying around your room/office? Donate them to a good cause: Better World Books collects and sells books online to donate books and fund literacy initiatives worldwide. With more than 8 million new and used titles in stock, we’re a self-sustaining, triple-bottom-line company that creates social, economic and environmental value for all our stakeholders. Learn more here. Books that can’t be sold are recycled.

What can go in the bins:

• College Textbooks and Study Guides (clean and legible condition) with copyright dates from the past 10 years
• Workbooks (with no missing pages)
• Basically any book used in a college classroom (highlighting or writing in books is fine so long as the text isn’t obscured)
• Accompanying CDs
• Hardcover Fiction/Nonfiction
• Paperbacks (must be in like-new condition with copyright 1980 or newer)
• Former Library Books
• Travel Books (with copyright dates from the past 5 years)

Please do NOT put in bins:

• Dirty, Moldy, or Water Damaged Books
• Books with Damaged Binding or Pages
• Books with Missing Covers or Pages

You can find collection bins in: MIC entryway; Joyce, Freeman, Hauke entryway, IDX, and Ireland main lounge. Questions? Contact cerickson@champlain.edu

Intervale Food Hub Spring Student CSA Share at Champlain College

It's time to sign up for your Spring Semester Student Share! The share begins the week of January 23rd and runs through the week of April 30th. The sign up period will close January 9th, 2012. Receive delicious, fresh local food delivered weekly to campus throughout the semester. The pick-up spot will be Aiken Hall on Wednesdays during the Spring Semester.

Share options for students include: vegetables, eggs, cheese, pesto, bread, yogurt, meat and more! Visit our website to view the share options and sign up!

Be in touch with Food Hub Coordinator, Brianna Farver with questions: brianna@intervale.org, 660-0440 x111.

Save Some $$$ This Winter!

Last week, Sustain Champlain hosted a weatherization workshop geared to those who live off-campus. In case you couldn't make it, here's a quick summary of some pretty easy steps to take this winter.

Heating: You can save 5% of your annual heating costs for every 5 degrees you set your thermostat back (make sure to always keep heat above 55 degrees to avoid frozen water pipes!). Turn heat down during the day when you are out of the house.

Weatherization: A lot of heat escapes through leaks. Ask your landlord if you can weatherstrip doors and windows. Installing plastic sheets on widows can improve insulation noticeably. Do-it-Yourself Kits that cover up to 6 windows are available for $12-16 in most hardware stores.

Lighting: Turn off all unnecessary lights. By replacing five of the most frequently used light bulbs in your home with compact florescent bulbs; you could save $60 in energy costs per year! Did you know that landlords in Burlington can receive 16 bulbs FREE from Burlington Electric Department? Let your landlord in on this tip...

Cooking: Use a microwave or toaster oven when preparing small portions. Keep all pots covered and refrain from opening conventional oven while in use (25 degrees of heat escapes each time an oven is opened!).

Appliances/Electronics: Many things consume electricity even while they are “off” - TV's, computers, etc. Save energy and money by unplugging these devices while they are not in use (putting them on shared power strips/surge protectors makes this a lot easier to do!).

Water Use: Heating water accounts for approximately 15% of an average household energy bill. To save hot water, take quick showers and replace shower heads with low flow units. Use washing machines and dishwashers with full loads only. Use cold water when using a washing machine; it is equally effective at getting clothes clean.

For more info on energy efficiency and weatherization contact Efficiency VT, VT Gas, or Burlington Electric.

Want even more? Attend a Button Up Workshop -- hosted in various locations around the state this fall.

Thanks to the UVM Office of Student & Community Relations Office for content for this posting.

Trash Bash 2011 Results

Ah, one of my favorite activities of the year... picking through trash. While it might sound gross, and to be fair, it can be pretty gross, it is also pretty enlightening to see what winds up in the pile destined for a hole in the ground (ie landfill). Thanks to Eco-Reps Kayla, Grace, and Skye for playing along.

The results: The good news? Better results than last year (see comparison graphs). The bad news? Still a lot of clearly recyclable items (soda cans & newspapers) in the trash. We also noted several rolls of toilet paper that still had a lot of paper left on them. The work continues…

Announcing: the fall 2011 Eco-Reps! Coming soon to a Res Hall near you...

I am very excited that the pilot year of the new Eco-Reps Program at Champlain College is officially underway. On Monday, I met with the six fabulous students who are the new Eco-Reps: Grace vonRabenstein (Spinner), David Bender (Quarry), Kaylin Beauregard (North Campus), Kyle Judd (South Campus), Allison Markowitz (East Campus), and Schuyler Ogren (West Campus).

In general, Eco-Reps are expected to model environmentally responsible living behaviors and conduct education and outreach to fellow residents. Eco-Reps are trained and coordinated by the Sustainability Director who connects them to appropriate campus personnel and resources. Eco-Rep activities are generally focused within the residential areas of campus, but can spill out into broader campus issues when most applicable.

The Eco-Reps are just getting acquainted with the program, their expectations, and their domain. I hope you’ll all welcome them to your residential areas as they get to know the buildings. The Eco-Reps may be contacting the RAs of the buildings that they are responsible for, for a building walkthrough and/or to set up a time when they can meet your residents at a floor meeting or other gathering.

As a paid position, the Eco-Reps are expected to work 4 hours per week completing various tasks such as:
*regularly maintaining and updating a bulletin board or other communication channel
* building walkthroughs to inspect recycling areas, including bins and signage
* talking with residents about how to recycle, conserve energy & water, etc.
* co-sponsor at least one event/program/activity per semester with a Res Hall staff member or PA
* attend weekly meetings with program coordinator (Christina Erickson)

If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact me or the Eco-Reps.

Top 10 reasons to park at Lakeside and ride the shuttle to campus

10. You can stop at Cumberland Farms and fill up your tank – routinely the cheapest gas around. ($3.46 on 8/24)

9. You can check out the new Champlain Compass on the TV panels and track the bus as it comes toward you.

8. Play foosball with a friend in the Cantina while you wait.

7. Get to know our favorite bus/van driver Christie.

6. Skip circling around campus looking for a parking place.

5. You get dropped off right by centrally located Alumni Auditorium.

4. Take care of business with one-stop with folks in Marketing, Human Resources, Information Systems, Emergent Media Center, Center for Digital Investigation, Continuing Professional Studies, Campus Planning Finance, or Graduate Admissions and CRM.

3. Enjoy some art by Anna Zalewski on the walls of the Miller Center.

2. Avoid expensive parking tickets.

And the number one reason…
1. Fifteen kinds of coffee and a half-dozen flavors of tea – free every day at Lakeside’s Cantina!

from Stephen Mease Public Information and News Director