September, 2010

Speaker: Dr. Eve Brantley

Wed, Sept 15th

Noon – 1:00 pm

Student Center, Rm 2222

Future Dates: Oct 20th and Nov 17th

Once a month the Office of Sustainability hosts a Green Lunch Seminar. The talk is free and open to everyone. Office of Sustainability keeps previously recorded webcasts on our site here. For additional information see our Green Lunch series.

Wed, 5:00pm

Piccolo Lounge

Auburn Hotel and Conference Center

In an effort to continue to expand and support the community of people in and around Auburn who are interested in sustainability-related topics, weekly gatherings are held. This is a great opportunity to join a group of faculty, staff and students in sustainability related discussions. Gatherings like this have been happening around the country, where there is a standing day of the week and time that people know they can show up and have a good conversation loosely tied to a common topic. This is a casual group, and there is no pressure to be there every week. Come whenever you can and enjoy!

If you would like to receive the weekly email reminder, click this link and then send the email that is generated.

Tiger Transit has 6 new hybrid buses

Tiger Transit has six new hybrid buses on site. The buses are being prepped to begin rolling on the on-campus routes starting in the next week. Look for the small “hybrid” decal on the side of the bus, and feel the pride as Tiger Transit becomes an even more sustainable transportation option.

University of Florida is challenging individuals to pledge to commute by an alternative to single-occupancy vehicle travel on One Less Car Day this fall semester. We're always looking for folks to help launch programs like this at Auburn, feel free to get in touch with us at sustain@auburn.edu

Nov 16th

6:00pm

Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art on Auburn University campus is hosting the Southern Circuit of Independent Filmmakers again this year. One great aspect of this series is that the filmmakers come to the screenings. The Office of Sustainability is co-sponsoring the November film, Burning in the Sun, a documentary about a young man who returns to Mali to start a solar panel business.

Check out the film's website for further information.

Sept 21st - 23rd

Loachapoka, AL

1st day is FREE!

The American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association will be holding their first rainwater harvesting workshop in Alabama. Whether you want to do it yourself at home, through work, or train others, this would be a great workshop for you. The first day, which is free, is a great introduction to the concepts and possibilities of rainwater harvesting. The following two days, the 22nd and 23rd, gives the real nitty-gritty of rainwater harvesting systems, for both potable and non-potable use. We need more folks who understand these systems. This course can lead to ARCSA accreditation and is good for USGBC points.

For more information or to register visit: ARCSA

Conference Call Seminar Series

Starts: Wed, Sept 8th

11:00 am CST

Bard Center for Environmental Policy presents Bill McKibben discussing his most recent book, EAARTH: Making a life on a tough new planet.

The National Climate Seminar is available live to educators, students and the public by telephone. They will be half-hour calls on Wednesdays starting at noon. The call-in number is 712-432-3100, and the conference code is 253385.

Future seminars in the series include:

Sept 22nd David Orr, Environmental Studies, Oberlin College

Oct 6th TBA

Oct 20th Bill Snape, Senior Counsel, Center for Biological Diversity

Nov 3rd Michael Mann, Dir., Earth Systems Science, Penn State

Nov 17th Bryan Walsh, Journalist, Time Magazine

Dec 1st Juliet Schor, Economist and author, Plentitude

For more information about the National Climate Seminar sponsored by the Bard Center for Environmental Policy visit www.bard.edu

Oct 1st – 3rd

Athens, GA

Get together with other students to learn about the most pressing environmental challenges to our region, network, engage in activism, and develop critical skills to fight for clean energy.

Register or visit the Climate Action Network’s website.

Thurs

3:00 – 6:00 pm

Ends: Sept 30th

Auburn University Donahue Dr

The market offers locally produced fruits, vegetables, honey, ornamental plants, herbs, cut flowers, stone-ground grains, eggs, goat cheeses, goat milk soaps, baked and canned goods, and Alabama-roasted coffee. In addition, it often features the work of local artisans, educational booths, and musical entertainment.

Click here for Directions or More Details

Mon- Thurs 2:00-5:00 pm

Fri 11:00-5:00 pm

500 Shug Jordan Parkway

Get ready for that tailgate party! The Meats Lab is a USDA certified location where you can buy fresh eggs and meat raised and produced by Auburn University. The meats lab does everything from harvesting to making fully processed products. Some popular items include smoked meats and sausages, steaks, ground beef, pork, chicken, and eggs.

Joining a local CSA helps you reconnect to the land, support local farmers, and reduces fossil fuel use for transporting produce. CSA consists of a group of individuals from a community supporting a farm and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Usually members pay the costs of the farm operation and the farmer’s salary in advance of the season. This benefits the farmer since they receive working capital up front. In return, members receive a share of the harvest throughout the growing season, and the satisfaction that they are pursuing a more sustainable lifestyle through a reduction in fossil fuel use.

If you know of any CSAs in the Auburn area, please let us know! A few that we have found include:

Randle Farms

Grow Alabama

Red Root Herb and Vegetable Farm 334-243-4072

On Thursday nights at Ariccia, located in the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center, you can enjoy a special organic three-course menu. Ariccia features the freshest local ingredients, providing a true "Farm-to-Table" dinner. Each week, dinner will be expertly paired up with half-priced bottles of select wines, showcasing six different grape varietals.

For more information call 844-5140 or visit Ariccia online.

Auburn University’s Facilities Division is using solar power to bring light to the RV fields. These five lights are transportable and can be used wherever the need arises. Originally they were placed on Magnolia Avenue, where safety was a concern. With permanent lights now in place the solar lights have been moved to the RV fields for tailgating season. They were chosen over traditional lighting because of their convenient mobility and freedom from the cost of permanent electrical wiring.

Paper

Plastics #1 and #2

Aluminum

Steel/Tin Cans

Cardboard

At Auburn University you need to sort your recycling! Look for beverage container bins with blue lids, or a coke bottle shape, for your #1 and #2 plastics, aluminum, and steel cans. Cardboard needs to be flattened and placed in the big blue dumpsters. Mixed paper goes in designated bins with blue lids found in high traffic areas, such as the library and student center. As of now, deskside bins are not being recycled, but there are plans to get that up and running in the coming months, one building at a time. If you don’t know where recycling bins are, be sure to ask your neighbor!

For more visit the recycling website.

Green, Brown and Clear Glass, Batteries, Computer equipment, Cooking oil

Listed above are the items that the City of Auburn recycles that are not picked up on campus. Please take these items to the recycling center at 365-A North Donahue Drive.

For more see the city recycling guide.

Deadline: Oct 11th, noon

Prize per college: $500

Grand prize: travel grant to Germany

As part of “The Transatlantic Climate Bridge: “Climate & Energy Campus Week”, Auburn University and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany are holding a sustainability competition for students and faculty. One student will be selected from each college, and will be awarded $500.

In addition, one overall student winner and one faculty winner will receive travel grants from the Office of International Education to go to Germany and meet with energy and sustainability leaders. These overall winners will be recognized by a member of the German Embassy during the half-time program of the Oct. 16th Arkansas football game.

Click here for more details.

Any questions should be addressed to Dr. Gillespie , Office of International Education, 228 Foy Hall, 844-5009

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