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NEWS AND EVENTS Clean Commute online ride-matching software now Available CATA’s Clean Commute Options Program is proud to introduce their new online commuter matching system. All interested commuters can visit cata.org to get on the road to a clean commute in seconds! Anyone interested in riding the bus, carpooling, vanpooling, bicycling, or walking to work or school can click on “Clean Commute Options” and register their information to receive a complete list of potential matches and directions. In addition, the Clean Commute program can help you find ride matches for your one time trips such as meetings, conferences, trips home for spring break, and all other special trips around the United States or Canada! To register as a clean commuter or learn more information about the program, contact the Program Coordinator at 517-393-7433 or email cleancommute@cata.org. You may also visit their website at www.cata.org and find a better way to get there, because it all adds up to cleaner air! the new MSU surplus store and recycling center set to open soon In January 2008, the MSU Board of Trustees authorized the creation of a new recycling facility to be located west of Farm Lane in the service district, which will triple the amount of materials currently being recycled. A new comprehensive recycling program, coupled with the new facility, will allow the university to expand recycling collection in all buildings. Currently 14 percent of the white and mixed office paper, newspaper, cardboard and plastics are diverted from the landfill through the recycling program and the capture rate of these five materials is projected to double by 2010. Get the latest info, pictures, and a map of the location of the facility from the new MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center site. MSU researchers work to battle global climate change and poverty Michigan State University scientists are combining sustainable forest production with emerging carbon markets in a unique effort to help some of the world's poorest people grow trees that will boost their standards of living and slow climate change. "We have an exciting opportunity to leverage the growing carbon financial market in the United States and Europe to assist poor farmers in developing countries," says David Skole, MSU forestry professor and leader of the Carbon2Markets projects. Find out more about what MSU scientists are doing to battle climate change and poverty. Read an in-depth article chronicling Carbon2Markets and Dr. Skole's work. another reason to tell your friends to be green! MSU researchers recently completed a massive study in China which showed that people are more likely to participate in environmental conservation programs if they know their neighbors are also participating. The results of the study, which will soon be published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focus on the phenomenon of social norms in the context of China's conservation efforts. The study focused on a mammoth government initiative called Grain-to-Green that pays Chinese farmers to convert cropland back to forest. The National Science Foundation has the rest of the story. MSU expands parntership with earth university of costa rica MSU and EARTH University of Costa Rica have been connected ever since former MSU president Gordon Guyer helped select the 8,000 acres in the midst of the rainforest that became the university’s campus. Now these two institutions are taking their partnership to a new level to give students a better chance to learn about sustainability. Learn how EARTH University is opening its classrooms up to MSU students for graduate studies and internships in sustainability in this State News article. University stores continues to go green Thanks to a tremendous increase in the use of paper with recycled content, University Stores is now able to reduce the amount of virgin paper it orders to keep in stock. University Stores would like to thank the entire MSU community for showing such incredible support for making our community a better place. pack up. pitch in. help out. Now in its 13th year, the Pack Up Pitch In Help Out program helps students turn unwanted items into a valuable resource for local charities. The program is run in conjunction with MSU's Housing & Food Services and the City of East Lansing. In addition to the everyday recycling receptacles in the lobby, special recycling containers will be near the front or rear entrances of each dorm for larger items. Get info about what can be donated and when from the Pack Up Pitch In page. Earth Hour and dim down 2009 Michigan State University was proud to be a flagship University for Earth Hour 2009. On Saturday, March 28th from 8:30-9:30 p.m. MSU joined major cities and organizations from around the world in turning off its lights, making a statement about the seriousness of climate change and demonstrating a commitment to finding solutions. MSU also held its own event called Dim Down on Friday, March 27th from noon-1:00 p.m. Similar to Earth Hour, Dim Down is an MSU initiative specifically designed to get the entire campus community engaged in sustainable behavior by rethinking their everyday energy uses. More information can be found on the Earth Hour and Dim Down at MSU page. MSU Transporation services purchases 30 new ford fusion hybrids In a move that both helps the environment and invests in Michigan's economy, MSU Transportation Services recently purchased 30 new Ford Fusion Hybrids. The new vehicles will increase the overall fuel efficiency of Transportation's fleet and helped to push MSU to the front of the pack amongst hybrid usage in the Big Ten. New Building Reports Available Online Want to know how much energy any building on campus used last year? How about how much material waste a building produced last month? This information and more can be found instantly using the new Building Reports online tool. The tool can be found at www.gis.msu.edu/begreen. Use the tool to track the progress of your building or stay updated on how other buildings are doing. Be Spartan Green In the news Be Spartan Green's department by department approach to increasing sustainable behavior has made MSU a leader in campus environmentalism, as noted by this article in Inside Higher Ed. Earth Hour and Dim Down at MSU were a great success! Read the State News recap of the event or check out the Lansing State Journal's article. Be Spartan Green is featured in the March edition of Capital Gains magazine! The story includes some great information about the recycle and reuse facility, which is set to open this summer. The Rescue 4 Investigators of WDIV Channel 4 recently visited East Lansing to find out how being Spartan Green is saving MSU and taxpayers some serious money (video report). Be Spartan Green's own Jennifer Sowa recently talked with MLive.com to tell its readers how they can increase sustainability just by turning off their unused electronics (video report). The City of East Lansing is joing MSU in promoting Earth Hour 2009 as a way everyday people can make a big impact on the world. Recently the MSU Power Plant made the decision to temporarily burn natural gas instead of coal. This switch both saved money and decreased carbon dioxide emissions. Latest Research Recycling Attitudes and Behaviors on a College Campus: Use of Qualitative Methodology in a Mixed-Methods Study (Journal of Ethnographic and Qualitative Research, 2008, Vol.2 173-182) Awards MSU and the city of East Lansing win the Tri-County Waste Reduction Award Mid-Michigan residents, businesses, governments, public institutions and non-profit organizations all have one thing in common, they produce waste. What is uncommon about this common activity, however, are the extraordinary measures some have taken to reduce the amount of waste they generate and dispose of into landfills. MSU's Housing & Food Services, the city of East Lansing, and our non-profit agencies have recieved the 2009 Tri-County Waste Reduction Award for their efforts on the Pack Up Pitch In Help Out program. Tremaine Phillips wins Featherstone Award Tremaine's curiosity about our planet and species led him to major in Environmental Economics and Policy in the Department of Agricultural Economics. His passion is promoting economic development in ways that are environmentally sustainable. He has participated on research in this area in Houghton, MI, and in Australia. He has put his skills to work on two Alternative Spring Breaks in New Orleans, and he has participated in policy making with the Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Program in Washington, DC, and Brazil. In line with "think globally, act locally," Tremaine is a student researcher for MSU's Office of Campus Sustainability, mentors peers as a teacher assistant, and has leadership positions in several student organizations. For example, he was one of the students who spoke to the MSU Board of Trustees, leading to their decision to greatly expand the MSU recycling program. Tremaine was nominated by Scott Swinton, Professor of Agricultural Economics in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Archived News and Events Press Release: MSU Takes Steps to 'Be Spartan Green' Environmental Science and Policy - Calendar of Campus Events MSU Joins the Chicago Climate Exchange
Recycling Pilot
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