Green Fee and Green Grants: What's the difference?

Have an idea for a sustainability project? Want to see it come to life? Here at Union, students are given the opportunity to take their ideas and see them realized! The type, cost and scope of your project will determine which source of funding you should apply for! You have two choices........

Presidential Green Grant (PGG)- Green Grants are funded by President Ainlay for smaller scale sustainability projects. Green Grants can be up to $2,000 dollars and are typically awarded to projects that have a visual impact, are educational in value or support sustainability related research. 

PGG Winners include:

• Union Exchange: Union's own craigslit! Look out for the re-launch party!  http://www.vu.union.edu/~uexchange/
• Thesis/Senior Project Funding - ex: potting shed @ Octopus' Garden, built with green building guidelines in mind
• Electric hand dryers in Reamer to replace paper towels
• Octopus's Garden creation and expansion

See application for green grant below!
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE ON SEPTEMBER 28th!

The Green Fee- Two years ago, students petitioned to allocate $5 from each student's Student Activities fees to an account that will fund sustainability projects that will result in a measurable decrease in our carbon footprint! Because it is student money proposals must be submitted by students but collaboration with faculty & staff is encouraged. The Green Fee Governance Committee (GFGC) believes that the strongest applications will come from student/faculty/staff collaboration and student research.

 $25,000 is available every year for 1 large project or a few smaller projects. 

Proposals are due on January 25th, 2013 and will be reviewed by the GFGC. This committee is comprised of one student rep from U-Sustain, one student rep from environmental club, one student rep from the Committee on Committees, the VP of Sustainability of Student Forum one staff rep from Facilities Services a faculty member from the ENS department, and the Sustainability Coordinator. 

This is the Green Fee's first year so lets make it count! 

Want to learn more? Have questions? Contact the GFGC Chair or Vice Chair. Max Fey - feym@garnet.union.edu or Jordan Pulling pullingj@garnet.union.edu

http://www.facebook.com/events/438433729552187/?fref=ts 

Ozone Café - The Best Meal You'll Eat All Week!

Friday's 12 - 1:30pm!

Ozone Café was started in 2007 by Ozone House and quickly became a hit here at Union. The café is run by student volunteers in Old Chapel (behind Sorum and Green house when it's nice!) and serves up local organic vegetarian food as well as seasonal produce from Octopus's Garden. Just swipe your ID card, grab a set of cutlery and get served a delicious meal by your peers! Special thanks to Dining Services & Chef Willy!
For the weekly menu: Click Here

Check out today's menu:

If you are interested in getting involved do not hesitate to mention it to your server or approach the dancing mass of students waiting in line for your plates.

Want to Get Involved with the Environmental Movement @ Union? These are the people you need to know......................

Looking to get involved in one of our environmental groups or need to contact one of our leaders? 

U-Sustain: A committee of students, faculty and staff working together to help reduce Union's carbon footprint and make the college more sustainable. U-sustain meets on Wednesday of Week 2, 5, and 8 in Old Chapel during Common Lunch!

Faculty Leaders: 
Jeff Corbin: corbinj@union.edu
Laura MacManus-Spencer: macmanul@union.edu
Student Leaders: 
Stacie Schwartz: schwarts@garnet.union.edu
Kyle Lanzit: lanzitk@garnet.union.edu
Gozzie Onyiuke: onyiuken@garnet.union.edu

Environmental Club: An all student run organization where the ultimate goal is to raise environmental awareness on campus. The club brings speakers to campus, raises money for ecological organizations, petitions and works on community service projects. Club meets Mondays at 6:00pm in Humanities 115. 

President: Theodore Huss: husst@garnet.union.edu
Treasurer: Jennifer Sexton: sextonj@garnet.union.edu
Secretary: Sarah Neely: neelys@garnet.union.edu
Publicity: Olivia Williamson: williamo@garnet.union.edu
Historians: Lauren Hafkemeyer and Jordan Pulling: hafkemel@garnet.union.edu pullingj@garnet.union.edu



Octopus's Garden: The garden was a student initiative funded by a Green Grant in 2008. The idea was conceived with the intention of producing delicious produce for those without access to fresh vegetables in our community. In recent years OG's produce has been donated to the food pantry, used for Ozone Cafe and in the dining halls. Very recently, a new collaboration has formed between OG and Campus Kitchens which we will continue to foster considering that it brings us back to our original mission!
The garden is always in need of tending, so.....
If you are interested in getting down in the dirt contact: 
Connie Schmitz at octopusgarden@union.edu


Octopus's Garden Club!!
OGC is being re-formed this year. A very successful meeting was held during week 2 and officers were chosen! And during week 3 potatoes were harvested! Weekly meetings will be held on Thursdays at 6pm in Golub Great Room!
President: 
Ram Batta: battam@garnet.union.edu
PR: Emily Crampe: crampee@garnet.union.edu
Treasurer: Jared Kimler: kimlerj@garnet.union.edu             

Campus Kitchens: Student volunteers take excess food from Union's dining halls and create a healthy, balanced meal which they deliver to the City Mission of Schenectady. 
CKUC Meets Saturdays from 11:00-1:30 in College Park Hall. 
Contact: 
Tori Chee: cheev@union.edu
ckpunion@gmail.com



Ozone Cafe: A student run cafe that offers a local & organic freshly made lunch on Fridays in Old Chapel from 12 to 1:30pm. The best meal you'll have all week is just a meal swipe away!
If you are interested in serving contact: 
Maxwell prime: primem@garnet.union.edu


Student Forum: 
V.P of Sustainability 
Max Fey: feym@garnet.union.edu

Green Fee Governance Committee (GFGC): Committee creates and releases The Green Fee RFP. The GFGC reviews proposals and determines proper allocation of funds. Committee Members include:
ENS faculty member: David Gillikin gillikid@union.edu 
ENS student: Lucas Comstock comstocl@garnet.union.edu
Facilities Services staff member: Paul Matarazo matarazp@union.edu
VP of Sustainability: Max Fey feym@garnet.union.edu
U-Sustain student: Billy Phillips phillipw@garnet.union.edu
Sustainability Coordinator: Meghan Haley-Quigley haleyqum@union.edu
Environmental Club student: Jordan Pulling pullingj@garnet.union.edu
Committee on Committees student: Peter Durkin durkinp@garnet.union.edu

Sustainability Coordinator:  
Meghan Haley-Quigley: haleyqum@union.edu

 Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook!!  

www.facebook.com/garnetgoesgreen

www.twitter.com/garnetgoesgreen 

Welcome Back!

"Hello fellow enviro-readers of the Garnet Goes Green blog! We're back and there has been some great changes going on within Union College and out in our world!

Starting off with our home away from home, Union welcomes a familiar face to a vacant position. After interviews with very qualified candidates from all across the country, the committee and the school decided to choose Union's own Meghan Haley-Quigley '11 as our new Sustainability Coordinator. You may remember her as co-president of both U-Sustain and Environmental Club and she will be an integral part of helping Union's already strong green front continue to make a difference in sustainability on campus and in our community. She is really excited to help Union going strong and keep the campus connected. 

Welcome back Meghan!

Now that isn't the only great thing that has happened here at Union. In the spring, one of the biggest events to take place was an event sponsored by Union College Republicans called "Hear the Other Side of 'Global Warming' with Christopher Monckton. This event, which was supposed to be tailored towards those questioning the validity of climate change, ended up drawing in a crowd of strong-minded, intelligent environmental science/geology majors along with all those who care to correct Lord Monckton in his views in one of the most riveting debates to happen that year at Union. Students and professors alike challenged Lord Monckton's view and even held a "rebuttal' meeting afterwards to show their side of climate change through years of research. 

Lord Monckton answering heat opposing opinions on the other side of climate change.

Union's own Donald Rodbell (Geology) questioning the validity of Monckton's information.

Some other great sustainability news on the Union front is the annual Recyclemania contest that occurs nationwide. Union College ranked #1 in two categories: Per Capita Classic and Corrugated Cardboard. Hopefully with these amazing rankings, we can continue to get the campus to push to sweep all four categories for the years to come!" 

Check out Union's standings!

Finally, U-Sustain conducted a recycling fundraising that was done in conjunction with the recycling revamp. This resulted in 10 new outdoor metal cans being purchased for the campus. Overall, we raised 2000 dollars and involved the Greek community with the first annual Greeks Go Green sustainability coalition. We hope that this collaboration continues with the Greeks here on campus such that their involvement can diversify those who “go green” @ Union College!

Greeks Go Green Long Sleeved Shirts. Lookin' good!

The Greeks are going green at Union. How about you?

Enjoy the rest of the summer & see you in the fall! 

Oil: A World in Short Supply

Did you catch Michael Klare's talk on extreme oil? It is part of the Minerva course called " Oil: A World in Short Supply". Below you can get a quick look at some of his ideas. 

On May 11 Michael Klare, Five Colleges Professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College, came to Union to speak about the era of extreme energy, America’s continued reliance on foreign oil, planning green cities, and rethinking what the good life means in society today. His talk was entitled “The Perils of Extreme Oil: Extractive Strategies in the Twilight Era of Petroleum”.

Klare described how the world’s energy demand will rise by 50% in the next twenty-five years with much of the world depending on the oil coming from Saudi Arabia. He talked about the obstacles of relying on other sources of energy such as the mounting evidence of risks with drilling for shale, the growing environmental effects of extracting coal, and the shaky future of nuclear power. More and more energy will come from extreme energy options like the in Arctic, from deep water sources, from politically hostile environments, and from war zones. The United States has increased imports from Canada and Nigeria. This is problematic because the tar sands from Canada are dirty, pollute drinking water, and release more CO2 emissions than oil combustion. Then there is the reliance on Nigerian oil which pollutes the water in the Niger River Delta and promotes military violence. Three wars have resulted from reliance on oil extracted from the Persian Gulf. There will start to be competition for oil in which countries like China are willing to use military power to take control over the resource. There is no way to make oil safe; society must make a major transformation that requires a rethinking of what the good life means. This talk was certainly worthwhile. Klare is a knowledgeable and fiery speaker. 

 

Oil: A World in Short Supply

The latest speaker in the Minerva course "Oil: A World in Short Supply" was Tariq Ali. Read a summary of his talk below!

On May 16 the writer, filmmaker, political analyst, and historian from London, Tariq Ali spoke at Union about the history of imperialism in the Middle East, how oil creates unpleasant regimes and war, The Great Transformation, and the growing economy and competition from China. His talk was entitled “The Oil Wars and World Politics”.

            Ali talked about the history of the Arab world and how European imperialism divided up the once open world into nation-states. In 1951 there was a democratic revolution in Iran; the people wanted the oil found on their land to be used to develop their country instead of England. The British crushed opposition through torture, repression, and crushing unions until all the educated people fled the country. Ali spoke about The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi; in the 1940s, the author predicted the choices that would be made in the economic world. Polanyi spoke of labor, nature, and money as fictitious commodities created by capital. One must create social states to control the elements of environmental destruction, the use of labor as a commodity, and the production of money to make more money. In today’s economy, one sees the opposite. That is, workers must put up with slave like conditions and societal advances come at the cost of humans and the environment.

Ali says that the single most important development in the 21^st century is the fact that the center of the world market has shifted eastwards towards China where commodities are produced cheaply due to poor labor conditions. Cars are selling like crazy in China who is catching up to other developed nations with extraordinary use of fossil fuels. He states that America should reduce dependency on cars and create a high speed rail system like that in Europe; however, this will only change through mass demonstrations and if the citizens are willing to give up their life for the cause. Finally he talks about how Americans think that Muslims don’t want democracy when in fact they are willing to die for it.

            Tariq Ali is a highly intelligent and articulate speaker. He talked about the wars fought over oil in a way that Michael Klare did not; he looked at the bigger picture in the world and from an insider perspective as he is from Pakistan. Ali didn’t state that oil itself as a commodity was the problem; rather, the war fought over oil is the real issue. 

 

Oil: A World in Short Supply

Did you hear Riki Ott's talk as a part of the lecture series accompanying the Minerva Course "Oil: A World in Short Supply"? Here's a summary of what she said!

On May 4 marine toxicologist Riki Ott, PhD, spoke about the transition from oil as society’s main energy source, the BP oil spill, and how the US government protects profit over democracy. Ott travels the country to speak about the Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills. Her talk was entitled “From Exxon Valdez to BP Disaster: Changing the End Game”.

Ott described how oil dependency is linked to consumerism, commodification, privatization, globalization, and militarization. She believes that society must change its main energy source as well as its lifestyle, culture, and economy. She talked about the similarities between the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 and the BP oil spill. The effects of the Exxon spill were much worse than scientists had thought, but the laws haven’t changed since. She discussed how BP saved millions of dollars by spraying a chemical dispersant to hide the magnitude of the spill. Ott described how surprised she was that the BP spill didn’t rally support from the public. She talked about how democracy was hijacked at first by the railroad companies then later the corporations. Corporations don’t have to follow certain laws and are protected by constitutional rights through courts. Finally, she stressed the importance of creating a self-reliant community. 

Riki Ott is very knowledgeable about both the Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills. She is an interesting and energetic speaker. Ott really understands the secondary and tertiary effects of the spills on the environment and the people who make those places their home. 

  
Check out Ott's websites at:
www.changingtheendgame.org
www.movetoamend.org
www.energyactioncoalition.org
www.bpoilslick.blogspot.com