The Environmental Center of Fort Lewis College is preparing for the Sustainability Summit, which will address how sustainability is working so far on campus and how to bring it into the lives of students.
The Sustainability Summit is showcasing the efforts and future efforts of students, professors and staff, Nicoll Hunt, a senior working in the Environmental Center, said.
These progressive efforts include the newly formed Sustainability Council, Kristen Hencke, a student organizing the event, said.
“They are going to be doing a lot of great things on campus. It’s a really big step toward sustainability,” Hencke said.
Improvements have also been made in the form of a heightened commitment to locally grown food in the San Juan Dining hall dining hall and composting of the organic waste produced there, she said.
“We’re trying to increase the amount of real food served on campus,” she said.
This is partially accomplished by the exclusive use of potatoes from the Old Fort Farm.
The Environmental Center is working on the reconstruction of the greenhouse, which will contribute to the real food campaign, Hencke said.
But the goals of this Summit go beyond discussing the Environmental Center’s accomplishments so far this year.
“People need to realize things are going to start going downhill really fast if we don’t start to take action in our own homes, in our community, and on campus,” Hunt said.
The Summit hopes to stall this downhill trip by educating and inspiring FLC students, faculty and staff of the importance of sustainable living, she said.
“We really want to put an emphasis on what each person that attends the Summit can really do themselves,” Hencke said.
Part of the problem is the lack of knowledge or acknowledgement about how most people live unsustainably, Hunt said.
“I don’t think people are aware of that because they haven’t been taught by anyone,” she said.
The Environmental Center has scheduled guest speakers from community organizations and members who are working to incorporate sustainable practices into what they do, such as La Plata Electric Association, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, and local farmer Lindley Dixon, Hencke said.
In addition there will be speakers from on campus, including Maram Ashe Alawi, the director of the Water Justice Project, and Rebecca Clausen, an assistant professor in the sociology department.
“They are going to speak about what sustainability means to them, how they incorporate into the work that they do, and what each individual can do as they go forward,” Hencke said.
They will be offering a unique way to make a pledge to sustainability, in the form of a sustainabili-tree. Participants in the the Summit will be able to post their personal commitment to sustainability on the tree, Hencke said.
There will also be live music from a local band, Elder Grown, which is made up of FLC alumni, Hencke said.
For those who are interested in taking part, the Sustainability Summit will take place on Wednesday, March 4, at 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Come support your local liquor store!
W.J. Doyle can help you get over that break-up!
