It’s hard to believe fall term is already coming to an end! This fall was an exciting time for the Sustainability Office. We welcomed two new STAs to our team, Becca Horwitz ’22 and Madhav Mohan ’22. With eleven STAs total working in four focus groups (energy, waste, food, outreach), our office was busy working on various projects and events this term. Here are some of the highlights:
Geothermal Energy Update
The east energy station is finally online and running on the geothermal system! Located in the sub-basement of the new Anderson Hall science building, the east energy station is responsible for heating and cooling the east side of campus. The west side of campus will transfer to geothermal energy by 2021. When both energy stations are up and running, it will reduce Carleton’s energy usage by 40%!
Fall Free & For Sale Frenzy
In October, our office hosted the Fall Term Free & For Sale Frenzy in which students can bring their clothes to sell, name their price, and buy each others’ clothes. The sale is a fun and accessible way to facilitate reusing clothing and promote a circular economy of consumption at Carleton. This fall, we partnered with the Carleton Clothing Recovery Network to donate the clothes leftover at the end of the sale. To volunteer with either the Free & For Sale Frenzy or Clothing Recovery Network, email sustainability@carleton.edu
Energy Audits
The energy team has been working on waste and energy audits of campus buildings and making this data more comprehensible for the Sustainability Office. Learn more about your building’s energy usage.
Thermos Giveaway Program
This year, the Sustainability Office piloted a new program in partnership with Carleton Senate Association’s Special Projects Committee to give away 200 Carleton thermoses to students. The giveaway occurred in Sayles over two days. In order to receive a thermos, students had to fill out a short survey and sign a pledge to reuse with their new thermos. The program was designed to provide an accessible alternative to disposable cups on campus. A survey will be distributed in the coming week to measure the success of the program.
Northfield Passes its Climate Action Plan
While not directly in our office, our fearless leaders Alex Miller and Martha Larson have been working tirelessly with the City of Northfield to pass their Climate Action Plan. After months of hard work, the Climate Action Plan was finally approved by the City Council and passed! This is a huge step towards sustainability and climate resiliency and adaptation for Northfield. To read the plan, visit the City of Northfield Sustainability page.