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Can you spot the vending miser?
There have been large changes with the sustainability program at Carleton, so it’s easy to see how some of the little things can get overlooked. However, one of the little things that the writers of Shrinking Footprints are excited about is the vending miser. The many vending machines—loaded with lights, electronics, and a cooling compressor—that are spread across campus comprise a significant electricity demand for the College. A Tufts University study determined that each of their vending machines drew 3,468 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, with average carbon dioxide emissions of 2.26 tons and a financial cost of $381. Though Carleton’s electricity is cheaper, by installing vending misers we can still halve the College’s energy and carbon expenses. What is a vending miser? The device simply consists of a motion sensor, which activates the lights on the vending machine when an individual passes by, and the “miser,” a box that controls the frequency which the machine’s compressor runs. The installation of misers on the least-frequented vending machines on campus would be instrumental in Carleton’s energy efficiency initiative, a critical component for meeting the goals of the Presidents Climate Commitment and also in the spirit of this month’s Green Wars.
The cost of the vending miser (a princely $165 per unit) is no longer an issue either—check out Carleton’s Sustainability Revolving Fund to learn how the Sustainability Assistants are purchasing the units based on their energy savings.
Also, Carleton has installed a prototype vending miser on only one of its machines. Can you find it?
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Weighing in on Waste
Responsible waste management programs are especially important when one considers the volume of waste generated by a residential college of Carleton’s size during a month of school. In October, Carleton college produced approximately 60 tons of recyclables, compostables, and trash in total, all of which would be destined for a landfill had Carleton not invested in composting and recycling.
Promising Numbers
The new waste management improvements including one-stream recycling and campus-wide composting made by Carleton College during the summer of 2007 have proven successful. According to recent data collected by Carleton College Facilities Department, Carleton diverted 56 percent of its waste stream from the landfill in the month of October alone. This estimate is even larger if one considers the amount of waste generated by students who live in off-campus or college-owned houses who compost. In the fall, 100 students (approximately half of the student body) living in privately-owned houses in Northfield were given supplies of biodegradable bags from the Facilities Department in order to use in their homes. The weigh data does not include their contribution because they use separate compost receptacles.Continued Improvement and Expansion
Weigh data from the month of October shows a small, yet significant improvement from recycling and composting efforts during the month of September in which only 52% of Carleton’s waste stream was diverted. It is important to note, however, that recycling data from September is skewed by a large influx of cardboard generated by students moving back to campus in the fall. Continued improvement is to be expected as current students, faculty and staff learn to navigate a seemingly complex new sorting system. Participation may be enhanced further by a first-year orientation program which highlights sustainability efforts at Carleton and educates new members of the community on how to properly dispose of their waste. This orientation program is currently under discussion.For more information on composting initiatives at Carleton College, contact Karen Lawson (Custodial Services Supervisor), Shaun Sawtell (President of SOPE and Compost Task-Force Leader), or Laura Oxtoby, Ben Barclay, and Becky Dernbach (Sustainability Assistants).
Graphs taken from Facilities Compost Report (prepared Jan. 10, 2008) . -
Focus The Nation– January 31st
What is Focus the Nation?
In the next few years, we as a nation will make, or fail to make, critical decisions regarding global warming pollution and clean technology investments. These decisions will have far-reaching and irreversible impacts on the lives of today’s students and the lives of their children. At this moment in time, we owe our young people at least a day of focused discussion about global warming solutions for America.
Focus the Nation is organizing a national teach-in on global warming solutions for America—creating a dialogue at over a thousand colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, places of worship, civic organizations and businesses, and directly engaging millions of students and citizens with the nation’s decision-makers. Focus the Nation will culminate January 31st, 2008 in simultaneous educational symposia held across the country. Our intent is to move America beyond fatalism to a determination to face up to this civilizational challenge, the challenge of our generation.
Focus the Nation is an educational initiative, but we also promote civic engagement. Each Focus team will invite local, state and federal political leaders and decision-makers to come to campus and participate in a non-partisan, round-table discussion of global warming solutions. US Senators and members of congress, state representatives, mayors and city councilors, all will be receiving dozens of invitations to speak about global warming, from over a thousand institutions nation-wide. Every institution will also vote on their top five national priorities for global warming action, producing a campus and citizen endorsed policy agenda for 2008.
Currently over 1000 institutions, mostly colleges and universities, have signed on to participate, and dozens of college and university Presidents have endorsed the initiative.
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Hurricane Expert to Speak at Carleton
On Wednesday, October 17, Kerry Emanuel will deliver a lecture entitled “Global Warming and Hurricanes.” Dr. Emanuel, a meteorologist at MIT, has written a number of books on the subjects of hurricanes and climate change, the most recent of which is What We Know about Climate Change (Boston Review Books). In his research, Dr. Emanuel has found connections between climate change and increased hurricane intensity. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Emanuel was named to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people. The talk continues a yearlong public lecture series on the topic of climate change hosted by Carleton’s Environmental and Technology Studies program.
Dr. Emanuel will lead an informal discussion at 4:00pm in Olin 103. His lecture will begin at 7:30pm in Boliou Hall, room 104. Refreshments will be served afterwards. Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Adam Smith.
Read a recent review of What We Know about Climate Change, written by Bill McKibben.
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