Latest News & Events

» April is Earth Month!

» Earth Week 2009 Event Schedule:

» Earth Day Sustainability-Fair:

When: Apiril 22nd (Earth Day) 2-6:30
Where: The quad outside of Buntrock (or crossroads if it rains)
Why: To celebrate the earth

Featuring:
Live music
Live animals
An art display
Natural Crafts and Gifts
Recycled sculpture making
Letter writing
Informational tables to share the coalitions campaigns
And more!

» The Green Bikes program is just getting started and needs your help! Visit Green Bikes to learn more.

» STOGROW - Check out the St. Olaf Student Farm at http://www.stolaf.edu/orgs/stogrow

Opportunities

There is always a lot going on at E.C., and the more partcipants the better! Below are current projects and programs for you to get involved in.

• Eco Journalism- Write an article for the Manitou Messenger related to environmental topics. We need your help in presenting a wide range of information, ideas, topics, opinions, and styles. If interested, e-mail Jeremy (aaron@stolaf.edu)
• Collect Caf. Dishes!- Please check your rooms and dorms for "borrowed" cafeteria dishes and return them ASAP - there is an extreme shortage of coffee cups!
• Green Machine Free Bike Program- A program to provide free bikes for use by students. We are in need of volunteer bike mechanics and donations of parts, helmets, locks, bikes and tools. Contact Jeremy (aaron@stolaf.edu) for more information.
• CERF- Submit a proposal to the clean energy revolving fund board for student initiated renewable energy, efficiency, and resource saving projects. Contact Olivia (schares@stolaf.edu)
• Collect Used Computer Paper- Scavenge through your dorm computer lounge and nearby academic labs for paper used only on one side. We will RE-use the paper for signs and our next round of eco-notebooks. Bring paper to the next meeting.

Upcoming Projects

The Environmental Coalition is constantly brewing new ideas for events, speakers, projects, and education. Here are some of the things to be looking for in the coming months.

• First-year environmental awareness presentations at corridor meetings.
• Elementary Environmental Education- An opportunity to share environmental knowledge and fun with the "future generation".
• Specialized Recycling- Collaborating with facilities and janitorial staff to reduce waste by improving recycling efficiency and working toward the recycling of hard to recycle items like plastic bags, clothing electronics and more.
• Environmental Retreat- An excursion to St Olaf's new biological research site on the Mississippi River in south eastern Minnesota for organizational team-building, inspiration and enjoyment.

A campus resident.

About Us

Mission Statement: The St. Olaf Environmental Coalition is a student-run organization that seeks to cultivate and defend greater ecological concern. We examine and amend the complexities of our lives, beginning with our own campus and extending outward through the concentric circles of the communities in which we live, ultimately arriving at a global perspective. We recognize the depth of our interconnections with all life around us, and practice environmental advocacy that is discursive and consensus-based, uniting rather than dividing our human community in the common pursuit of a more beautiful and flourishing planet.

Links

At St. Olaf:

• Black & Gold & Green
• St. Olaf Garden Research and Organic Works (STOGROW)
• Week-One Sustainability Essay
• E.S. Senior Seminar Projects
• Environmental Studies Major at St. Olaf
• St. Olaf Natural Lands

In Northfield:

• ReNew Northfield
• JustFood Coop
• Carleton College
• Center for Sustainable Living
• Northfield Environmental Quality Commission
• Cannon River Watershed Partnership
• Northfield Freecycle

Beyond:

• Sustain US
• Rustle The Leaf
• Minnesota Green Party
• Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient Economy
• NextStep
• Organic Consumers Association
• Great Lakes Directory
• U.S. Senator Norm Coleman
• U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
• U.S. Rep. John Kline
• MN Senator Kevin Dahle
• MN Rep. David Bly

Archives:

• Earth Week 2004

Online Environmental Activism:

• Take Action Here!

Campus Initiatives

• Composting: This fall celebrated the implementation of a new industrial composter for all food waste on campus.
• Peace Coffee: St. Olaf serves fair trade, organic Peace Coffee in the cafeteria and at the Cage.
• Green Science: Plans are underway for a new science center that incorporates LEED certified green architecture, and a new green chemistry program.
• Campus Ecology: A class in practical idealism.
• STOGROW: St. Olaf Garden Research and Organic Works - a student-run organic community farm.
• Wind Energy: St. Olaf's plan for a wind turbine and the construction of a wind monitoring tower.
• Wind Energy 2: More Information.
• Natural Lands: The Natural Lands are an important part of the St. Olaf experience, and the Environmental Coalition helps with the dirty work whenever possible.