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Ole students share ecology lessons with Habitat for Humanity

By Tom Vogel
March 9, 2007

On Feb. 27 a group of 10 St. Olaf students from Professor of History James Farrell's campus ecology class presented a session on sustainable living to a group of first-time homeowners at the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity offices in Minneapolis. A group of 13 families was in attendance to ask questions and listen to students discuss energy efficiency, recycling and "green" consumerism.

The session was one of 10 home ownership courses families are required to take before purchasing a Habitat for Humanity house. Caitlin Mosman '05, who majored in psychology and women's studies at St. Olaf, has been organizing such sessions since she began working at Habitat for Humanity in September 2005. As part of the family services department, she helps coordinate homebuyer programs throughout the metro area.

Mosman calls her work with Habitat for Humanity a good transition from her studies at St. Olaf. "It's a chance for me to put my idealistic values into play in real life," she says.

When the time came for her to begin planning the home ownership courses, Mosman immediately thought of Farrell's campus ecology class. "I knew that students in this class would have a lot to offer the families taking the home ownership course," Mosman says. "The students' level of energy, knowledge and idealism make them a good connection for families trying to make a new start."

TEACHING GREEN
Kate Huber '09, a studio art and environmental studies major at St. Olaf, took Farrell's class as first-year student last year. She initially took the course because she was interested in meeting people off campus who were interested in sustainability.

"Jim's class taught me that it's impossible to separate environmental issues from other aspects of life. Everything is related to ecology -- travel, diet, shopping, academics, lifestyle," Huber says. "One of the points of the class is to know St. Olaf better. As a college we have a huge impact on our environment and the community."

Looking beyond her immediate surroundings to the larger community is what led Huber to her involvement with Habitat for Humanity in the Twin Cities. Last year, when Mosman spoke to Farrell about doing a session on sustainable living as part of Habitat for Humanity's homeowners program, Farrell referred to her to Huber. Now, as the student coordinator of the Habitat for Humanity session on sustainable living, Huber is passing along the lessons she learned on the Hill.

With the help of a Habitat for Humanity PowerPoint presentation, students prepared handouts and provided several examples of environmentally savvy cleaning products and energy saving appliances. Emphasizing the "three Rs" -- recycle, reuse and reduce -- students educated families on what products to buy for their homes (such as long-lasting light bulbs), and those to avoid (plastic sandwich bags, for example).

Much of the session's focus was on the long-term benefits of "green" purchases and practices. "The cost of some of these things may be more at first, but they save money in the long run, give off fewer emissions and lead to a cleaner living environment," Mosman says.

Following the group presentation, students split into smaller groups for question and answer sessions, matching up with every three or four family members.

"The families felt very comfortable asking the students questions," Mosman says. "They would ask about composting, disposal of hazardous waste and how buying environmentally friendly appliances could ultimately save them money."

CHOOSING TO DO MORE
Although attendees came from a wide range of backgrounds, Mosman says many were eastern African or Hmong immigrants who had come to the United States within the past eight years. Huber notes that many families she met, particularly those from Ethiopia, already were interested in composting and organic farming.

"They'd done this their entire lives," Huber says. "The challenge now is how to transfer those practices to a new life in Minnesota."

Both Huber and Mosman acknowledge that one of the challenges was in convincing people to pay a little more for environmentally friendly goods. Huber recalls the frustration of a woman from eastern Africa who couldn't afford to buy her children organic milk in the United States. "She took it for granted in Ethiopia," Huber says. "But here, everything organic costs about double."

"Most of them haven't faced the choice of buying organic products," Mosman adds. "Everything where they come from is organic already; not by intention, it just is."

Huber, who will coordinate the environmental education sessions for the next two years, said her work with the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is one way in which she is putting what she learned in Farrell's class into practice.

"The campus ecology class taught us that we can choose to do more," she says. "A single person can make a difference."

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.