NEWS

UN Decade of Sustainability Speaker Series!

3/18/09

The UN Decade of Sustainability Speaker Series continues with the March 23 lecture from Professor David Skole! We encourage you to come to each of our sessions to learn about and expand your view of sustainability. If you can't make it in person, please check out the webcast at wmsu.com.

Click on any of the thumbnails below to view the flyer for each speaker!

An MSU Teach-In on Global Warming on February 2! UPDATED

1/30/09

Following on last year’s successful “Community Forum on Climate Change” we have organized a “Teach-In on Global Warming” as part of a nationally organized effort to bring people together in the first 100 days of the new administration to discuss and learn about the complexity of the climate change challenge.

Faculty, staff, students and other informed citizens will act as panelists to highlight key considerations and lead discussions throughout the day on Monday February 2 from 11:00a.m. – 6:00p.m. in 145 Communication Arts. A webcast for this event is being planned.

Click here for full event information.

View the entire event live via webcast here!

Michigan State University's Center for Service-Learning and
Civic Engagement is honored with the 2008 Presidential Award for Higher Education Community Service

1/27/09

Michigan State's Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (CSLCE) is one of only six recipients selected from among 635 institutions of higher learning for the 2008 President's Award by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The Presidential Award is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. Sponsored by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development in partnership with Campus Compact and the American Council on Education, the Honor Roll recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs.

For the full press release on the honor, please go here.

The CSLCE is the oldest continuously operating service-learning center in the country. Since 2001, the number of students engaging in community service through the center has tripled, reaching 14,551 in 2007-08. More than 360 community nonprofits request and engage with MSU students on an ongoing, annual basis. The CSLCE has also been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a top ranking program nationally.

For more information please go here.

Office Move and Renovation Creates Challenges and Opportunities

12/30/08

The addition of Lauren Olson as Program Coordinator for Environmental Stewards and Green Certification programs to the Office of Campus Sustainability this fall required that we move. We dropped three floors into some space that had been used for storage and short-term placements over the last few years.

Since this move was designed to be more permanent, an office renovation was recommended by the administration. We tried hard given a short window(less than a month) to minimize our impacts in the choices we made.

Read about our efforts here.

"Green on the Big Screen" Begins Nov. 13!

11/7/08

Michigan State University is sponsoring an environmental film festival and fair Nov. 13-16. "Green on the Big Screen" helps support an endowment for the university's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.

The entire line-up, which includes feature films, documentaries and student productions, can be found here. Most films include discussions after they are shown and that are led by people with knowledge of the issues they depict.

Tickets cost $3 each, three for $6 or $15 for a full festival pass. Tickets can be purchased at the film festival, which will be held on the first floor of the Communication Arts Building. Children under 12 will be admitted free. The films will be shown in rooms 147, 148, Studio D and Studio E in the Communication Arts Building.

Visit our calendar section for full details.

Red Cedar River Clean-Up - Join In!

10/16/08

The Fisheries and Wildlife Club is hosting a Red Cedar River Clean-up on October 25th. It will take place from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Meet at the MSU Bike Shop (just south of Bessey Hall).

The clean-up will consist of picking up litter on the banks of the river and waders will be provided to pick up litter within the river. If you have your own waders we recommend you bring them. There will be free food and drinks provided by sponsors. Red Cedar river clean-up t-shirts will be available but they are in limited supply; so come early if you would like one!

Vote With Your Actions Posters Online Now!

9/26/08

Last semester MSU students in writing, rhetoric and American cultures, or WRAC, and art and art history courses teamed up with the Office of Campus Sustainability to create a series of six posters, punning on well-known political phrases, such as “I Like Bike,” “Read My Lips: No New Bottled Water,” and "Wind Power to the People."

“Everyone is thinking politics these days,” said John Kinch of East Lansing, a former visiting assistant professor in WRAC and principal of Kinch Communications. “That’s why last spring in my publications management course, we chose these types of phrases for this fall’s campaign to raise awareness about sustainability. It’s a global, bi-partisan, issue that we hope people stay engaged with long after this election season is over.”

The 15 students in Kinch’s course, a student group of AIGA (the professional association for design) mentored by Kelly Salchow, assistant professor of art and art history, and Terry Link, director of the Office of Campus Sustainability, worked on the posters, which will be seen throughout the East Lansing and campus community.

To view/download large or desktop background versions of the posters, click here.

Spring 2008 UN Speaker Series Video Clips Online!

9/21/08

Now Available! You can find video clips from the Spring 2008 UN Speaker Series guests online in the media section. Leo W. Gerard, Dr. Eban Goodstein, Carolyn Raffensperger, and Dr. Jeffrey Nielsen all gave fabulous lectures.

Check out the clips now!

Now Available: The ecoFoot RSS feed

9/15/08

You can now be made aware of site updates, newsletter releases, calendar items, and all news coming out of the Office of Campus Sustainability via our RSS feed!

Easy to use, the information you are seeking will come to you and your RSS reader or mail program. Check it out!

Sign Up Here!

"Journeys to Sustainability" Week

9/4/08

Journeys to Sustainability week is a chance for students, faculty, and members of the community to explore different facets of sustainable practices and activities.

This week will filled with fun and interesting experiences that anyone can enjoy. Get some friends or colleagues together and take part in one, two, or all of the events this week has to offer!

You can find an explanation of the "red wheelbarrow" theme and full event information in our calendar section.

Click here to view the full-size event poster.

We look forward to seeing you!

MSU Recognized as Environmental Leader!

8/25/08

MSU has been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as one of the top five campuses in the nation for its "exemplary programs" that keep its campus green. MSU also has the greatest number of such programs in Michigan.

Read the full article here!