September 3rd, 2009

From Mary Jensen, Recycling and Sustainability: I saw a wonderful thing on Move-In Day. I was walking through the quad in the afternoon and paused to look around. The RLO staff was serving hot dogs and “not dogs,” and the recycling containers were all completely full because parents and students were recycling their beverage containers. There were three GEM cars in view: Grounds, Parking, and Residential Life. Biodiesel fueled vehicles were carrying student belongings to their rooms. An electrician was on a bicycle doing rounds, and the locksmith was walking, tool kit in hand.

These were incredibly affirming sights reflecting sustainability efforts of the past many years at Keene State. Through the eyes of our new students and their families, this is what KSC is like: We recycle; we use electric, biodiesel, and human-powered vehicles; we offer vegetarians a choice. We are modeling sustainable practices. They don’t see all of the effort it took to get here, but they will carry this knowledge into the future and, perhaps, act on it. Thanks to all of you for your help in getting this far.

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Water:
• Set water heater no higher than 120°.
• Take shorter showers.
• Shut off water when shaving, brushing teeth, washing, and doing dishes.
• Wash only full loads in dishwasher.
• Use cold water when running garbage disposal.

Refrigerator:
• Clean condenser coils, drains, and toe grill twice a year.
• Never let more than ¼” of ice accumulate in your freezer.
• Make sure door gaskets seal tightly and are clean.
• Cool hot food for 20 minutes before storing in your refrigerator.
• Try to keep freezer full – use a bag of ice to fill large spaces.

Cooking:
• Cook oven items simultaneously when possible.
• Leave oven door closed as much as possible.
• Use self-cleaning feature after you cook while oven is hot.
• Match pan size to burner size and use tight-fitting lids.
• Don’t preheat oven for longer than needed.

Laundry:
• Wait for a full load to use washer and dryer (don’t overload).
• Wash and rinse with cold whenever possible.
• Fold or hang clothes while they are still warm to avoid ironing.
• Dry consecutive loads – a warm dryer shortens drying time.
• Keep lint screens clean.

Lighting:
• Turn off lights when you leave a room.
• Clean fixtures, lamps, and shades for better light output.
• Leave outside lights off unless needed.
• For three-way bulbs, use the lowest setting needed for activity.
• Use compact fluorescent bulbs whenever possible.

Heating:
• Don’t block thermostats.
• Close drapes and shades at night, open only south-facing drapes during the day.
• Keep windows and doors closed – close doors to rooms not being used.
• Use a humidifier – moist air holds more heat.
• Close attic, garage, and basement doors.

Send your energy saving tips to the Econotes team.
* Energy tips compiled from PSNH website

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From Kaitlyn Taft, Recycling: Hello fellow Earth dwellers! Keene State is holding an Earth Week Photo contest during Earth Week (April 20–April 24). Any photo that relates to the earth or preservation of nature can be entered, and all members of the campus community are invited to submit.

Photos (in hard copy only) can be submitted to Kaitlyn Taft MS 2502, or dropped off at the ROCKS office behind Whitcomb by Wednesday, April 15. The photos will be displayed in the Student Center during Earth Week and the public will vote. Fabulous sustainable prizes and a gift certificate for first place. Questions? Email ktaft@keene.edu or call 8-2567.

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From Mary Jensen, Recycling and Sustainability: This year, Keene State is participating in Earth Hour 2009, an international event that will take place between 8:30-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. For one hour this coming Saturday, turn out your lights and turn off all energy-using objects (more information here).

People from all over the world will be taking simple everyday steps to collectively reduce carbon emissions – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby. As part of the world’s first global election between Earth and global warming, 2,140 cities, towns, and municipalities in 82 countries have committed to VOTE EARTH for Earth Hour 2009. Let’s get involved and join this great effort. Do it in the dark and see what a difference you can make! (For inspiration, watch this.)

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From Kaitlyn Taft, Recycling: The national, 10-week RecycleMania competition started January 18 and continues until March 28. Keene State has entered the Waste Minimization category, which means we are trying to create the least amount of waste per person on campus. We ask that in the next 10 weeks you:
• Do not print agendas for meetings
• Reuse all one-sided paper
•Do not provide disposable cups at meetings
With these three simple acts, we can significantly decrease the amount of waste created on campus, and this will lead to less garbage entering landfills and a happier planet.
Check out www.recyclemaniacs.org for more information and to keep up on how we’re doing.

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From Eric Anderson, a journalism senior at KSC and member of the Sustainability Council: With falling gas prices, the number of miles Americans are driving has also dropped, and the most likely culprit is the sagging economy. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Americans traveled 11 billion fewer miles in 2008 than in 2007. One plan that can help keep money in drivers’ pockets is the Keene State College ride-share program.

The college has teamed up with erideshare.com to bring together faculty and staff to share the commute to campus. Mary Jensen, coordinator of Sustainability Programs and Recycling, joined in a car pool with professor Renate Gebauer of the college’s science department. Jensen and Gebauer try to carpool at least once a week. Jensen believes she drives at least 60 miles a month less and that it saves on gas and the car’s wear and tear. Also, she says carpooling offers “an enjoyable conversation on the way to and from work, and an opportunity to get to know someone better.”

The American Automobile Association estimates that it costs approximately 54 cents a mile to drive your car (figure includes gas, oil, maintenance, tires, and depreciation). For a 40-mile round-trip commute, this comes to $21.64 per day, $454 monthly, and $5,453 annually. KSC’s Sustainability Council hopes these figures will motivate college employee’s to share rides, but Jensen says the Human Resources department is also offering prize incentives to spur potential car poolers. Both Gebauer and Jensen have the environment on their minds when they ride to work — erideshare.com says that approximately 18 pounds of carbon monoxide are created for every gallon of gasoline that is burned. But Jensen also considers government taxes: in theory, fewer vehicles on the road will decrease the amount of tax money spent on highway maintenance.

If you are looking for someone to carpool with, visit this link. You’ll find answers to any questions you may have about logistics and tips for a smooth running ride share. For Jensen and Gebauer, the chance to make a difference, even a small one, is well worth any scheduling conflicts: They are saving money and polluting less, and they’ve made a lasting friendship.

Courtesy Photo

Renate Gebauer (left) and Mary Jensen try to carpool at least once a week.

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From Ralph Palmer, Physical Plant: KSC has adopted a new LED setup for the holiday tree that is on Main Street. The LED lights use 0.75 amps (90 W). For about 300 hours of lighting time (4 p.m. to midnight, now through December 31), the total cost for electricity will be $3.16.

The old setup, using incandescent lights, used 98 amps (11,760 W). Last year the same amount of holiday lighting time cost $412.78.

Cost savings: $409.62, energy savings: 3,521 kWh!

Photo: Robin Dutcher

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Batchelder Biodiesel Refineries, LLC will host a grand opening of their first biodiesel refinery on Wednesday, December 17, from 6–9 p.m. at 29 Front Street in Nashua, N.H. (For more information about the event, please contact Christopher Langille at clangille@bbr-llc.com.) This new facility will convert yellow and brown waste grease into 100% ASTM-certified biofuel, a process that eliminates the “food vs. fuel” controversy created by biofuels like ethanol, which is processed from corn.

BBR plans to open a second refinery, the Monadnock Biodiesel Collaborative (MBC), in Keene in the early spring of 2009. Keene State College and the City of Keene are collaborating with BBR to create a unique private/public/college sector facility where business, research, education, and community service activities will support the community’s goal of creating sustainable practices to improve public health and environmental quality.

The Keene facility will house a BBR refinery to convert waste grease from across New England into more than 250,000 gallons of biodiesel per year, and will also provide KSC researchers with quality fuel for emissions analysis.

A KSC fuel-quality and emissions-testing laboratory located within the MBC will expand the college’s current fuel-emissions and exposure-assessment program, verify the quality of biodiesel produced by the MBC, and provide a sustainable funding stream to support student research and learning experiences from several disciplines across the Keene State College campus. The laboratory will build on Keene State’s research program in occupational and environmental exposure assessment for petroleum diesel and biodiesel (see COBRE grant article).  As many as 50 students per year will be able to actively engage with faculty and staff in such areas as journalism, communication, education, refinery processing, chemistry, environmental science, business management, green business practices, occupational and environmental health, ecology, and public policy engagement.

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From Kim Schmidl-Gagne, Academic Affairs: Just a quick reminder to encourage you to enroll in the TRIP Incentive program when you carpool (see below for instructions), walk, or ride to campus. We have some nice incentives when you complete the TRIP Tracking forms (Contact Valerie Hodge for details at vhodge@keene.edu), and you’ll be helping to reduce your and the campus’s carbon footprint! You don’t need to carpool, walk, or ride everyday — just one day a week or every other week can make a difference.

Based upon the 2007/08 Faculty and Staff Transportation Survey, average estimated total miles traveled (including commuting miles and travel throughout the work day) by faculty and staff is 2,435,722 miles per year, representing an estimated use of 110,214 gallons at an approximated cost of $407,791 (assuming $.3.70 per gallon of gasoline). Clearly, these figures are staggering!

Carpool Instructions: All KSC faculty and staff are invited to take advantage of carpooling through erideshare.com. This free, easy-to-use, web-based service can match you up with other KSC employees from your area — allowing you to carpool to and from Keene State College.

To sign up for erideshare, go to http://keene.erideshare.com. Use the password trip. You will need to set up a membership account, but you can immediately start using the service. You may want to check to be sure that you actually post your ride request to the Keene State College site (check out the toolbar at the top of the page). Otherwise it will be posted to the general Keene site (which might be fine if you want to look for any driver who works in Keene to ride with). If you need to change or delete your listing, look under the “membership and tools” tab.

By completely filling out your erideshare electronic form, KSC will be able to track faculty and staff miles including the reduction in our carbon footprint, trips taken, miles saved, and more.

To facilitate your bike ride to work, green bikes are available through the Mason Library with your Faculty/Staff ID. The bike trail has recently been paved and borders the campus off Butler Court, with easy access to campus and the adjacent shopping areas. In addition, the KSC Community Bus and City Bus service is also available for travel throughout the work day.

Please send any questions, comments, and concerns to Mary Jensen, sustainability coordinator at mjensen@keene.edu

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From Mary Jensen, Campus Sustainability and Recycling: The Source to Sea Clean Up is scheduled for this Saturday, October 4, from 9 a.m. to noon. KSC members will meet at 9 a.m. by the Joyce Athletic Field Bridge near the Whitcomb Building.

For many years, campus community members have partnered to clean the Ashuelot River from the trestle bridge to the athletic fields. There were enough volunteers last year to also clean part of Beaver Brook. It would be great to have as many people help out as possible. Please encourage all of your organizations and friends to participate! For more information, visit the Conneciticut River Watershed Council website.

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From Frederick Wolf, Physics: On Thursday, October 2, Professor Laurence Gould of the University of Hartford will present “ A Convenient Falsehood: Myths, Methods, & Consequences of the Global Warming Hoax,” at 8 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room.

A physicist, Professor Gould is one of the most knowledgeable individuals in all of New England, outside a handful of climatologists, on the subject of global warming. He will present a side of the issue that is rarely heard within the context of political verbiage and the mainstream media. The lecture is free and open to the public. A question and answer session will follow. For more information, contact Frederick Wolf at 8-2584.

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From Mary Jensen, Sustainability Coordinator: All KSC faculty and staff are invited to take advantage of an exciting new opportunity: carpooling through erideshare.com. This free, easy-to-use, web-based service can match you up with other KSC employees from your area, allowing you to carpool to and from Keene State College.

To sign up, go to erideshare and use the password ‘trip‘. You will need to set up a membership account to immediately start using the service. However, you will not get spammed nor will your address be sold by setting up this membership account. We encourage you to read all the information on the site, especially the terms of service, safety, and carpool tips sections. By completely filling out your erideshare electronic form, KSC will be able to track faculty and staff miles, including the reduction in our carbon footprint,* trips taken, miles saved, and more.

Based upon the 2007/08 Faculty and Staff Transportation Survey, the average estimated total miles traveled (including commuting miles and travel throughout the work day) by faculty and staff is 340,000 miles per month representing an estimated use of 13,600 gallons at an approximated cost of $50,300 assuming $3.70 per gallon of gasoline!** Clearly, these figures are staggering!

Human Resources is now offering prizes for employees interested in tracking the number of rides they share each month and for those of you who walk or bike to work, in an attempt to reduce staff and faculty commuting miles and their increasing costs. Contact Valerie Hodge for details at vhodge@keene.edu.

To facilitate your bike ride to work, green bikes are available through the Mason Library with your faculty or staff ID,. The bike trail bordering the campus off Butler Court has recently been paved and offers easy access to adjacent shopping areas. In addition, the KSC Community Shuttle and City Express Bus service is also available for travel throughout the workday.

Members of the faculty, PAT and Operating Staff councils, the Sustainability Council, Human Resources, the President’s Commission on the Promotion of Wellness, and the President’s Office, all of whom support this initiative, hope that erideshare will be a beneficial service to faculty and staff at Keene State College. Please send your questions, comments, and concerns to Mary Jensen, sustainability coordinator, at mjensen@keene.edu.

*Keene State College has made a commitment to climate neutrality through the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment.

**Average month is based upon the academic year assuming an average four-week per month. Fuel figures derived from average fuel economy of vehicles reported in the survey.

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Keene State College’s Grounds Department is hosting “Landscaping at the Water’s Edge: An Ecological Approach to Landscaping Shoreland Property,” a two-day workshop presented by UNH Cooperative Extension.

This program is intended for people who are policy makers or are in the business of developing, maintaining, or preserving shoreline properties, and others who are concerned about the impacts of landscaping on water quality, including landscape designers, contractors, maintenance professionals, members of lakes and rivers associations, and other decision-makers who need to understand ecological approaches to landscaping for water quality protection.

Registration includes the two-day program, a book, lots of additional resource materials, lunches, coffee breaks, and a certificate of completion. The program will be held at the Keene State College Camp on Wilson Pond in Swanzey, New Hampshire, on October 8 and 15, 2008.

For more program information, please contact Suzanne Hebert at 603-862-3200 or e-mail suzanne.hebert@unh.edu.

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