[Archived] Newsletter
February 4, 2009
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Projects for Spring 2009
Cardboard Crew – Peter and Jinsu for Move-in 2009 need planners, etc.
Eco-Fashion Show – Leslie and Colleen for Fall 2009, work with designers, planners, and marketing team
Rites of Spring Recycling – Becca for Spring 2009, organize recycling efforts at Rites of Spring.
Commons Composting - Luke and Liwei combining with green roof and community garden efforts.
Vanderbilt Biodiesel – Matt and Becca, working to preserve and maintain current biodiesel program.
Kilowatt Ours – Peter, for Spring 2009, educating kids in the Nashville area about sustainability and alternative energy
Green roof, community garden, compost expansion – Ben, Luke, and Jinsu
Presentation
How to be an effective SPEAR member
In this brief talk, Brent Fitzgerald summarized the contents of the SPEAR Procedural Handout (Spring 2009).
Coming up in SPEAR
Next general body meeting
Monday, February 16 at 7 PM in Buttrick 201
Officer elections
Monday, March 9th during normal general body meeting
Cabinet positions: President, Vice President, Internal Secretary, External Secretary, Treasurer
Loop positions: VP Composting, VP Recycling, VP energy and resource conservation, VP education and community outreach, Webmaster
News
Smart Printing Initiative at Owen Graduate School of Management
The Net Impact chapter at Owen Graduate School of Management recently launched its Smart Printing initiative. The goal of this program is to reduce paper waste in Owen by 25% and to promote more responsible use of paper. To kick-off the Smart Printing initiative, a paper tree was constructed using wasted paper found in printers over a 3 week time period and hung near the entrance of the building. For more information on Net Impact's Smart Printing initiative and the paper tree, please visit their Web site.
http://owennetimpact.org/?p=138.
Vanderbilt University's first-year student campus recognized for "green" building
Vanderbilt announced today that Stambaugh, Hank Ingram, and Murray Houses at The Commons have received LEED Gold certification. The Commons now has seven LEED certified buildings with four Golds and three Silvers. What a phenomenal accomplishment! Congratulations to all the various groups and individuals that had something to do with making this a reality!
For more detailed information, visit the link below.
Study: too late to turn back the clock on climate change
A new study in PNAS examines the impact of climate change over the long term, and finds that we're locked into sea level rises and droughts for the next thousand years as a result of past greenhouse gas emissions.
Lectures and Conferences
Complicated Interdependencies: Water, Energy, and Food
Lecture by George Hornberger, Director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Energy and Environment
Tuesday, February 10, 4pm
Feathergill Auditorium
[Lectures and Conferences page]
Internships
Green Chemistry Outreach Fellow Program
Beyond Benign invites undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S. to apply for its 2008-2009 Green Chemistry Outreach Fellows Program. Students will work as "Ambassadors" and will talk about green chemistry to a wide range of audiences and express the importance and necessity of a sustainable world through science. As an Ambassador, the student will be the link between green chemistry and their community. Ambassadors do not have to be scientists, but should be energetic and be able to talk to a wide audience with enthusiasm.
http://www.beyondbenign.org/community/fellows.html
Internships, Second Nature
Second Nature is seeking students from minority backgrounds to work on multiple projects involving sustainability in higher education as part of its Diversity Interns Program. Interns will conduct research, gather information, and assist with the development of several new national programs focused on advancing green building at under-resourced colleges and universities (including minority-serving institutions and community colleges). This invitation is only open to minority students, including African American, Hispanic, or Native American students. Minority women are especially encouraged to apply.
http://www.secondnature.org/documents/InternshipsAnnouncement_greenbuilding.pdf
Green Corps
Green Corps is a non-profit field school for environmental organizing. Each year we select 35 recent college graduates for our year-long, full-time, paid training program in environmental organizing and advocacy. After completing the program, we place our graduates in permanent positions in the environmental and social change fields. We've been around since 1992 and have trained over 250 young people who now have leadership positions in groups like the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and MoveOn.org.
If interested, e-mail jstewart @at greencorps .dot org or check out www.greencorps.org.
Summer Research Fellowships, Sustainable Endowments Institute
The Sustainable Endowments Institute is seeking highly motivated and reliable individuals for full-time summer research fellowships. Research Fellows will collaborate on surveying and analyzing sustainability initiatives at hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to help produce the College Sustainability Report Card 2010. The fellowship positions will last approximately 12 weeks and will start in June 2009. Flexible scheduling arrangements would be considered in certain circumstances. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/fellowships.html
Climate Fellowship Program, Clean Air-Cool Planet
Clean Air-Cool Planet invites graduate and undergraduate to apply for 8 full time and 2 part time summer fellowships. Placements include Carbon Reduction Analysis for the NWNA/Poland Spring Water Fleet; Climate Change Science and Policy; Climate Protection Action Plan; Climate Risk; Greenhouse Gas Reduction Planning and Education for York Hospital; Greening the Science Center; Policy Communications; Regional Energy and Climate Protection Plan; and Community Climate and Energy Action. All applications are due February 22, 2009.
http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/for_campuses/Climate_Fellows.php
Summer Interns, Breakthrough Institute
The Breakthrough Institute is seeking up to ten young thought leaders for a paid Fellowship in Summer 2009 as part of its young leaders initiative, Breakthrough Generation. Fellowships pay $300 per week and are awarded to individuals aged 18-25 who will be closely involved with Breakthrough's high-level work. Activities and projects include writing short articles and op-eds, researching and writing policy white papers, and conducting interviews with the nation's top political and policy experts. Fellows will work 40 hours per week for ten weeks during Summer 2009 from Breakthrough's central office in Oakland, California. Applications are due March 15, 2009.
Environmental Causes
PowerShift
PowerShift is a movement in Washinton DC for 10,000 students to go to the election of an official to rebuild our economy and support sustainability in America. Sign up by Feb 27th.
Keep Tennessee Singing
Keep TN Singing is a coalition of Tennessee individuals and businesses coming together to draw attention to the effects of climate change on our state. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness in order to influence legislators to pass a bill that will help slow global warming.
Kick-off event: Wednesday Feb. 4th at 10 AM AT SCARRITT BENNETT CENTER.
http://www.pewglobalwarming.org/keeptnsinging/
Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Keep-TN-Singing/117609225301?sid=899136c2ddf857e192a8392b29398f69