An example share from a CSA.

Looking for an easy way to buy local, organically grown food? Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) makes it easy! For over 25 years, CSA has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer.

Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farmer and the consumer.

Advantages for farmers:

• Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
• Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow
• Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow

Advantages for consumers:

• Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
• Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
• Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
• Find that kids typically favor food from “their” farm – even veggies they’ve never been known to eat
• Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown

Go here for more information on a CSA near you. Lucky for UT, Paula Ross from UT’s Urban Affairs Center worked with a local CSA, Riehm Farms from Tiffin, Ohio, to set up a pickup location behind R1 on Main Campus! Riehms Farms grows everything with organic practices. You can sign up for shares of vegetables, fruit (sold out for 2013), eggs, beef, and even artisan bread! You pick up your shares each week for 20 weeks from June to October! If you are thinking about signing up, do so soon! You must sign up before June 1st because the first pickup is the first week of June!

So do your part to support your local farmers, your local economy, and your personal health and well-being and consider joining a CSA!

A tray from the O.R., now being diverted from the landfills to be recycled!

A few months ago I was contacted by Sandie Kazmierczak, a Surgical Technician at UTMC and an avid recycler, about the need for #5 plastics recycling in the hospital. In the operating rooms there are a large number of saline bottles, water bottles, and blue plastic trays (about the size of cafeteria trays) that are thrown away on a daily basis.

I informed Sandie that our recycler takes all plastics #1-7 so we are able to recycle these items in the traditional blue recycling containers. Unfortunately, there were none in this area, only a small container in the recovery room. Sandie took the necessary steps to get permission from her manager and from environmental services to put recycling bins in the outpatient surgery area and the utility room. Christy Glenn of Environmental Services brought up the need for recycling in this area to the Director of Environmental Services, Arlene Fell, and both agreed there was a need for the containers. We placed some containers in those areas, and now, thanks to Sandie’s hardwork, we have recycled 560 trays, about 243 pounds, from April 5^th to April 30^th! And the count still continues!

She says, “[its] a good feeling to get them out of the landfill.” I just want to personally thank Sandie and Christy for their help increasing our waste diversion, a continuous goal of mine. It is people like you that make this University a better place for people and the planet!

If you know of more items on any of the campuses that are not currently being recycled but should be, reach out to SEED at seed@utoledo.edu.

UT transit users have been enjoying an extra level of convenience and dependability over the past year by using the GPS satellite tracking system. In August of 2012 roughly 2,100 users were accessing the site and finding out the real time location of UT buses. Since then, hits have skyrocketed to over 11,000 users accessing the site per month. I have heard great things about the GPS system and know that people appreciate it especially on those cold and rainy days.

Check it out at http://www.utoledo.edu/facilities/transit/GPSTracking.html . You can install an app on your phone, track the buses in real time, or go to http://utoledo.transloc.com/ to see where the buses are. You can also text UTOL r Stop Name to 41411 to get a text of the next bus pick up for that location. Even if you don’t use transit services to get to and from campus the GPS tracking can make getting to lunch at Gradkowski’s much more convenient!

Donation cage for Goodwill with boxes for collecting non-perishable food for the Cherry Street Mission in Parks Tower.

Our totals are in from the week long residence hall donation program, Give & Go: Move Out 2013. We collected housewares (furniture, wastebaskets, lamps, etc.), textiles (all clothing and shoes), and household items (shower curtains, bath mats, etc.) for Goodwill and non-perishable foods for the Cherry Street Mission. The weight results donated to Goodwill are as follows

• Academic House – 520 lbs. of housewares & 616 lbs. of textiles / household
• Carter – 288 lbs. of housewares & 182 lbs. of textiles / household
• Crossings – 1,102 lbs. of housewares & 850 lbs. of textiles / household
• I-House – 608 lbs. of housewares & 602 lbs. of textiles / household
• McComas – 306 lbs. of housewares & 416 lbs. of textiles / household
• Ottawa East – 601 lbs. of housewares & 572 lbs. of textiles / household
• Ottawa West – 452 lbs. of housewares & 224 lbs. of textiles / household
• Parks Towers – 1,308 lbs. of housewares & 864 lbs. of textiles / household
• TOTAL DONATIONS: 5,185 lbs. of housewares & 4,326 lbs. of textiles / household = 9,511 lbs.
• TOTAL WEIGHT: 2,656 lbs. of trash (unusable rugs, carpets, etc.) + 9,511 lbs. of donations = 12,167 lbs.

Signs we hung on all the dumpsters outside the residence halls for move out to encourage residents to donate usable items instead of trashing them!

This was a great success! 2013’s yield was about a 43% increase over last year, which brought in 8,500 lbs. (including trash)! According to Goodwill, last year there was more trash than usable items donated. So we consider this a significant improvement because 78% of material donated in 2013 was usable! Residents also donated a total of 995 lbs. of food to the Cherry Street Mission!

I’d like to thank Residence Life, Environmental Services, Goodwill, Keep America Beautiful, and all the residents for making this event possible! We will take the next year to reflect and evaluate this program so that Move Out 2014 will be even more successful!

SEED Intern, Monica Aspacher

April’s Intern of the Month is Monica Aspacher, a junior studying Environmental Studies with a concentration in Geography and Planning. Monica grew up in Luckey, where she currently lives with her Mom, sister and three dogs. After changing her major a few times, she decided on environmental studies because of her passion for the natural world Se has always been interested in science, and enjoys thinking of ways that she can make the world a better place for everyone.

As SEED’s marketing intern, Monica was responsible for updating social media sites with weekly green tips and other relevant information regarding UT’s sustainability initiatives. She is also in charge of writing weekly blogs, creating PowerPoint presentations, and expanding SEED’s network. From her internship, Monica expects to sharpen her multitasking and networking skills, enhance her ability to meet deadlines, and practice outreach techniques by spreading the word about SEED to the community.

After graduation, Monica hopes to attend graduate school for Urban Planning and work as a planner to help make communities more sustainable.

Students with their solar heater.

At the Engineering Expo last Friday, five mechanical engineering technology students showed off their 8’ x 4’, 200 lb. solar heating system, a collaborative project between these students and SEED. According to Brian Kesner, team leader, they wanted to work with SEED because their project aligns with SEED’s mission. The project team included students Brian Kesner, Robert Wolfe, Devin Gray, Rob Nazarczuk, Matt Reese, and advisor and SEED Director, Michael Green.

They had a handful of ideas for their senior design project at the beginning of the semester. Ultimately they decided they wanted to do a project that would better UT. Michael suggested finding a way to eliminate or greatly reduce the cost to heat the glass hallway on the Scott Park (SP) Campus or for the UTMC. After a lot of research, they decided the system was not economically feasible for commercial use unless there is a lot of space available for multiple arrays. This did not deter the group. They wanted to have something to display at the expo, so they decided to build a more efficient residential air heater.

The solar air heater uses a fan to blow cooler air from inside your house into the bottom of an insulated box. The box uses unraveled steel wool to absorb the sun’s energy. As the air flows across the wool it is heated up to 150 degrees. The heated air then flows up to the top of the box where a fan blows it back into the house. This system uses two thermostats, to 1) prevent blowing heat into the house when it is not needed and 2) to prevent the system from sending in cold air during cloudy days or at night.

The box is broken into 5 sections: outer shell, insulation, absorber, glazing, and duct system. The shell is made of galvanized steel because of its non-corrosive properties. The insulation is made of foam because it can withstand high temperatures. The absorber is unraveled, black, coarse steel wool because it is good at absorbing and releasing the sun’s energy, and it causes the air to mix, quacking heat absorption. The glazing is a type of polycarbonate called lexan, which is shatter resistant, easy to cut, won’t yellow like other plastics, and allows a high percentage of the sun’s rays through. The duct work is also built from galvanized steel and includes intake and exhaust boxes, called plenums, to allow for even flow inside the box.

So what’s the plan for the solar heater now that the expo is over and they are graduating?  Brian said, “We gave it back to the university and they can either put it to use and save around $250 a year or they can take it to expos to be used as a display model.” To learn more about this project, or how to collaborate with SEED on your senior design project, or on another project entirely, contact us at seed@utoledo.edu.

I asked Brian what they learned from the project and he said, “I learned that being sustainable doesn’t have to mean spending lots of money buying solar panels. It can mean getting creative and doing a DIY project that will save you money for years to come.” For him, the takeaway message is this, “In less than two months, we created this project from concept to creation. The more people that realize how simple a project like this is, the quicker we can put a dent in our carbon footprint.”

Donations from last year’s Move Out program.

This year marks the 12th annual move out program brought to you by SEED, Rocket Recycling Services, Residence Life, Goodwill of Northwest Ohio and for the first time, Keep America Beautiful (KAB).  This year’s program is particularly special because UT was selected along with four other schools across the country to be a part of their pilot program called Give & Go: Move Out 2013. From the pilot program KAB will be writing a best practices guide that will be available for other colleges and universities to follow. Give & Go gives students the opportunity to donate items they no longer want to better the community and the environment. All items but food and toiletries go to Goodwill and the rest go to local food pantries and shelters.

Here’s How to Participate:

1. Gather items you wish to donate.
2. Check to make sure they are on the acceptable item list.
3. Bring to the designated area for your building, usually your front lobby. (McComas Village residents donate items at the white Goodwill trailer in Lot 9 between the hours of 8AM & 5PM.)
4. Place your items in the designated area: non-perishable food, toiletries, or everything else.
5. Stop by your front desk to get your coupons for both Goodwill and The Oasis! (McComas Village residents will get coupons from the trailer attendant.)
6. Use your coupons and feel good about helping the community and the environment!

Trailer for McComas Village from last year’s Move Out program.

Locations:

• Academic House Lobby
• Carter East & West Lobbies
• The Crossings Lobby
• International House Lobby
• McComas Village Outside Trailer
• Ottawa East & West Lobbies
• Parks Tower Lobby

Acceptable Items:

• Appliances, electronics
• Towels, blankets, linen
• Furniture, lamps
• Books, school supplies
• Computers, printers
• Misc. household goods
• Crates/containers
• Dishes & cookware
• Clothing, shoes
• Toiletries (even half used)
• Non-perishable foods

The SEED team with Rocksy the Rockette by SEED and SEE”s Sustainability Pledge tree. You can still take the pledge here.

Earth Fest 2013 was a major success! The weather was perfect and so was the turnout from students, faculty, staff, and community members. Lauren McCafferty, outgoing president of the Society for Environmental Education (SEE), said, “A lot of people told me that they had a good time and learned something new, so to me, that means it was a success.” She also said that many people told her this year’s fest was a major improvement over the past two years, which was SEE’s main goal this year. On behalf of S.E.E, Lauren would like to thank all of the volunteers for their hard work, Pita Pit for the delicious food, UT’s Division of Student Affairs for their donations, and the performers and speakers for proving great entertainment throughout the day! If you would like to be a part of planning Earth Fest 2014, contact ut.earthfest@gmail.com.

SEED enjoyed the day connect with all the visitors. We talked with prospective student interns, and created new connections that we hope will lead to future collaborations. Thanks to everyone who stopped at the SEED table. Please continue to keep in touch with us and get involved in our efforts!

Brought to you by SEED Intern: Monica Aspacher

The University of Toledo is committed to creating leaders who want to have a positive influence on the world! Through the SEED Initiative, students, faculty, and staff have come together to strive towards leaving the campus and world a better place than when we started.

In 2009, President Jacobs took a major step towards campus sustainability by signing the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). By signing this commitment, UT pledged itself to becoming climate neutral, meaning we emit no greenhouse gases or we have found ways to offset the gases we do emit. One of the requirements of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment is to create a Climate Action Plan (CAP) based on our Greenhouse Gas Inventory. This past January we completed the inventory and are now in the process of beginning the CAP.

You might be thinking what is the purpose of a CAP? A CAP spells out when and how we plan on becoming climate neutral. We have started our initial research and have created a timeline for our plan. Now, it’s time to hear from YOU on your thoughts and suggestions for YOUR school’s CAP. The SEED Initiative is holding the first CAP public meeting on Thursday, April 25^th at 6:30pm in Plant Operations RM 1000. It is open to anyone at UT or in the greater community! Come with questions, suggestions, and a desire to help make the world and our campus a more environmentally friendly place! Hope to see you there!

For more information on our CAP, visit our page here.

Brought to you by SEED Intern: Alexa Orr

Come to Wolfe Hall Room 1205 on Tuesday, April 23^rd at 6:30 pm for a FREE screening of the documentary “Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science”!

Thin Ice is a joint initiative between Oxford University, United Kingdom, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (VUW), and London-based DOX Productions. Both Universities have active programs with world-wide networks of collaborators in climate change and related research.

The producers have made the film available free to ACUPCC signatories. Participating in the global, multi-institutional screening of this film offers an opportunity to create a shared Earth Day experience with higher education institutions around the world.

The documentary screening is brought to you buy SEED, The Department of Environmental Sciences, and SEE.

Brought to you by SEED Intern: Monica Aspacher