JZ | 3 Comments | Posted: June 20, 2012
Multiple choice question for the Department of Homeland Security concerning some recent suspicious incidents in the College vegetable garden: Are we the innocent victims of a) an epidemic of “Plant identification deficit disorder?” b) ”Give a person a hammer Syndrome?” c) Pella Dutch Clean ”clear-cut landscape maintenance mania?” d) too much reliance on technology? e) all of…
JZ | 2 Comments | Posted: April 25, 2012
I have come to the conclusion that I am not a very healthy eater, at least in Michael Pollan’s eyes. Before reading In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto I thought I was on a pretty solid track as far as food intake goes. It turns out, however, that I follow only a few…
JZ | 3 Comments | Posted: April 12, 2012
I recently attended the Student Initiatives in Sustainable Agriculture (SISA) conference in Appleton, Wisconsin. The goal of the conference was to bring students together from all over the nation to share their sustainable garden and farming initiatives. It was refreshing to interact with so many students who had found something they were passionate about and…
JZ | 4 Comments | Posted: March 26, 2012
I know, I know. You’re thinking sweet sixteen, elite eight, final four, Brittney Griner–NCAA round ball. Those big green Baylor shoes resonate with the big green outdoors right outside my office window. This year we have been living through another kind of March Madness: summer-like temperatures– for days and now, weeks on end. Students in shorts…
JZ | 2 Comments | Posted: March 19, 2012
They’re back! A chill runs down my spine into my legs, which begin to tingle knowing they would soon have to take action. Walking to Central Hall will no longer be a leisurely stroll. Instead, for the remainder of the semester it will be a battle, between me and the geese. Some wonder why…
JZ | No Comments | Posted: March 8, 2012
Beginning in the fall of 2011, Central College students have a new way to go beyond the sustainability graduation core requirement in the form of a new interdisciplinary minor. Global Sustainability is not offered as a major, by design. People with a strong interest in environmental science or policy already have a strong option with Central’s long-standing Environmental…
JZ | 4 Comments | Posted: October 12, 2011
I am not the sort of person to go gaga over a professional sports team, even my former hometown Milwaukee favorites. The last time I really got hooked on Brewers baseball was in 1982. I still guiltily remember listening to one of the post-season games on my cousin Peter’s little pocket transistor radio with earphones– at…
JZ | 2 Comments | Posted: September 12, 2011
I like boating. I like sustainability. Boating and sustainability can coexist. What does this look like? It looks less like the power boats on Lake Red Rock on summer weekends and more like the sailboats. If you aren’t a big fan of burning through all the fossil fuel possible during your short tenure on earth…
JZ | 3 Comments | Posted: September 8, 2011
Sometime during the afternoon of Thursday, August 25th, Central College Dining Services put away the big trays forever, started up the new (a nice shade of baby blue) dish return conveyer system–not cheap to install– and launched us into “trayless dining” every day, every meal– sort of. We now have biger 16oz glasses, presumably eliminating…
JZ | No Comments | Posted: June 2, 2011
Ah, the Wisconsin Northwoods! This is the fishing trip I’ve been dreaming about for months, ever since I reserved a rustic lakeside cabin for this week. It is basic. That means no TV. On the other hand, sitting here 8 miles into the woods I do have electricity, indoor plumbing, and wi fi (had you…
JZ | 2 Comments | Posted: May 20, 2011
Already an emerging Midwest leader in sustainability Education, Central is adding a global sustainability minor to our curriculum starting this fall. This integrative program is designed to offer all students, regardless of major or career aspirations, a means of acquiring some of the tools and practical experience they will need when they enter the work force,…
Ted Dirkx | No Comments | Posted: April 28, 2011
Sustainability is “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs” (UN, Brundtland Commission, 1987). The path to sustainability is not an easy one: sustainability means making choices today that will preserve the Earth for future generations. We must heat and light our buildings, feed ourselves, transport…
Ted Dirkx | No Comments | Posted: April 26, 2011
There are three sustainability groups at Central. Choose the one that fits you best! SUSTAIN S.C.A.T.E. Gods Green Earth SUSTAIN Founded in 2005, the mission of SUSTAIN is to help build campus-wide community by offering opportunities for people from different areas of the College, especially students, to come…
Ted Dirkx | No Comments | Posted: April 26, 2011
Students from the campus organization SCATE have begun brainstorming ideas to not only create greater awareness about the benefits of locally grown food, but they intend to actually bring more local food to Central Market and let the students know what they are eating! The groups first meeting will be Wednesday night at 7:30 in…
Ted Dirkx | No Comments | Posted: April 26, 2011
Central College is committed to its environmental mission, embracing sustainability initiatives across campus. We seek to be a community leading the way to create a campus—and a society—in harmony with the environment. From energy-efficient vehicles and buildings, to recycling, to water conservation, to renewable energy, and much more—our challenge is great, but so is…
Ted Dirkx | 1 Comment | Posted: April 26, 2011
Composting at Central has been growing in recent years thanks to student volunteers. What started as a way to generate better soil conditions in the college organic garden has grown into a way to divert waste from the landfill. In the Spring of 2008 student volunteers began depositing coffee grounds from the Geisler Cafe into…