Hello Stouties! Earth day is upon us this next month on April 22nd, and I thought it’d be a good refresher, or a completely new lesson, to write about the things Stout does specifically for the purpose of saving the Earth and reducing our carbon footprints, individually and as a campus. Hope you enjoy! BREAK!
I’m sure, as you’ve all roamed the buildings and dorms of UW-Stout, you’ve noticed something you might not have seen many other places….
THREE TRASH CANS.
But don’t be fooled! They aren’t all for “trash.”
Like the photo describes, there’s a bin for recycling, compost, and trash.
This might seem a little confusing at first, but this helps all of us discern what can be composted and recycled (hence the photos of appropriate items for that bin) in the long run.
This post is not about garbage, and how we should recycle (we totally should), but it’s about Sustainable Stout.
Sustainable Stout is Stout’s sustainability initiative office that works 40 hours week, brainstorming, producing, and implementing creative and effective ways to involve students in helping reduce their carbon footprint, but also the school’s as a whole. We are all a part of something bigger!
Get ready folks, I’m going to fly through a couple of SS’s initiatives that you all should be taking advantage of…
Let’s do it.
Drinking fountains have a new name…
You know those drinking fountains that magically fill your water bottles without you touching it? Those are called “hydration stations,” in which over 50 of them were installed on campus to reduce the use of plastic water bottles. Their website reports that Stout saves 70,000 plastic water bottles a year!
No ride, no problem…
Stout has an agreement with Enterprise Carshare, which is a program that shakes hands with businesses so that their employees can rent cars for cheap and without hassle. If you’re without a car, DO NOT FRET. Stout has two Nissan Altimas that are available to rent for $5/hour, 24/7, which includes gas and insurance. Want to go the Cities or Eau Claire for the day with some friends? It’s even cheaper that way! Both cars are located in the Millenium Hall parking lot, on the side facing North Hall.
It’s extremely simple to register, and registration is $1 until April 30th, so GO NOW! Click here to learn more.
Be a Stout-uber driver…
Stout has had this program for a while now, but only in 2015 did they relaunch the new website that organizes Stout Rideshare. Students can register their vehicles on the site, and if you’re going to Milwaukee some weekend, you plug that in and others who don’t have transportation will log on and see you’re going to the same place they need to go, and they can easily contact you. This helps reduce the amount of cars that students feel they need to bring to college, which in turn means less driving, which means a smaller carbon footprint!
There are bunch more features than just that though! If you have a car and want to sign up, go here!
They see my bikin’…they hatin’…
Students can rent a bike for $25/year or $10/summer, with a $5o deposit. These costs are added to tuition costs, so it’s super easy to pay for. Go here to enroll in the program!
Last, but not least..
UW-SPROUT! Stout has it’s own garden. Guys. A garden. 1/5 of an acre of Stout’s land is a garden. Is that not the coolest thing you’ve heard all day?!
Students can work at the garden, and I mean, any student! It doesn’t matter what your major is or if you know anything about gardening (you’ll learn). If you’re interested in working there over the summer, go here.
Also, during the summer, students, faculty, and staff can volunteer 3+ hours a week and receive a big box of fresh veggies from that week for free! Sure, fresh produce is amazing, but I think it’s more important that you’re using that time to make friends with the people mulching and pulling weeds next to you!
If you’re interested in knowing more, or working at the garden, click here and follow the garden on Facebook!
(photo cred: http://www.uwstout.edu/sustainability)
-Rach
uwstoutandabout.wordpress.com 