5 facts about Moravian's Sustainability Special Interest House

At this month's NAI conference I impressed a room of impressive people.

I was in a session about helping the public understand the reality of climate change. 

"The book talks about how the same group of scientists spread doubt on both the harmful effects of smoking and the reality of climate change," one of the panelists was saying. "But the name is escaping me."

"Do you mean Merchants of Doubt?" I spoke up from the back of the room. 

"That's it!" he replied with a smile.

Everyone turned to smile and nod at me. The punch line? I haven't even read it yet! Gina--ECO president as you may remember from my interview--is reading it right now and told me all about it. Don't worry, I do plan on reading the book.

This is just a funny story, but it gets at a larger point;
you learn things if you surround yourself with others who also want to grow and learn. Living with a group of girls that are dedicated to understanding environmental and social issues,
I've learned a lot. 

I have the awesome opportunity of living in the Sustainability Special Interest House (SIH). The SIH program allows students to live with others who share their same interest. To be awarded a SIH, one must apply to housing with a proposal for a special interest topic. The extra effort is worth it. Like other SIHs, my house is an environment where my housemates and I can constantly share ideas. But most importantly, we inspire each other to be better people and stronger members of the community. 

House member Becca modeling inkblot shirts we made in our Sustainability Special Interest House
last year. The proceeds from the shirts funded Moravian's trip to PowerShift 2011 in D.C.

So who are we? 

5 facts about the 5 girls of the Sustainability SIH:

1. We all started as freshman in the HILL's two (first ever!) Living and Learning Communities: Sustainability and Drugs in Society
2. We lived in a 10 person Sustainability SIH in the HILL last year
3. We are members of ECO
4. Our majors focus on the environmental and human issues
5. We work with others to make Moravian a more sustainable college

Becca and Keena at ECO's Trash on the Patio, Spring 2011

Now meet the Five Girls of the Sustainability SIH. 

We all have our own take on environmental issues. 

1. Keeana might someday be high-five-ing polar bears. She loves anything that barks, purrs, and squeaks. She's an Environmental Science major who would love to work with animals in need. She has also talked about starting her own eco-friendly pet-shop. Keeana is the house leader, the perfect role as she's got no problem organizing programs nor solving a dirty sink crisis. She also makes a great treasurer for ECO.

2. Jackie represents an important element in sustainability, the human element. She's headed for a career of investigating human behavior, especially related to crimes and delinquency. So when we all talk about an environmental issue, Jackie tends to see from the human behavior perspective. Sometimes, she's our reality check. 

3. You already met Becca, ECO Vice President and Environmental Science major. Becca is Ms. Practical. We call her our problem solver, because when we're debating about where to have Trash On the Patio, or whether to do a program this way or that, she always has the smartest answer.

4. And Gina, ECO President and Global Applications of Sustainability major. Gina has taken an strong interest in the sustainability in food. As part of an independent study project, next semester she'll be a food ambassador for Moravian. So if you have concerns about the health or sustainability of your food, head her way. 

5. Then there is me. I'm an Environmental Communication major and Art minor. I'm also the publicity officer for ECO. So I approach environmental issues by asking myself how I can get people engaged. Part of my work as ECO publicity officer, was to overhaul ECO's identity. I tried to give the former EnviroCo a friendlier name and a unified style of advertising.

We all come together in our goal for our SIH. Above all, we want other students to become more engaged in Sustainability Issues. We want them to ask where their food comes from and who made their new Moravian shirt. We want to get the campus to enter the debate about issues like the Keystone XL pipeline and the reality of climate change. 

But we know this isn't easy. 

So here are five ways we're trying this year
to get students to wake up. 

We want to:

1. Host film screenings
2. Throw green dinner and discussion parties
3. Work to make ECO as effective as it can be
4. Throw outdoor green parties
5. Bring Lehigh Valley campaigns like the Fair Farm Bill to Moravian

I'm seriously honored and grateful to have the opportunity to live in the Sustainability Special Interest House. 

I've known and grown with these girls since we were freshman. It's been my pleasure to watch us challenge one another to be our best. 

It's tough to be constantly fighting for what you believe in. My housemates. as well as the other awesome SIHs and organizations on campus,  inspire me to work harder. 

So what do you think?
Do you or someone you know live in a SIH? 

What would you like to see the SIH do on campus?

Moravian Student Lily Roblin on Changing the World

You might have passed student Lily Roblin on Moravian's campus. 

If you saw her, you probably didn't expect that she worked on a Greenpeace campaign in Tokyo, or that she led a group of Moravian students to the youth-driven climate change conference PowerShift in D.C. (where she spoke in front of hundreds of people). Lily is petite, with straight blond hair that frames a friendly face. She speaks softly, slowly, and precisely. This 22 year-old has a lot to say.

You go, Lily.

I first met Lily last year, when she contacted ECO to see if we would support her in bringing students to PowerShift. Lily, Gina Seier (ECO President), Alyssa Flowers, Megan Re (founder of Peace and Justice Club), Connor Stone, and myself all attended. 

We went to breakout sessions and presentations that taught us how to help our campuses become better informed and better equipped to fight for social and environmental justice. Bill McKibben, founder of the grassroots climate change organization 350.org and author of some seriously kick-ass books, spoke at that rally. Gina and I even got to meet him! 

Moravian students at PowerShift. Left to Right: Me, Gina Seier,
Connor Stone, Alyssa Flowers, Lily Roblin, and Megan Re

Gina, stunned to be rallying next to Bill McKibben

A cool aside: Monday night, Bill McKibben was on the Colbert Report to talk about the environmental impacts of the Keystone XL Pipeline that would run from Alberta Canada to Texas. Cool, relevant stuff!

Because we're both such busy gals, I made a Facebook messaging date with Lily, to learn more about her.

Lily is an Environmental Economics and Policy major at Moravian. She transfered here last year from the University of Toronto.

We got right down to the good stuff, though.

Me: What's the coolest thing you've ever done?

Lily: I'd have to say the coolest thing i've ever done is fly the Greenpeace hot air balloon.  It was during an anti-nuke campaign in Vermont. We were organizing the community in Montpelier to shut down a decrepit, leaky and dangerous nuclear power plant, the Vermont Yankee

The Greenpeace hot air balloon Lily got to ride in.

Me: And the hot air balloon was to spread awareness for the cause?

Lily: Yep, it was an attraction at one of our events.

Me: Awesome. It seems like Greenpeace has been a big part of your life. How did you get involved with that organization?

Lily: I had been donating to Greenpeace and signing petitions online ever since I'd become politically aware when I was a teenager. During my second year in university, I was feeling really detached and uninvolved politically, and I wanted to change that, and I happened upon this program called the Greenpeace Organizing Term. The "GOT" was a semester with Greenpeace where students were trained for two months in campaigning and grassroots organizing, and then sent on both a domestic and international campaign. I worked on an anti-nuke campaign in Vermont and then an awareness campaign in Tokyo, Japan.

Me: And at this point you were at another university right?

Lily: Yep, this was during my time at University of Toronto.

Me: Thought so! And from working with you for PowerShift, I know Greenpeace helped you become the leader you are today.

So here's my question: 

What kinds of positive changes 

would you like to make at Moravian, 

now that you're here?

Lily: Small colleges are an ideal environment for making progressive change. I would love to see Moravian become more sustainable and less dependent on fossil fuel energy sources. I would love to see all new construction on campus equipped with alternative energy technologies - there are so many available to us today, not to utilize those resources is a real wasted opportunity.

Last semester I was focused on Powershift. I haven't found a new project I've been as passionate about, but I have a few ideas. I'd really like to do something with the training I did in anti-oppression at Greenpeace. I'd love to see students at Moravian more aware of some of the oppressive language and behaviors that pervade our society today, and see how we could confront that as a campus community.

Lily sharing her story at PowerShift 2011

Me: That sounds like it would be a great place to start in the movement towards the goals you first expressed. As environmental studies people, we know how hard it is to make positive change.

So imagine you ruled the world for a day, 

and could lay down 3 rules. 

What would they be?

Lily: 

1. Comprehensive public transit in every city
2. Eliminate corporate interest. Bill McKibben said at an Occupy Wall Street rally that we need to occupy Wall Street because Wall Street has been occupying the atmosphere. This really resonated with me.
3. Make education more accessible. One of the most difficult parts of many social and environmental movements is confronting ignorance of issues, and if more people were informed I think much more could be done.

Me: I was just at a conference this weekend and we were basically workshopping how to bring the truth to the public. So along the same lines as your response, you became informed, and you found your passion for environmental and social justice.

Did it start with Greenpeace or even earlier?

Lily: It started earlier! My grandfather was a politician, and I was always listening to discussions about current issues at the dinner table. I started being politically active in my sophomore year of high school, when I became active with the Young Democrats. I tried to start a feminist club, with no luck really. Despite going to a very large school no members of the faculty would agree to being the club's advisor. Throughout high school I organized speaking panels about current issues like Supreme Court appointments and benefits for causes I felt strongly about, like the genocide in Darfur.

Me: I had a feeling it started earlier.

What's your advice for people, 

especially young people, 

who are trying to sort out what they hear?

How can they become informed citizens? And if they want to make change, how should they get started?

Lily: I am still trying to figure this out myself! I've found the best thing to do is to get at least a few different opinions on a subject before you make up your mind about it. Talk to everyone. Find an independent news source (read: not broadcast networks, not Rupert Murdoch, not anything that runs ads from huge corporations that have an interest in manipulating information). 

Some of my favorite news sources are Democracy Now (democracynow.org), Ms. Magazine (msmagazine.com), and Mother Jones (motherjones.com).

Making a change can be simple or impossible. There is a lot to be said for starting small and finding your footing. Before taking on any big projects, everyone should probably take an objective look at their own life first. Find a way to eliminate wastefulness in your day to day life, examine the language you use and your behavior - if it's oppressive ("gay," "slut," etc) address that personally and find a better way to express yourself. Talk to the people in your life about making positive change, and on a larger scale work as a community to address big issues.

Me: Terrific. Did I miss anything?

Lily: I <3 Moravian. 

"We all have a capacity to make change, 

don't let anythingmake you feel immobilized politically/socially, 
power to the people. 

Right on."

Right on, Lily. Thanks so much for letting me interview you.

The 5 Best Things about the National Assoc. for Interpretation Conference

So I fly home tomorrow, after a few amazing days at the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) conference. 


Like I said in my last post, I'm here because of the generosity of NAI members who contribute to the scholarship fund. Tonight, I had a blast helping out with the live auction to raise money for next year's scholarship fund. 

Me and the other scholarship winners at the benefit auction.

This is a group of people of big hearts, big ideas, and generous spirits. I was so inspired over the past few days. But let me get down to it, the five best parts of the conference.


1. Keynote speaker Jon Jarvis. 
Jon Jarvis, pointed Director of the National Park Service (NPS) by President Obama in 2009, started his career in the Park Service as an interpretive ranger (like me)! 


He knows from his experience as a "frontline interpreter" that "relevance and education" need to be priorities in the Park Service. Our citizens need to see how they fit into our National Parks and the American story, he told us. And thats where interpreters come in.


Director Jarvis said he expects public health to be a "game changer" for the National Park Service. In places like Australia, he noted, doctors are actually prescribing the outdoors. In America's battle with a sedentary lifestyle and removal from the outdoors, he said, our public parks will be vital. Jarvis half-joked, someday we just might be telling people, "take a hike and call me in the morning."


Basically he's a ranger rock-star.  


2. National Park Service breakout session
Freshly pumped up after hearing our head coach Jarvis speak, the NPS employees gathered for an agency meeting. Out Park Service will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2016. So we discussed how we could use this date as a target for our goals. 


Among the discussion topics were the role of younger generations in the future of the park system and our planet and the potential of the arts to connect people to science. 


I spoke up and gave my story as a young person who found the park service. "I started as a research intern in the Redwoods with the Student Conservation Association," I said. "And that's where I got hooked on the parks."


What I loved about this session was everyone's willingness to bring our National Park Service closer to its mission statement. I was especially impressed by the openness of administrators like Jarvis. This girl felt proud to be a park ranger. 


3. Friday Field Trip:
Two Zoos, Two Great Bears
Oh, let me list the things that I loved about visiting the Minnesota Zoo and Como Zoo.

Although wolverines live in Glacier NP, where I worked this
summer, they are incredible elusive and rare. Seeing one,
even in captivity, was an incredible experience for me.

The new, award winning exhibit Russia's Grizzly Coast at the
Minnesota Zoo, allowed me to see brown bears cat napping a foot away,
something I never, ever wanted to see on the trails this summer.

This polar bear at Como Zoo is trained to exhibit certain behaviors
that make it easier to check his health.

• Three wolverines
• One sloth
• Two snow leopards 
• River otters
• Sea otters
• Grizzly bears
• Polar bears
• Mountain lions, (I had a stare-down with one!)

Trust me I could go on. But amazing animals aside, this field trip offered me an inside look  at the challenges of running a zoo or education center. As an interpreter, my job is to help people make the intellectual and emotional connections to nature that drive them to be stewards of our environment. 


Watching a wolverine nap, snow leopards play, and a polar bear oblige its trainer in a check-up restored my own sense of wonder for our planet's wildlife and gave me a new respect for the people who facilitate these connections at our zoos and aquariums.

Seeing a snow leopard is the privilege of a life time.
They are extremely rare in the wild.

4. Walking the talk
How unfortunate would it be if the conference center we used to organize to discuss progress was eco-ignorant. Fortunately, in addition to a fancy "e" at the end of center in its name, the St. Paul River Centre has a fancy waste system that accepts compostables*, plastics, paper products, and other waste. I was also seriously impressed that the majority of the food and drinks were served in compostable containers. 

Kudos to St. Paul River Centre's awesome waste system!

*Composting is a process where easily biodegradable waste like food, is compiled together and allowed to decompose into a fertile soil-like product thats terrific for gardens and farms. Worms are often used to speed up the process. 


5. The People
There were hundreds of interpreters from across the country, and I'm sure a few from elsewhere in the world. It's no surprise that this group of professional talkers was friendly and outgoing. What impressed me most was their generosity. 


The NAI attendees were all willing to share trade secrets, professional contacts, and other wisdom they've gained throughout their careers. At the scholarship auction I saw people pull out their wallets and even some antics in the name of drumming up more money for the cause. 


This week I shook a lot of hands, shared many smiles, a gained a renewed love for my passion and career, interpretation. 

Thanks NAI! 

Bonus video: A sloth at Como Zoo! To say I'm obsessed with sloths 

might be an understatement. 

First Day at National Association for Interpretation Conference!

Greetings from Minneapolis!


I'm here in Minneapolis because back last spring I took a shot and applied for National Association for Interpretation's undergrad scholarship and won! Now I'm hanging out at NAI's national conference in Minnesota, meeting amazing people and learning some great stuff. But, without their generosity there's no way I'd be able to make it out here for this interpreter's paradise. So thank you NAI!


But what is interpretation, you ask. Is everyone here speaking in sign language or carrying around translating devices? Nope! 


Some interpreters like to say we speak the language of nature. Cheesy perhaps, but we're a cheesy bunch, and it gives you the idea! Interpreters take the time to fully understand natural and cultural resources then dedicate themselves to helping the public connect with these resources both intellectually and emotionally. 


And that, my friends, is the career for me. Before I could ride a bike, I would stand in front of the penguin exhibit at our local aquarium and talk to people about penguins. I love to talk. I love to write and make art. And I have a passion for preserving our resources. Interpretation allows me to do all that. 


I figured that out when I interned for Rocky Mountain National Park...

Giving my Moraine Park Nature Walk at Rocky Mountain National Park.

And my dream came true when I put on the Park Service hat last summer at Glacier National Park. 

Me on my last day in uniform this summer! That's Lake McDonald at sunrise.

So I'm thrilled to be here at the NAI conference with hundreds of other National Park Service interpreters as well as people from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and a whole host of other great associations. 


One of my favorite programs that I attended today was about the Junior Duck Stamp Program. 


First, I got one of the coolest flash drives I've seen in a while. Aside from the fact that it was shaped like iconic US Fish and Wildlife bird, it comes with a whole curriculum for the Junior Duck Stamp Program.


What is that, you ask. No worries! I hadn't heard of it until today as well. The duck stamp started in 1934 as the license required for hunting migratory water fowl. Almost all the proceeds from the stamps sale (they'll run you $15 these days) goes to leasing or buying wetlands to increase protected habitat.


In a clever twist, the Junior Duck Stamp is a $5 stamp, the proceeds of which go to educating and connecting kids with nature. So it's not a license, like the original duck stamp, just a neat thing to have. And the stunning illustration? It's done by kids!


The art work on these is stunning. Landing your illustration on the Federal Duck Stamp is a big deal.


Students from kindergarten to 12th grade can submit their illustrations for chance at $5,000 and the chance to see their artwork nationwide. 


But the director of the Junior Duck Stamp have taken the program to new heights with an AWESOME curriculum about wetlands and waterfowl that teachers can use to bring nature into the classroom while also meeting national education standards. 


Too bad I'm too old to enter...




So what do you think? Had any of you heard about interpretation before? Got any assignments for me while I'm away in Minneapolis?


Stay green!

5 Ways to Have a Greener Day at Moravian

Feeling any ECO-guilt lately? I’m convinced we make more of an environmental impact in the winter. I know I do!

Gone are the balmy days of summer: hiking, camping, and hanging outside with friends. It seems like the only thing to do in winter is curl up, watch TV, or go out to dinner and a movie—all in our cozy, heated abodes.

Ahhh summer, why did you go so soon?
Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park

And don’t even get me started on Christmas shopping…

It’s just tough. So as we move into the season where we’re frolicking less, and plugging in more, how can we stay green?

Ok, you wake up and stumble into the Blue and Grey before class for coffee.

1. Use a reusable mug. The paper cup itself might seem pretty harmless, but it’s lined with a funny plastic, polyethylene, that renders it incapable of being recycled. And that plastic makes its way into our environment as it slowly degrades. Then there’s the plastic lid!

Here are a bunch of super cool travel mugs. Guys, don’t want to carry around a girly mug? Get one with your favorite sports team on it. Then the cute girl who sits next you can tell you she likes that team, too! Win, win!

2. Unplug! Before you run to the library with your laptop, take the extra second to unplug the charger from the wall. While you’re at it, yank out your phone charger, too. These energy vampires draw out and waste energy.

Avoid leaving your laptop and phones plugged in while they’re already charged, too. Not only does that waste battery, it kills your battery life. That’s no good!

Hey! And while you’re on you’re laptop,

3. Turn down the brightness! Again, this saves energy and gets you more battery life. Try it on your phone, too. It feels so much better on my eyes.

4. Turn down the heat to 65 or better! Because you look better in a sweater. What a classic tip! But it’s true! Wear socks and an extra layer to bed, or get more to bring you your favorite blanket from home.

And maybe you don’t pay your heating bill right now, but you’ll have to eventually. And turning down your thermostat just one degree generally saves you three percent on your heating bill.

Hey! Maybe if you save your parents some money while you’re home on break, you can take double the Christmas cookies back to school, or something…

5. Do your laundry in cold water.  Ninety percent of the energy used in washing machines goes to heating the water! And most loads don’t even need hot water.

In fact, using cold water is a great way to preserve the color of your clothes, especially your dark jeans! And they’ve got some great new products like cold water detergent, that get your clothes just as clean!

Do you have any other tips for having an eco-friendly day?

Painting Pumpkins with ECO

My pumpkin that I painted at this week's ECO meeting!

Everyone’s talking about this white Halloween—tree snapping, power zapping snow in Bethlehem.

But did you know this Halloween was green, too? And I’m not evening talking about the eco-friendly costumes I mentioned in previous posts. This Halloween, ECO (Moravian’s Environmental Coalition) members celebrated by painting locally grown pumpkins.

But before we could paint pumpkins, we had to move through the agenda! Gina addressed the following points:

1. Vegan Vegetarian Thanksgiving. ECO needs the culinary talent of Moravian students to cook up vegan and vegetarian dishes. All ingredients and cookware will be provided! Email me @ stcnc08 if you’re interested!

2. Greening Food at Moravian. Gina also announced that next semester she will be doing an independent study project with Dr. Diane Husic on Sustainable Food. She encouraged members to bring their concerns about Moravian’s food to her.

Dear reader, have you got some concerns? Tell me in the comment section, and I’ll bring them to Gina.

Shaz Gangy also asked members if they were interested in sorting the batteries from the box next to the HUB desk. If you’re interested in helping out or getting involved in recycling at Moravian, let me know!

But after we discussed those points, it was pumpkin painting time.

The pumpkins came from Elias Farmers Market in Allentown, an easy 15-minute drive from campus. The club had initially planned to get organic pumpkins from Rodale Farms <link> but the snow put the whiteout on that plan. Elias Farmers Market did inform us that the pumpkins were locally grown with practices very close to organic standards.

So what pumpkin painters showed up?

I spotted Miranda Cooper, member of the Peace and Justice Club*  We’re glad to have Miranda participate in our meetings for a few reasons: 

1.  She’s cool
2.  Peace and Justice is cool. Their Occupy Wallstreet Talk, lead by Moravian’s Dr. Gary Olsen, was a great success attracting almost 30 people. “Everyone had great ideas and great insight into what is happening and what they believe should happen next,” Miranda told me.
3. ECO and Peace and Justice Club hope to team up**. There’s just such a strong connect between the rights of people and the rights of the environment.

Participants in Peace and Justice Club's Occupy Wall Street Discussion.
From Moravian's Facebook.

*Interested?  Check out Peace and Justice Club’s Facebook. You can help plan an informational event on Occupy Wall Street or check out screenings of documentaries on non-violence.

** Interested? Stay tuned…

And that’s why something as simple as pumpkin painting can be so cool. Plus, you get to take home pumpkins this cool:


[pictures coming!]

How green was your Halloween? Heck! Did you survive the power outage all right? At least we saved all that CO2 emissions... heh heh.

PS: ECO typically meets every other Monday at 4 p.m. 

(Next meeting will be November 10.)