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  The Case for Trayless

  March 1, 2009 at 11:54 pm

  (Note: John Kraus has updated his February article about Trayless Dining at Carleton, and the updated version has been reposted here.)

  According to Food for Thought (A Carleton student group), the Carleton dining halls produce about 2,700 pounds of food waste per day.  Colleges, in an attempt to reduce waste and save money, have experimented with various ways to reduce food waste.  Going to tray-less dining has generally shown a reduction in food waste of 25-30%; Hamline College recently implemented this step and expects to save $25,000 a year.  In the following article John Kraus ('10) outlines a well researched case for trayless dining at Carleton.

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  Update on the Turbine

  February 10, 2009 at 12:35 pm

  If you've been looking east this morning you may have noticed that Carleton's wind turbine blades haven't been doing much turning.  While we'd like it to be cranking out clean power the reason for the temporary shut down is impressive indeed.  Northfield, in the midst of an uncharacteristic several day long warm front, has also been experiencing some rather blustery winds, above 40 mph at turbine hub height.  These gusts have most likely knocked some sensors off balance.

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  Get back to the land.

  February 6, 2009 at 9:31 am

  Applications are now available to be a student farm intern for the 2009 growing season of the Carleton Student Farm.  Two student interns will be accepted for the position this summer. The season will begin with a farm-planning independent study this spring, continue with experiential education every day in the Carleton garden and in field trips to surrounding farms through the summer, and end with fall harvest.

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  GREEN WARS IS HERE!

  February 1, 2009 at 10:06 pm

  It’s February, Carleton, and you know what that means: GREEN WARS! Time to study by candlelight, share showers, and put off doing your laundry for another month! Or in other words, be conscious about your energy use and deliberate about reducing your impact on the planet.

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• The similarities between thinking sustainably and MN wind chills

  January 24, 2009 at 6:03 pm

  Last week a 3 day cold spell saw Northfield wind chills reach as low as -40º F and -50º F.  Such temperatures make walking across the street a chore and test the patience of many.  But air that cold has a quality to it; it dresses the world in a kind of foreignness that offers us the rare chance to see our most familiar surroundings entirely anew.  To me that opportunity is not so different from the opportunites I see in the environmental and sustainability movements.
  

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• Carleton student stress patterns and the SRF Initial Proposal deadline: an informal study

  January 14, 2009 at 10:02 pm

  Sustainability Revolving Fund projects are being submitted through a new format this term.  The SRF Committee will review all project ideas submitted by Friday of 3rd week (Jan. 23).  The Committe will then provide detailed information about campus resources specific to your project and identify the keys to turning your idea into a successful application.  "But I'm stressed," you say.  Nay nay.  Read the following ground-breaking study which will explain how there is no time like the present to reduce some GHG emissions at Carleton, making us all happier in the process.

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  December A Record Month For Carleton Wind Turbine

  January 6, 2009 at 11:00 am

  Minnesota's weather often seems to me the creation of a disgruntled, vindictive child.  Take, for example, the average wind speeds in the months of December and January.  At the time when temperatures begin to really dip, southern Minnesota often experiences some of its highest average wind speeds of the year, so that an otherwise reasonable 5 or 10 degrees F can go to 10 or 15 below in a heartbeat.  But while it's bad news for my face, all that wind is great news for wind turbines.

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  A tour of Carleton's Facilities Plant

  December 1, 2008 at 2:16 pm

  As our college emphasizes the development of new energy sources and pursues means by which we can reduce our own energy consumption, it is important that people educate themselves on what kinds of systems are providing them with energy and utilities in the first place. Carleton offers an excellent opportunity to see very large systems, unfortunately these opportunities are underutilized by students.

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