Sustainability Blog

Moving out but don’t have room for everything? Give it a new home with Husky Exchange!

Throughout Final Exam Week and Move-Out Weekend, MTU’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience is hosting it’s annual Husky Exchange program where students donate unwanted items that will then be redistributed to next years residents. As long as your items are clean and useful, look for the Husky Exchange logo and leave them at any of our any residence hall drop-off locations.

Welcomed Items: Pool Noodles, clothing, food, houseware, furniture, broomball sticks, small appliances, etc.

Rule of Thumb: If it’s clean and useful, leave it with Husky Exchange!

Follow @sustainablemtu on Instagram for future updates.

Now in its 14th year, the Sustainability Film & Discussion Series continues to bring relevant and provocative films to Michigan Tech’s campus to spur discussion and reflection amongst faculty, staff and students at Michigan Tech, as well as, the entire Keweenaw community. The Series provides a rare opportunity for people of diverse ages, backgrounds and life experiences to engage in meaningful discussion facilitated by a local expert on the topic. Everyone is welcome to attend. The film schedule is shown below.

Time: 7 PM, 3rd Thursday of each month, Jan-May.

Location: Fisher Hall – snacks in lobby, films in Rooms 135 or 138

Cost: Free. Suggested $5 donations are greatly appreciated. Or follow donation link: 

Michigan Tech Fund Sustainable Film Series 

Films

2040 – January 18, Fisher 135

This hopeful documentary looks at the effects of climate change and the current technologies that have realistic potential to greatly contribute to reversing climate change by 2040.

The Seeds of Vandana Shiva – February 15, Fisher 138

Explores the interconnectedness of seeds, food, environment, and social justice through the remarkable life story of the Gandhian eco-activist and agro-ecologist, Vandana Shiva.

Going Circular – March 21, Fisher 138

Imagine a future where we mimic the genius of nature—to re-calibrate the way humankind lives, breathes, builds—respecting the limits of our resources and transforming the modern world. The film investigates the concept of circularity, an economic system that eliminates waste and saves the planet’s resources, and offers concrete solutions to move toward a more circular economy.

Climate Sisu – April 18, Fisher 135

Take a journey through Michigan in search of community knowledge about climate action, resilience, adaptation, and education. Climate SISU offers an urgent, yet optimistic call for climate action.

The Engine Inside – May 16, Fisher 138

Follow the lives of six individuals from around the globe who have devoted themselves to a simple, age-old machine – the bicycle. Witness how bicycles have the potential to transform lives and contribute to a better world. 

Cosponsors

The film series is coordinated by the Michigan Tech Office of Sustainability & Resilience. Cosponsors include Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Keweenaw Land Trust, Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, Friends of the Land of Keweenaw, Keweenaw Co-op, WUP MiSTEM Network, MTU: Great Lakes Research Center, Department of Social Sciences, Center for Science & Environmental Outreach, College of Forest Resources & Environmental Science, Sustainability Demonstration House, Students for Sustainability House and Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action.

Are you an undergraduate student at Michigan Tech with a passion for sustainability and climate action? We invite you to apply for the third annual Frank Chernosky Campus Climate Leadership Award.  

This alumni-funded award is named after Frank Chernosky, a former professor and advisor at Michigan Tech.  Mr. Chernosky was an early advocate for sustainability principles who impacted many students before dying tragically from a rare form of Heart Cancer in 1971.  The award consists of three forms of student support: a partial tuition scholarship, funds for professional development and/or applied work, and a formal mentorship by campus and/or external professionals.  One recipient will be chosen annually.

The award for 2024-25 will be $9,600 – a scholarship amount of $8,000 spread over fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters, and a professional development and applied work fund of up to $1,600 to be used by August 2025. Awardees will also receive active mentorship from campus and/or external professionals to help them develop networks and skills for their future work.  The overall timetable for the award is flexible to accommodate opportunities such as a co-op or internship.  Applicants and award recipients will solidify the details on the timing of the award, as well as the nature of mentorship and professional development, through the application process and dialogue with the committee.

To be considered, an applicant must be a full-time undergraduate student at Michigan Tech with the equivalent of at least three semesters of full-time enrollment at Michigan Tech by the fall of 2024. They must also have a minimum of two semesters of coursework remaining, though there is potential for flexibility to accommodate an internship or coop into the award timeframe.

Applications are due via this Google Form Wednesday, March 13th, with interviews to follow. The committee will make a decision by April 14. Interested students are encouraged to draft their application early discuss their ideas with Alan Turnquist before applying: alturnqu@mtu.edu

Full details of the award and a link to the application are available in the PDF document below.

Start saving your hard to recycle items, the Keweenaw Waste Reduction Drive returns for a 5th year on April 13, 2024. The collection will include empty deodorant tubes, dental products, makeup containers, razors, old socks, and egg cartons.

Community members can save up these items and bring them to the Student Development Complex between 9 and 3 on Saturday, April 13, or drop them off at the Portage Lake District Library anytime leading up to April 13. Campus users can bring materials at any time to Wadsworth Hall (main lobby by the cafeteria), or the Van Pelt and Opie Library (near the vending machines/24 hour entrance on the first floor).

For more information, see the 2024 Waste Reduction Drive Guidebook or reach out to the Sustainability Demonstration House at sdh@mtu.edu.

October is Campus Sustainability Month across the country. MTU has a number of events for everyone to enjoy, ranging from clothing swaps, information sessions, and the first sustainability fest, which we hope will become an annual tradition!

See the poster below for details, and reach out to us at sustainability@mtu.edu with questions.

The Center for Innovation in Sustainability & Resilience (CISR, pronounced scissor) is offering three funding opportunities in fiscal year 2024 to support Michigan Tech faculty and staff in developing collaborative research and curriculum development around the themes of sustainability and resilience. These activities are supported by the Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience.

All awards have due dates of October 5, 2023 and March 7, 2024, but rolling submissions and inquiries are encouraged!

Faculty Fellowship

• The Sustainable and Resilient Communities Faculty Fellowship offers teaching buyout in fall of 2024 or spring of 2025 to support research development activities. We anticipate making 3-4 awards in FY 24. RFP.

Early Career and New Directions Award

• In the range of $5,000 – $7,000, this award complements start-up packages for early career faculty or supports established researchers who are pursuing new ideas or topics in their work. We anticipate making 4-6 awards. RFP.

Curriculum Innovation Award

• Supports the development of new or retooled courses. Awards range from $3,000 to $5,000, but are flexible to meet the project needs. RFP.

Please send all inquiries to Chelsea Schelly, cschelly@mtu.edu

Class schedule? Check! Room assignment? Check! Room supplies? Um… Missing a few things for your room or apartment? Don’t worry, Michigan Tech’s green move-in program has you covered! 

Husky Exchange has collected donations from your fellow Huskies this past spring, and now we’re giving it all back! Stop by Wadsworth Hall to check out all the back to school supplies we have available to you. 

*Items available on a first come, first serve basis. All items are either free or priced low for a donation.

CASH ONLY!!!

Where: Wadsworth Hall, room G41

Opening weekend: Fri. 2-7pm, Sat. 10am – 5:30pm, Sun. 9 – 11am

Presented by the Office of Sustainability and Resilience

Follow us on Instagram: @sustainablemtu

The “Office Supply Swap” pilot program, organized by Michigan Tech’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience, will be held from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Monday June 19, 2023 in Memorial Union Building (MUB) Ballroom B. All items will be available at no charge. The Swap is open to current MTU faculty and staff — individuals will be asked to present their Tech ID at the door for verification. 

Leading up to the swap, donations of gently-used office supplies will be accepted on Thursday, June 15 and we encourage all MTU academic, athletic, and auxiliary units to participate. We will be accepting a wide range of common office supplies, such as paper goods, writing utensils, filing supplies, mailing supplies, and office organization items. We will also be collecting CDs, VHS tapes, DVDs, etc. for recycling through a third party vendor. A complete list of items is below. 

How It Works:

• If you intend to donate, please complete this Google Form with your unit/department’s intention to participate.
• Clean house! Gather items that are eligible for donation
• Neatly box or bag the items
• Donate in the method you indicate on the form: loading dock or bring to MUB Ballroom B
• (Optional) shop the swap on Monday, June 19 from 10-2pm

Why participate? The intention of the Office Supply Swap is to allow for the exchange of common office supplies that already exist on campus to minimize the need for purchasing new items and to alleviate departmental clutter. Additionally, we seek to provide an avenue for recycling office items by diverting them from the landfill.

For any and all questions, comments, or concerns — email sustainability@mtu.edu 

Acceptable Items:

• Paper Goods:
  • Notebooks, planners, notepads, and journals
  • Loose-leaf paper, printer paper, graph paper, construction paper, cardstock
  • Poster boards, display boards
  • Sticky notes, sticky flags
• Writing Utensils
  • Pens, pencils, pencil lead refills, colored pencils, calligraphy pens
  • Markers, highlighters, White-Out, erasers
• Filing Supplies
  • Binders, folders, dividers, hanging folders, document protectors, tabs
  • Portable filing organizers
• Mailing Supplies
  • Envelopes, interdepartmental mail envelopes, letter openers
  • Labels and label makers
• Office Organization & Decor
  • Paper clips, binder clips, push pins (boxed), pencil pouches
  • Desktop organizers, pencil cups, paper weights, bookends
  • Tape, rubber bands, staplers, hole punches, scissors
  • Dry-erase boards (clean), cork boards (good shape)
  • Command strips & hooks/clips, small decor items
• Miscellaneous
  • Transparencies
  • Rulers, protractors, compasses
  • Clipboards
  • Briefcases, shoulder bags, backpacks (no rips or stains)
  • CDs, VHSs, CD-ROMs, DVDs

Unacceptable Items (non-exhaustive list):

• Printer ink cartridges
• Laboratory supplies 
• Laptops, computers, monitors, speakers, calculators
• Michigan Tech-licensed property
• Headphones
• Overhead projectors
• Cords and chargers
• Box cutters
• Paint
• Furniture (desks, chairs, standing file cabinets)
• Clothing
• Textbooks, books
• Batteries 

The Husky Exchange is Michigan Tech’s green move-out program. With your help, we will gather reusable but unwanted items from residents as they move out of the residence halls in the spring, then store and sort the items and donate to local organizations or resell/giveaway the items back to students in the fall.  Together we can support students and the local community, divert waste from the landfill, and help build an awareness of sustainability at Michigan Tech. Last year, we collected over 10,000 items and kept more than 2 tons of materials out of the landfill!

When? Students can drop donations off anytime between Friday, April 21 and Sunday, April 30.

Where? There are eight drop off locations in the residence halls:

• WADS (5): outside the Cafe on the ground floor, and in each of the centrally located kitchenettes (floors 2-5)
• McNair (2): glass lounge outside the front desk (lobby) and the lobby area on ground floor east of the dining hall.
• DHH (1): Connector space
• Hillside (1): first floor kitchen near fireplace
• Julien Heights and Hillcrest (3): in main entry in each building, and a pop up tent by the dumpster for larger items

What? The general rule is: if it’s clean and might be useful to someone, drop it off.

Partial list of items: pool noodles, broomball sticks, non-perishable food, fans, lamps, storage and shelving, mirrors, office supplies, area rugs, electronics, laundered clothing, and small, clean, appliances.

Questions? email us at sustainability@mtu.edu