Author: Anne Greub

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.

Last year MTU celebrated Earth Week, but this year we have so many new ideas that we’re dedicating a WHOLE MONTH to sustainability events! Our student organizations are excited to show you all the ways you can live more sustainably! Check out the official Sustainability Month flier with individual event descriptions below for all the  ways you can get involved!

• Clothing Swap – March 30th & 31st, 11– 4pm @ Fisher Hall Do you enjoy thrifting, upcycling, or free stuff? Stop by the clothing swap to check out our free, gently used and donated items. You never know what you might find! Donations accepted at the event. Event hosted by the Students for Sustainability, contact Clare Fidler at ccfidler@mtu.edu for more information.
• Reading & Conversation with Erin Sharkey Michael Kleber-Diggs – April 3rd, 5:30-7pm in Forestry G002 or on Zoom Erin Sharkey and Michael Kleber-Diggs will discuss, A Darker Wilderness: Black Nature Writing from Soil to Stars, a collection of personal and lyric essays in conversation with archival objects of Black history and memory. This collection explores stories spanning hundreds of years and thousands of miles, traveling from roots to space–finding rich Blackness everywhere. Together we will consider the significance of nature in our lives and on the role of nature in the lives of Black folks. Snacks provided! Event hosted by the Office of the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Office of Sustainability and Resilience. contact Cindy Pindral at clpindra@mtu.edu for more information.

Virtual Event Link: https://augsburg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nURxhbBQTJugZwSoU0movQ

• Clothing Alterations Edu. Session – April 6th, 7-8pm @ MUB Makerspace S4S is hosting a mending and modifying clothing education session. We will have various stations for learning to sew buttons, patches, etc. Event hosted by Students for Sustainability, contact Clare Fidler at ccfidler@mtu.edu for more information.
• Sustainability Awards – April 10th, 4-5pm @ MUB Ballroom Find out the winners of the 2023 Sustainability Awards and learn about sustainability initiatives at Michigan Tech from Office Director, Alan Turnquist! Light refreshments provided. Event hosted by the Office of Sustainability and Resilience, contact Alan Turnquist at alturnqu@mtu.edu for more information.
• Bird Feeder Craft Night – April 13th, 4-6pm @ MUB Makerspace Learn to craft a small bird feeder by reusing small plastic bottles. Event hosted by Students for Sustainability, contact Clare Fidler at ccfidler@mtu.edu for more information.
• Waste Reduction Drive – April 15th, 9am-3pm @ SDC Bring all your old deodorant tubes, dental products, razors, writing utensils, socks, and egg cartons to the SDC to have them recycled by our awesome sustainability leaders from the MTU Sustainability Demonstration House! Contact Abbey Herndon at alherndo@mtu.edu for more information.
• Art and Music Festival – April 16th, 3:30-7:30pm @ Rozsa Center Lobby Listen to local music, meet with sustainability-related enterprises and student organizations, admire earth-themed artwork, and learn about ways to become involved! Event hosted by Keweenaw Youth Climate Action, contact Paige McKean pemckean@mtu.edu or Francine Rosinski at fmrosins@mtu.edu for more information.
• Earth Day Dinner – April 20th, 4-7pm @ McNair Dinning Hall Join us for the 3rd annual Earth Day Dinner! Food served in McNair Dining Hall will be plant-based and generated waste will be diverted from the landfill. Event hosted by the Sustainability Demonstration House, contact Kendra Lachcik at ktlachci@mtu.edu or Abbey Herndon at alherndo@mtu.edu for more information.
• Sustainability Foods and Movie Night – April 21st, 6-8pm @ Fisher 125 Students for Sustainability is hosting a movie night with vegan and vegetarian snacks! Contact Clare Fidler at ccfidler@mtu.edu for more information.

In an effort to reduce plastic waste on campus and in the community, MTU’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience has started a new plastic film recycling program! This separate recycling stream allows us to collect a host of stretchy plastics like bags, bubble wrap, and shipping envelopes that would otherwise go in the landfill. Anyone is welcome to use the receptacles for plastic films generated at home or on campus. Bins are located across campus in most major academic and residential buildings.

Through a partnership with Tadych’s Marketplace, the collected plastic goes to Trex, a composite decking manufacturing company, to be made into long-lasting, sustainably sourced decking materials.

Accepted Plastics Include:

Grocery Bags • Ice Bags • Resealable Food Storage Bags • Cereal Box Liners • Case Overwrap • Bread Bags • Newspaper Sleeves • Dry Cleaning Bags • Bubble Wrap • Plastic Shipping Envelopes

All items must be clean, dry, and free of food and organic residue.

For more information and a complete list of acceptable items, visit NexTrex.

Questions? Follow @sustainablemtu on Instagram and send us a message!

Location: Van Pelt and Opie Library, 2nd Floor. Michigan Tech Campus.

The Opie and Van Pelt Library has recently added a new resource, the Sustainability Collection! Here you’ll find a variety of books, information, and campus resources regarding sustainability topics of interest. The collection is made up of recommendations from students, staff, and faculty with many of our books doubling as required texts for fall and spring semester courses. The collection is constantly rotating its inventory and is always open to suggestions for new material, so stop by and check out a book!

Here’s an closer look at the informational graphics featured in the Sustainability Collection.

Reach out to the Office of Sustainability and Resilience on Instagram: @sustainablemtu

Everyone is welcome to be apart of a more sustainable future. The third Thursday of each month from January through May, a highly acclaimed sustainability-related film will be shown at G002 Hesterberg Hall, U.J. Noblet Forestry Building on Michigan Tech’s campus. Films will be facilitated by an expert in the field, and showings are free with a suggested $5 donation to help support future events like these. Donate here!

The Office of Sustainability and Resilience is on Instagram! @sustainablemtu

Class schedule? Check! Room assignment? Check! Dorm supplies? Um… Missing a few things for your dorm? 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 for a donation.

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

Sarah Green, Interim Department Chair and professor in the Chemistry Department at Michigan Tech, is excited to announce the opportunity of a lifetime for students interested in attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27)!

Michigan Tech will be sending a delegation of students to COP27, which will be held in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, this fall on November 6-18, 2022. If you are interested in attending or would simply like more information on the opportunity, please fill out the google form here. Space is limited!

Important Notes:

• Michigan Tech students will join the YEAH group, which links Colorado State, Boston University, U Connecticut, Vaderbilt, and others.
• Students will collaborate to present student-led events at COP. You will be expected to actively participate in delegation activities.
• COP is 2 weeks; most students will attend for 1 week only.
• The Michigan Tech group will be limited to about 5 each week (we do not know our UN assigned quota yet.)
• Priority will be given to students enrolled in UN5400/UN4400.
• If potential participants exceed the number of badges available, a secondary selection process will be implemented

Contact Sarah Green for more information at sgreen@mtu.edu

Follow the Office of Sustainability and Resilience on Instagram! @sustainablemtu

Looking for impactful ways to celebrate Earth Day this year? On April 16-23, Michigan Tech is hosting a week-long celebration offering many opportunities to get involved and learn about sustainability in your community! Check out the flyer and a full list of events with descriptions below.

• Waste Reduction Drive – Saturday, April 16, 9am – 3pm @ SDC Participate in the Keweenaw’s 3rd Annual Waste Reduction Drive by collecting laundry detergent containers, old socks, dental products, egg cartons, plastic bags & plastic film, old writing utensils, and razors & blades. There is a rolling collection for plastic bags, writing utensils, and razors in four locations: McNair, Wads, library, and downtown. The one-time collection for all 7 items will occur at the SDC. Event hosted by the Sustainability Demonstration House, contact Abbey Herndon at alherndo@mtu.edu for more information.

• Clothing Swap – Monday April 18, Noon – 4pm @ Library Do you enjoy upcycling your clothing? Stop by the clothing swap to check out our gently used and donated items. You never know what you might find! Event hosted by the Students for Sustainability, contact Lydia Wilson at laragelw@mtu.edu for more information.

• Discussion on Sustainable Careers and Professional Development – Monday April 18, 6:30pm @ Fisher 132 and Virtual Event. Members from Michigan Tech’s Career Services, the Director of Sustainability and Resilience, as well as faculty from the Department of Social Science’s will participate in a moderated panel to discuss career paths in sustainability, with dedicated time for questions from attendees. Event Hosted by ASPEN, contact Zoe Ketola at zlketola@mtu.edu for more information.

Virtual event link:  https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/85168005535

• Presentation of Sustainability Awards – Tuesday, April 19 Noon – 1pm @ MUB Find out the winners of the 2022 Sustainability Awards and learn about sustainability initiatives at Michigan Tech from Alan Turnquist! Event hosted by the Office of Sustainability and Resilience, contact Alan Turnquist at alturnqu@mtu.edu for more information.

• Sustainable Living Forum – Tuesday April 19, 6pm @ Fisher 101 and Virtual Event. Ever wondered what it’s like to live and travel out of a van? Hear tips, tricks, and ask someone who has done it sustainably and successfully! Event hosted by the Students for Sustainability, contact Sidney Mechling at smmechli@mtu.edu for more information.

Virtual event link: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/88094490554

• Earth Day Art & Music Festival – Wednesday April 20, 2-6pm @ Husky Plaza (MUB Commons if bad weather) Listen to local music, meet with sustainability-related enterprises and student organizations, admire earth-themed artwork, make a poster for the Climate March, and learn about ways to become involved! Event is scheduled to take place in the Husky Plaza with a rainy-day location in the MUB commons. Event hosted by Keweenaw Youth Climate Action, contact Elise Rosky at emrosky@mtu.edu for more information.

• Line 5 Presentation and Forum – Tuesday April 21, 6-7pm @ Fisher 138 and Virtual Event Join us for a public forum with Line 5 activists Arthur Hirsch & Susan Holcombe (members of the Lansing Climate Reality Chapter) and Gary Street (an MTU alum) who will dive into the history of Line 5, the current status of Line 5, and how Line 5 affects the Upper Peninsula. Presenters will be tuning in virtually, patrons can attend in person or on Zoom. Event hosted by the Climate Reality Campus Corps, contact Kendra Lachcik at ktlachci@mtu.edu for more information.

Virtual event link: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/81094555102

• Refill UP Collab – Friday April 22, 10am-2pm @ Library Spin the wheel on the 1st floor of the Library for a chance to win a prize from “the Keweenaw’s first zero waste refillery” located in Hancock, MI. Event hosted by the Students for Sustainability, contact Arika Booms at abooms@mtu.edu for more information.

• Earth Day Dinner – Friday April 22, 4-7pm @ McNair Dining Hall Join us for the 2nd annual Earth Day Dinner! 90% of the food served in McNair Dining Hall will be plant-based and 100% of the food and paper waste generated at the dinner will be diverted from the landfill. Some menu items include Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas, Red Lentil Curry, and Portobello Mushroom Burgers. Wads will have more plant-based options and a waste diversion station. Event hosted by the Sustainability Demonstration House, contact Kendra Lachcik at ktlachci@mtu.edu for more information.

• Climate Action March against Line 5 – Saturday April 23, 4-6pm @ Veterans Memorial Park Join the Keweenaw Youth Climate Action group in a march against Line 5. Meet at Veterans Memorial Park in Houghton at 4pm. A sign making session will take place at the Art & Music Festival on April 20th. Contact Gabriel Ahrendt at gahrend@mtu.edu for more information.