Sustainability Blog

We are thrilled to announce the competition for the second annual Frank Chernosky Campus Climate Ambassador Award that will support the development of Michigan Tech undergraduate students into the climate change leaders of tomorrow.  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. 

This award in his name 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 2023-24 will be $9,600 – a scholarship amount of $8,000 spread over fall and spring semesters, and a professional development and applied work fund of up to $1,600 to be used by August 2024. 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 2023. 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 March 15th, 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 at alturnqu@alturnqu

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

There are a host of events happening in October for the sustainability passionate or curious. See the poster below for the details.

Interested in participating in Sustainability activities on campus and throughout your community? Sustainability month offers a variety of fun opportunities! From craft nights, award winning documentary viewings, community tree identification, and more! See the attached flier and follow us on instagram @sustainablemtu for individual event details.

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

Michigan Tech held the second annual Husky Exchange this spring to gather unwanted items from students during move out from the residence halls. In sum, students donated nearly 9,000 items, keeping over two tons of materials out of the landfill and headed toward others in need.

The most common donations were nonperishable food (~3,500 items), clothing (~1,000 articles!), and pool noodles (~700). All of those items, with the exception of some expired food, will go back as donations to students next academic year. We partner with the HuskyFAN food pantry in Fisher Hall for our food donations and the new clothing closet in Douglass Houghton Hall for our clothing articles to provide students access to these items throughout the year. Its a great example of how we all have to work together to make better use of our resources and work towards a more sustainable campus.

Many of the remaining items will be made available to our newest Huskies moving into the residence halls before fall orientation. Over 95% of the items will be available free of charge, or for a charitable donation, while a handful of higher value items like refrigerators, microwaves, and box fans will be sold at a steep discount to cover the costs of running the program.

Finally, we partner with non-profit organizations in the area for the remainder of the donations, including linens, lightly expired food, and other items of need. We included a handful of photos and a full list of donations below to get a better picture of the program. Thank you to the staff and students who put many hours in to collect and sort the donations!

Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural Sustainability Awards at Michigan Tech!

Kendra Lachcik (Undergraduate Student), Rose Daily (Graduate Student), Sarah Green (Faculty, Chemistry), and Larry Hermanson (Staff, Facilities) have all contributed mightily to sustainability efforts at Michigan Tech. Watch the following short video below to learn more about their work in sustainability at Michigan Tech.

Play 2022 Sustainability Award Winners video

2022 Sustainability Award Winners

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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.

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 3,000 items and kept more than a ton of materials out of the landfill!

When? Students can drop donations off anytime between Friday, April 22 and Sunday, May 1.

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

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

See below for a fascinating one minute depiction of global climate change from the NASA Scientific Visualization Studio. It does a great job of showing the upward (outward) trend thought the anomalies. Learn more here: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4975