Whitman College Sustainability Information

Click here to read the Whitman College sustainability statement. Whitman also has a sustainability wiki where more information can be found. Email the Campus Sustainability Coordinator at sustainability@whitman.edu for more information.

Apr. 22: "Earth Day at Forty: New Conservation Challenges for the 21st Century"
Where: Olin 130
When: Thursday, April 22, 7:30 PM
Details: Graham Chisholm will deliver the William O. Douglas Lecture: “Earth Day at Forty: New Conservation Challenges for the 21st Century”
Chisholm is Executive Director of Audubon California.
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Conversations on Climate Change is a lecture series sponsored by the Department of Politics, Global Studies and Environmental Studies.
Despite growing scientific evidence that our planet will warm substantially in the 21st century unless global emissions of greenhouse gasses are significantly reduced, climate change languishes on the political agenda. Four evenings this spring, we will gather to explore ways to think about climate change that can expand our grasp of what a warming planet will mean for all of us and for future generations.
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Challenge to commute green for a month, starting on Earth Day
Following the success of last year’s Green Commute Day, Whitman faculty and staff are invited to participate in a month-long Green Commute Challenge that will be launched on Earth Day, April 22. The challenge is part of a community-wide effort to conserve resources, reduce carbon, build community and increase mobility. Organizations across Walla Walla have taken up the call to use environmentally friendly methods of transportation on Earth Day, and Whitman and Walla Walla Community College will continue the challenge of commuting green for a whole month.

Whitman’s faculty and staff will be divided into nine teams based on office and division. Each week, the winning team will be entered into a raffle to win prizes such as free coffee, books, bike helmets and more. Different weeks have different themes such as biking, carpooling or creative “other” ways to get to work that will count double during that week. On May 26, the winning team will be awarded a plaque and an ice cream social.

Watch campus e-mail and The Fountain for details on this challenge, designed to help make Whitman a healthier and more sustainable campus.
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Please participate in transportation survey by April 16
Whitman’s Conservation and Recycling Committee and the Greenhouse Gas Audit Team invite all staff and faculty to complete a brief (2-3 minutes) survey on daily commuting.

Data from the survey will be used to help estimate the overall greenhouse gas emissions produced by the college. Daily commutes are one component of greenhouse gas generation, and the survey is designed to help estimate the number of miles Whitman faculty and staff travel to and from campus using various forms of transportation.

Click here to take the survey. The survey will close April 16.

If you have questions about the survey contact any of the following staff or students:

•Erik Lyon, Green Gas Audit team member – lyonew@whitman.edu
•Lisa Curtis ’10, campus sustainability coordinator – curtislm@whitman.edu
•Sean Gehrke, co-chair of the Conservation and Recycling Committee – gehrkesj@whitman.edu
•Jed Schwendiman, chair of the Conservation and Recycling Committee – schwenjw@whitman.edu

2010-11 Sustainability Coordinators Announced
Nat Clark ’11 and Ari Frink ’11 will replace outgoing Sustainability Coordinator Lisa Curtis ’10 for the 2010-11 academic year, and they are looking forward to working with faculty and staff as well as students to help make Whitman a more sustainable campus. Clark has co-led Campus Greens and chaired the student Earth Week Committee for the past two years. He also spearheaded an effort to promote a more edible campus, planting asparagus and pumpkins in the amphitheater and winning a SRLF grant to grow baby salad greens for the dining halls. Frink has been involved in environmental issues from a young age, saying “while everyone else in sixth and seventh grade was riding skateboards and thinking about girls, I was looking for salmon in the creek.” Frink is a leader of the Youth Adventure Program and Campus Climate Challenge and has spearheaded multiple on-campus campaigns to convey environmental messages to policymakers