Energy Awareness
October may be Energy Awareness Month but understanding where our energy comes from and how we can conserve it is important every month! The Eco-Reps are celebrating Energy Awareness throughout the month by educating students on where it comes from, how it is used, and why it’s important to conserve their energy. In New Hampshire, over 60% of our electricity is sourced from natural gas and nuclear energy. Both of these sources are extremely harmful to the environment! The easiest way you can conserve energy is by shutting off the lights, taking shorter showers, and having smarter laundry habits. If you would like more information on how to be energy efficient, check out the KSC Eco-Reps social media.
Earth Month
Each year the Office of Sustainability celebrates Earth Month with a series of events and programs. Usually the Eco-Reps plan events like the Conservation Celebration and a campus sustainability tour to celebrate through out the month. Earth Month 2020 was a little different. With new circumstances making social gatherings impossible, Earth Month went virtual. The Eco-Reps shared new ways to build self-resilience and sustainability at home including tips on creating a composting system and starting a pollinator garden. The Office of Sustainability also created a virtual sustainability tour where anyone can view all of the ways KSC shows their commitment to sustainability. The Eco-Reps also announced their Earth Month photo contest open to all students, faculty, and staff. They received over 100 beautiful photographs expressing the theme of "Finding Beauty in a Broken World". The Office also announced one of their upcoming programs, Climate Action Leaders. Learn more about it here.
Water Awareness
Do you know where your water comes from? What happens when it goes down the drain? Water conservation is important for several reasons. Water, specifically fresh-water, is a finite resource that every living organism needs. Conserving water lessens the weight put on our sewage treatment facilities or septic systems. Water shortage and sanitation issues affect millions of people worldwide. The Eco-Reps talk about water awareness at their tabling events to educate our campus community on the importance of conserving water.
Campus Race to Zero Waste
The Campus Race to Zero Waste is the EPA's national recycling competition for higher education institutes. Colleges across the nation track and report their compost, landfill, and recycling totals over an eight week period. Keene State College has a tradition of participating in this program, and in 2020 we won an award for our diversion rate. Stay tuned for updates for this year's Campus Race to Zero Waste!
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*Diversion Rate is the amount of waste diverted from the landfill through composting and recycling.
Conservation Celebration
Each year the Eco-Reps celebrate Earth Month with the Conservation Celebration, a campus event that highlights sustainability at KSC and in the Keene Community. The Eco-Reps are joined by on and off campus groups for games, activities, and sustainability education . Organizations such as The Caterpillar Lab, Monadnock Progressive Alliance, and the Keene Transfer Station have participated in the past.
Movie Nights
The Eco-Reps organize movie nights each semester to show a sustainability related film to the campus community. Movie nights are accompanied by panel discussions, trivia, and other events. Movies the Eco-Reps have shown in the past include "Before the flood", "Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story", and "Tapped". Follow the Eco-Reps Instagram to stay updated on future movie night events.