A More Sustainable Grinnell

Keeping track of nearly twenty local environmental groups can be difficult for the sustainability-minded student.

The student-led A More Sustainable Grinnell conference is designed to help.

The conference will provide information about the environmental history of the College, our sustainability plan, the dining hall and Real Food Challenge, and several different environmental groups.

The campus sustainability conference will be held at 1–3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, in Main Quad.  The event is free and open to all Grinnellians, including college and community members. Participating groups will be providing potluck-style snacks.

The organizers, Stephanie Porter ’14 and Carissa Shoemaker ’14, say they are trying to bring “order, cooperation, and cohesion to the environmental groups on campus.” They’ve lined up speakers and invited environmental campus groups to give a quick overview of their project and prospects.

Highlights include:

• Chris Bair ’97, environmental and safety coordinator, will present the environmental history of the College, including what Grinnell's been working on, what's been tried, and what's feasible. 
• Liz Queathem, senior lecturer in biology, will talk about the Sustainability Plan — what it is, who's been working on it, and what it involves. 
• Porter and Shoemaker will present the dining hall's perspective, followed by Madeline Warnick ’16, a student evaluating Grinnell as a part of the Real Food Challenge. 
• Campus environmental groups will present on their projects and plans.

Community organizations, including representatives from Imagine Grinnell and Poweshiek CARES, are also invited to participate.

“At the end,” says Porter, “we will break into action groups on energy, water, food, and waste to come up with concrete steps for the future.”