Stop and Smell the Milkweed: SJC’s new Pollinator Garden!
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Stop and Smell the Milkweed: SJC’s new Pollinator Garden!

Since its founding, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine has been committed to education as a means for both personal and social transformation. As an institution sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, we seek to educate our students through classes and experiences that bring them face-to-face with a planet and people in need. A recent example of this type of education is reflected in Saint Joseph’s recent addition: The Pollinator Garden Project.

The garden began as an idea from SJC’s Community and Sustainability Engaged (CASE) Scholars when they researched the decline of pollinators in Maine for their presentation at the Terra Matters Climate Summit, held at USM in 2018. With donations, multiple grants, a group of fourth graders from Riverton School in Portland, and a beehive of campus support, the Pollinator Garden is now a part of our College campus.

Student and CASE Scholar Caleb Gravel was a key member of a large, interdepartmental team working on The Pollinator Garden Project on campus. A senior majoring in environmental science and double minoring in biology and sustainability studies, Caleb described why he cares about this project, “I’m passionate about making a spot, a safe space to conserve a species. I want to pursue conservation biology and help provide species with safe living spaces. I want to ensure that species are not going extinct.”

Photo credit: SJC Staff Maya Atlas

Saint Joseph’s College is the 73rd educational institution in the nation and the first in Maine to be certified as one of the affiliates of the Bee Campus USA program. This is a certification program that seeks to stabilize campus landscapes as ideal habitats for pollinators such as bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, and more. The garden is tended by Professor Emeritus and Master Gardener Sue Kelly and campus community volunteers. If the project proceeds as planned, local seniors from the community will also have an opportunity to engage with the garden over the summer.

The Pollinator Garden is not only a beautiful place to stop and smell the roses (or in this case, the milkweed), it’s a place for the SJC campus and larger community to engage with the natural environment in an educational and informative way. As this “living laboratory” continues to develop, it will serve as a sustainability makerspace for research, innovation, and a beautiful place to visit to learn about the vital role of pollinators in our local food systems.

Photo credit: SJC Staff Maya Atlas

To see more about Caleb Gravel’s role in making the Pollinator Garden a reality, please visit The Pollinator Garden Project article in Saint Joseph’s College Magazine.

Go Green and Go Home!
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Go Green and Go Home!

As students are leaving Saint Joe’s for the summer, there’s something that isn’t: their stuff. This year the EcoReps have taken it upon themselves to collect donated goods from students moving out of the dorms and distributing those goods to local charities and non-profits, including GoodWill, Pink Feather, and the Standish Food Pantry. Combined, the EcoReps and their advisor, Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Heather Craig, have spent 115 hours over the past month collecting, sorting, and bringing items to organizations. The amount of donated items was staggering – many trips had to be made to each charitable organization.

The 2018 – 2019 EcoReps

EcoReps President Rachel Bruns and EcoReps Advisor Heather Craig taking a van full of donated items to GoodWill.

EcoReps President, Rachel Bruns, has held on to many of the items in the hopes of starting a free Monk’s Market next year. Students, staff, and faculty, could ‘shop’ at the market for free goods to decorate their offices or dorm rooms, and would be able to donate their own goods at any time.

Donated items that will be kept to start Monk’s Market.

Monk’s Market will encourage students to choose secondhand items, reducing their carbon footprint and promoting a shared community. Keep an eye out for more information on Monk’s Market!

The Sustainability Festival was a huge success!
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The Sustainability Festival was a huge success!

Last Thursday was a bee-utiful day for the Sustainability Festival! The sun was shining, the bees were buzzing, baby goats were bleating – all to the delight of the over 350 attendees! Here are a few highlights from the festival:

 

Live performance by the Burnurwurbskek Singers

Tom Halstead from Allagash Brewing Co and Ali Mediate of Maine FoodScapes

SJC student with her new plant

Center for Sustainable Communities intern discussing the pollinator garden with SJC students

SJC students with bunnies from November’s Harvest

Farmer Myke and his babies

Plants from Old Wells Farm

SJC student adds her handprint to the Eco Reps mural

And of course, the debut of the SJC Pollinator Garden was a hit! As the festival adrenaline starts to wear down, please remember that a pollinator garden does NOT increase your chance of getting stung. Pollinator gardens attract many different pollinators, including butterflies, moths, beetles, and hummingbirds – not all of these little guys sting! Also, many bees will not sting you – no male bees sting, and many native Maine bees won’t sting because they are too small or don’t have a hive to defend. And finally, a feeding bee is a happy bee! For this reason, planting flowers WON’T increase your chances of getting stung. If you haven’t already, go check out the garden on the way to the lake!

Get Ready for Earth Week!
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Get Ready for Earth Week!

Easter break is this weekend, which means lots of family time, Easter eggs, and overeating. After all the excess, it will be time to get back to basics and celebrate Earth Week! This year, Earth Day is Monday, April 22. While we won’t be able to celebrate Earth Day as a campus, there will be plenty of activities throughout Earth Week to get back in touch with your granola side.

Tuesday, April 23 at 4pm, Pause for Prayer: Care for the Earth in Healy Chapel. Celebrate God’s creation with the Mercy Center!

On Wednesday, April 24 at 6pm in the Auditorium, the CH245 Environmental Chemistry class, in conjunction with the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Lakes Environmental Association, Bridgton Books and the Green Store are hosting a screening of Bag It! The class will present results from a study of microplastics in the Presumpscot River. There will be door prizes!

 

 

 

 

Join the Ecoreps for Craft Night and Adopt a Plant on Wednesday, April 24 at 8pm in the Heff! You can bring your own container to decorate, or the Eco-reps will provide one for you. Containers can include old mugs, glass jars, old candle holders, whatever you want!

 

And to cap off the week, everyone’s favorite festival will be Thursday, April 25 from 11am-2pm! Come play a game of corn-hole with the Health & Wellness Club, get a re-usable straw from the Eco-reps, sample Urban Farm & Fermentory kombucha, and so much more at the Sustainability Festival!

 

The Sustainability Festival is quickly approaching!
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The Sustainability Festival is quickly approaching!

Join us for Flower Power: Sustainability in Action and the debut of our very own Pollinator Garden on Thursday, April 25th from 11:00 to 2:00!

During the festival you will have the chance to…


Pet baby bunnies and goats from November’s Harvest

Sample delicious food from local vendors

Meet a beekeeper & learn about honeybees in Maine

 

 

See the Burnurwurbskek Singers live from 11:30am-12:00pm

Learn about local sustainable organizations

Outside vendors will include ReVision Energy, Allagash Brewery, ecomaine, November’s Harvest, Go Maine, Maine FoodScapes, Agri-Cycle, Dental Lace, MaineShare, Wood & Sons, Maine Partnership for Environmental Stewardship, Saco River Farms, Loon Echo Land Trust, Maine Conservation Voters, and Old Wells Farm. Many Saint Joseph College departments, clubs, and organizations will also have booths at the festival. Come say hi and learn about Sustainability in Action!

If your organization is interested in having a booth at the festival, please contact Heather Craig at hcraig@sjcme.edu

Saint Joseph’s Named Green College by the Princeton Review
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Saint Joseph’s Named Green College by the Princeton Review

Saint Joseph’s College has been recognized by The Princeton Review for its environmental responsibility. The education services company known for its test prep and tutoring services, books, and college rankings features Saint Joseph’s College in the 2018 edition of its book, The Princeton Review’s Guide to 399 Green Colleges. Sustainability at Saint Joseph’s College encompasses human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for future generations. Building and modeling sustainability practices cultivates an ethic of sustainability among graduates and the broader campus community, reflective of the College’s core values and the Sisters of Mercy’s Critical Concern for Earth. All students at Saint Joseph’s are required to take a course called Ecology and the Environmental Challenge.

 

The Princeton Review developed the ranking list using data from its institutional survey for its Green Rating and its surveys of student attending the colleges. Ten data points from the institutional survey were factored into the assessment. Data from the student survey included student ratings of how sustainability issues influenced their education and life on campus; administration and student support for environmental awareness and conservation efforts and the visibility and impact of student environmental groups.

 

Through the College’s new Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation (ILFSI),  students can grow lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, edible flowers, and spring mix year-round in a Freight Farm—an indoor hydroponics growing facility inside the body of a freight truck. Additionally, a hydroponic greenhouse, 3,400 square foot community kitchen, and livestock barn will offer agricultural and food industry programming. ILFSI is designed to support New England’s capacity to produce at least 50% of food consumed, help double the region’s food manufacturing employment over ten years, and provide critically needed workforce training through courses and certificates in hydroponics, food manufacturing, food branding and merchandising, and agritourism.

 

princeton review - guide to green schools

Re-thinking Coffee at College
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Re-thinking Coffee at College

In an effort to reduce single-use cups, Brewed Awakenings (the College’s coffee station located in Alfond Hall) now offers free coffee to students and employees who bring their own reusable cups. Faculty and staff members are also offered free coffee in Pearson’s Dining Hall if they bring a reusable cup. This initiative aims at reducing the number of individual coffee-makers operating in offices across campus and efforts are underway to eliminate all K-Cup Pods, which are not only expensive but are extremely harmful to the environment. By offering coffee in communal spaces, students and colleagues are encouraged to step away from their desks for a short break, stretch, and fuel up!

College Implements Biodegradable Straws Across Campus
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College Implements Biodegradable Straws Across Campus

Baggot biodegradable straws

New biodegradable straws on the Saint Joseph’s College campus.

Saint Joseph’s College recently switched from plastic straws to biodegradable straws through an agreement between Student Government, the College’s Mission-Aligned Businesses, and Sustainable Enterprises. Student Government President Ray Mosca ’19 said, “In Student Government, our primary focus is ensuring the highest quality service to the student body in all aspects of campus life. Recognizing the critical role of sustainability on campus and in the greater community, we decided that switching to biodegradable straws combined our interests of promoting high quality service with improving our environmental impact. The Student Government Board recommended this change to the Director of Mission-Aligned Business and Sustainable Enterprises, and biodegradable straws were soon implemented into regular dining services operations. Across the country, companies such as Starbucks, Hyatt, and American Airlines have abandoned plastic straws to find more sustainable alternatives. We wanted to bring this national trend home to Saint Joseph’s, leading the way for colleges in Maine.”

Baggot biodegradable straws

Straw Made From Plants, ECO-PRODUCTS, 100% Compostable.

 

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Sustainability Festival Announced

Saint Joseph’s College’s Sustainability Festival turns 11! Join us for:

🌸Flower Power🌼

Sustainability in Action

Thursday, April 25th

11:00 am — 2:00 pm

…and the debut of our very own Community Pollinator Garden! The day will include live music, public art demonstrations, lawn games, animals, food, local vendors, and more! The festival will be located on the Saint Joseph’s College campus at 278 Whites Bridge Road Standish, ME.

Presentation By Saint Joseph’s Students at Statewide Water Challenge Overviews Dangers of Invasive Species
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Presentation By Saint Joseph’s Students at Statewide Water Challenge Overviews Dangers of Invasive Species

Saint Joseph’s College students Priscilla Carnaroli ’22 and Shaylee Davis ’21 delivered a presentation about invasive species at Maine Campus Compact’s 2nd Annual Maine Student Water Challenge in December 2018. Priscilla is studying medical biology and minoring in sustainability, while Shaylee is majoring in environmental science.

Saint Joseph’s College students Priscilla Carnaroli ’22 & Shaylee Davis ’21 delivered a presentation about invasive species at Maine Campus Compact’s 2nd Annual Maine Student Water Challenge in December 2018.

The Challenge brought together higher education students to discuss solutions to water-related problems in the state and was supported by a National Science Foundation award to Maine’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) at the University of Maine. Maine Campus Compact is a coalition of 18 member campuses whose purpose is to catalyze and lead a movement to reinvigorate the public purposes and civic mission of higher education.

“Chemicals in invasive plants can change water quality,” explained Shaylee. Aided by a teaching kit from the Lake Stewards of Maine, the students held up models of invasive species like milfoil, Brazilian waterweed, eelgrass, fanwort, and coontail, while detailing their harmful effects. They touched upon the challenges regarding prevention, identification, and disposal.

“It’s important to spread the word about invasive species, especially to tourists, because they might not be as aware of the issues as locals,” said Priscilla. Although only a freshman, Priscilla is exploring the possibility of veterinary school and enjoys animal science. She is most drawn to “the wonder of science–testing out new ways to do things.” Priscilla was selected as a CASE Scholar, part of the College’s Community-Based Learning Program, which supports students who demonstrate a sustained commitment to environmental issues and community service.

Shaylee envisions a future career in water toxicology, testing water supplies. During the fall she participated in the College’s Environmental Science Semester, a ten-week immersive program through which sophomores and juniors conduct field research in Maine, New Hampshire, and Canada. Shaylee learned about climate change, glacial geography, marine ecology, and oceanography through experiential travel and field methods training.