Cool Recycled Art!

Hey everyone,
I stumbled across this and thought it was neat. It's some fabulous artwork, all created from recycled materials!

If you're interested in doing projects like these, but on a much smaller scale, check out WesRUM (Wesleyan Students ReUsing Materials)! Email Alex Provo (aprovo at wesleyan.edu) for more information!
Happy Holidays and good luck with finals!
~Hannah~

EON Constitution Proposal

Mission:

EON is a network of students that work together both to raise awareness of and implement working solutions to environmental issues both within and beyond the Wesleyan community.

Purposes:

1. Provide a network for sharing information and collaborating among environmental groups and campaigns on campus.
2. Provide an accessible environmentalist community that acts as a hub for recruitment.
3. Provide the space and resources for members to work together on unified, large-scale campaigns.

Structure:

1. EON holds monthly meetings that are facilitated by two Coordinators.
a. Meetings take place on Monday nights at 9:00pm. The Coordinators decide on the specific dates at the beginning of each semester.
b. The purpose of these meetings is primarily to coordinate among the several environmental groups and campaigns on campus.
c. Meetings also provide the opportunity for EON members to select particular issues or campaigns to collectively focus on.
2. EON consists of standing committees, ad hoc committees, and independent groups.
a. Standing committees have at least one chair or contact person who holds the central responsibility for coordinating the committee’s interaction with the larger group.
i. Each committee keeps an updated list of active members, and all such lists are given to the EON Secretary.
b. Ad hoc committees are created and dissolved as necessary to plan for one-time events and campaigns.
c. All groups with an environmental focus, including those that wish to remain organizationally independent from EON, are encouraged to designate members to attend EON meetings, with the objective of forming close and lasting partnerships.

Leadership Roles:

1. All EON leaders are nominated and democratically elected during the first meeting of each semester. If a leader cannot come to an EON meeting, ze is responsible for designating someone else to fill hir role.
a. Two Coordinators
i. Organize and facilitate monthly meetings.
ii. Take charge of student recruitment.
iii. Check and respond to emails sent to weseon@gmail.com.
iv. Assist and guide committees when necessary.
b. Treasurer
i. Keeps track of all EON funds.
ii. Acts as the group contact for the SBC.
1. All committees should make requests to the SBC through EON rather than on their own.
c. Secretary
i. Takes minutes at all meetings.
ii. Sends out email updates to the EON community.
d. Administrative Liaison
i. Facilitates communication between students and university administrators.
e. Social Coordinator
i. Organizes informal social events.

Standing Committees (subject to change):

- Energy
- Compost/Waste
- Awareness
- Landscaping

Ad Hoc Committees (subject to change):

- Earth Day
- Focus the Nation
- Dining
- Procurement

Independent Groups (subject to change):

- SAGES
- WSA
- Long Lane Farm
- Farmers Market
- Bike Co-op
- Earth House
- Outing Club
- WesDems

Spanish Lit and Alternative Energy...in one comic?

Possibly my dream come true.
I realize it's been months, and that in all likelihood no one is still reading, but as long as I'm around this blog will never completely expire. And anyway, this was just too good not to share:

(via xkcd)

Plastic art

I've mentioned things like this before, but somehow it never gets old: art made of plastic bottles! Check out this design sponge post on Gülnur Özdağlar. My favorites are his bowls (see left).

Court Sides with Greenpeace

Last year, six Greenpeace activists attempted to shut down a coal-fired power plant in Britain by climbing the chimney and painting the Prime Minister's name down the side. The defendants pleaded not guilty and focused their defense on 'lawful excuse' (we have the 'necessity defense' in the U.S.), which excuses those who break the law when it serves a necessary greater good. The jury recently accepted the defendants claim that they shut down the plant in order to defend from the global impact of climate change and they have been acquitted of all charges.

Aramark Study on Trayless Dining

The Aramark food service company recently released the results from an extensive study on trayless dining that involved 186,000 meals at 25 colleges and universities. Their findings showed a 25-30% reduction in food waste per person on trayless days, which in some schools added up to more than a 50 pound reduction in food waste per person over the course of the year! Might traylessness be in Wesleyan's future?

EON Week!

Here's the schedule of events/activities for this week!

Waste Awareness: Trayless Week at Usdan
ALL WEEK, 12/1-12/6 [Due to some difficulties, look for this sometime later in the week]
lunch and dinner, Usdan Marketplace
Currently, we throw away 150 lbs of food waste every day at lunch. Food waste will be collected and measured at each meal during the week of 12/1-12/6. Let’s see how much waste we can reduce by not using trays! *trays will be available for those who absolutely require them.

Film Series: Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest
TUESDAY, 12/2, 8 pm
PAC 002
Fern Gully is a childhood classic not to miss. With such talent as Tim Curry, Robin Williams, and Christian Slater, Fern Gully just might be the cutest and most hilarious representation of deforestation and pollution out there.

Film Series: Double Feature: “Is God Green?” And “Gimme Green”
WEDNESDAY, 12/3, 8 pm
PAC 002
“Is God Green?” is part of the PBS series Moyers on America. It “explores how a serious split among conservative evangelicals over the environment and global warming could reshape American politics.”
“Gimme Green” is a short documentary “that examines the American obsession with the residential lawn.”

What is Sustainability at Wesleyan? Dinner and Discussion
TUESDAY, 12/2, 5:30 pm
Usdan 108
A dinner and conversation about the current state and future of sustainability efforts at Wesleyan. Bill Nelligan, Director of Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability will give a presentation on Wesleyan’s Green House Gas Report. Discussion and brainstorm to follow.

Flower installation in Usdan
THURSDAY, 12/4
lunch and dinner, Usdan ground level table
Learn about a proposal we’re writing to replace grassy areas on campus with native plants.

Pi Café cups interactive art installation
SUNDAY, 12/7
afternoon, Pi Café
Experience how many cups we use each week at Pi Café. Reusable mugs will be available and there will be a discount for those who purchase drinks with a reusable mug.

We hope to see you there!