Green Campus, Green Earth

November 5 and 6 will be AWESOME

2011-11-02T20:32:00.002-05:00

November 5: Maryland Student Climate Coalition retreat. We will be driving up Saturday morning and meeting with student environmental leaders at colleges across the state to network, plan, and learn about regional issues. Learn more here.

November 6: Tar Sands rally! With 5,000 people signed up to attend and yesterday's news that Obama is finally taking notice, this is going to be huge. Sign up with the organizers here.

To attend either/both of these, YOU MUST sign up with us here - then, expect an email with logistics soon!

SEAC meeting notes 10/19

2011-10-19T20:59:00.002-05:00

Icebreaker: What is your favorite pizza topping? Also, why are you cute? Your answers have to be the same.

Sustainability Week is next week! (October 24-28) Go here and here for more details. We will be tabling at each meal throughout the week for a public art project (see below), signing people up for reusable to-go boxes, and raising awareness about Tar Sands mining and the Keystone XL pipeline. If you are interested (tabling is super fun), let us know.

One of the major parts of tabling will be a public art project! At today's meeting, we decided to make a recycled art project out of plastic bottles, to be collected on campus throughout the week. So: we need people to collect bottles - either ones from your recycling at your own house, ones you find as litter, or ones rescued from recycling bins. (At the end of the week the entire thing will be recycled, so we're not diverting the recycling stream, don't worry!)

Next, we talked about the Tar Sands rally coming up on November 6! We were not able to get college vans (probably because they're needed for the mold), so we need people with cars or ideas for alternate transportation to DC that day. (PLEASE let us know if you can drive!) Also, the MSCC will be holding a meeting and training the day before (that's a Saturday), leaving Friday or Saturday to participate in that will be an option. More details to come soon!

Finally, we learned about mountaintop-removal coal mining in Appalachia through the medium of cookies, and about awesome organizations and people that are fighting it. Check out the RAMPS Campaign - one tree-sit they held this summer stopped blasting at Coal River Mountain for over a month.

(Don't forget to join our new facebook page!)

SEAC meeting notes 10/12

2011-10-13T18:50:00.002-05:00

Today, we recapped from our last meeting and from the protests Friday. (Who saw SEAC in the Washington Post?!?!?) Check out this video by recent SEAC alum Danny Ruthenberg-Marshall (who also testified inside the State Department hearing itself - go to the 1:28:18 mark) about the protest Friday.

If you couldn't make it last week, don't despair! An even bigger action is taking place on November 6, and we plan on taking as many SEAC members to it as we can! Anti-Tar Sands protesters plan to encircle the White House for a few hours that Sunday to encourage Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. More details about SEAC's involvement are coming soon.

Lots of SEAC members are involved in lots of awesome green projects on campus! We heard from the Campus Farm, the Sustainability Office, the Arboretum, Keep St. Mary's Beautiful, SMRP, the Vegan Co-op, Chancellor's Point, and more! Contact us if you want to get in touch with any of these awesome organizations.

October 24-28 is Campus Sustainability Week! The Sustainability Office has been organizing tons of speakers, documentaries, and other events to celebrate a different aspect of sustainability each day.
Monday: Food
Tuesday: Water
Wednesday: Climate and Energy
Thursday: Transportation
Friday: Outdoors
At the meeting, we brainstormed ideas for events during the week.

SEAC will be tabling all week. We want to have a station to make recycle art, and we want to have a station educating people about the tar sands. This is also a good time to ask people to join the reusable to-go box program.
On that subject, we can reach out to the sports teams, who often eat at the grind, about using reusable to-go boxes.
We can encourage people to save water when showering - by asking them to have water on at a minimum, or to skip days of showering. (How can we turn this into a game?)
We can give out reusable water bottles at the end of a documentary showing.
We can encourage people to recycle and increase awareness of what is and isn't recyclable.
Finally, Friday being two days before Halloween, we can have a Halloween parade. Dress up as your favorite eco-villain!

Caroline is bringing all of these ideas to the Sustainability Office. Come next week to help us plan logistics and help make Sustainability Week awesome!

(PS. Check out our new facebook page!)

SEAC in the Washington Post

2011-10-09T17:40:00.002-05:00

Check it out!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/keystone-pipeline-issue-becomes-a-headache-for-the-white-house/2011/10/07/gIQAJJZ8TL_story.html?hpid=z4

(From left to right: Cate, Allie, Jack, Ashok, and Jennifer)

SEAC and the Tar Sands: this Friday

2011-10-04T23:45:00.007-05:00

SEAC will be traveling to DC this Friday to participate in a rally outside the final State Department public hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline. We'll be leaving at approximately 9:00; the rally is from 12-1; after, you can either travel home for Fall Break, or return with us to campus. (Read more here.). If you want to come, or simply want more information, let us know ASAP at smcmseac@gmail.com.

Organizers of the rally are also in need of people to hold places in line for anti-pipeline speakers. At previous hearings across the midwest, oil companies paid people to arrive hours early and stand in line to make sure the hearing was dominated by pro-Tar Sands voices. We don't want this to happen again! A car of SMCM students will be heading up to DC either very late Thursday night or very early Friday morning. Again, let us know if you are interested.

After the Tar Sands rally, several SEAC members are also planning on going just a few blocks(!) to stand in solidarity with Occupy DC, a part of the movement that began with Occupy Wall Street just a few weeks ago, and the related but separate October2011 occupation - so this is also an option!

Otherwise, come to the SEAC meeting (tonight at 8:30 in Goodpaster 117) to plan for more upcoming events (the Tar Sands action on November 6, the potential SEAC retreat on November 12, and Campus Sustainability week) and talk further about why we care about this.

SEAC meeting #3: Move the Planet, Stop the Tar Sands

2011-09-22T15:07:00.002-05:00

1. Moving Planet is this Saturday, September 24. Our agenda is:

brunch time - have our banner outside the Campus Center; people will decorate it with footprints, handprints, bike tire prints, and other people-powered-movement prints.
2:00 - Critical Mass bike ride through campus, starting at the Campus Center
2:30 - fun, food, and games at the Point!

Join in, and bring your friends! (if you facebook, go here.)

2. SEAC members who participated in protests over the summer about Tar Sands oil mining and the Keystone XL pipeline led a discussion about the issue, the dangers involved in the proposal, and past, current, and upcoming actions to fight it - including a protest outside the State Department on Friday, October 7. SEAC will be participating; if you want to be a part of this, contact us!

3. The reusable to-go box (aka oyster shells) program is going well, but fewer new people than expected signed up to participate. SEAC will be tabling in the next few weeks to bring awareness to this green dining option.

SEAC meeting #2

2011-09-18T20:41:00.003-05:00

Last Wednesday night, we had a long but productive meeting of learning about the state of sustainability on campus, brainstorming ways to make the campus greener, and planning for Moving Planet.

Luke Mowbray, the campus Sustainability Coordinator, has a background in "stuff." Email him at lmmowbray (smcm) to ask about on-campus initiatives, progress reports, urban planning, and ... stuff.
For example, if SEAC comes up with a plan of action for increasing composting awareness (so people don't put trash in compost bins!), Luke's department can help us with funding.
On the other hand, Luke needs data about when, where, and how many lights are left on at night to target areas where we can save energy. SEAC's peoplepower can do this!
Want to work on greening the Great Room? Contact Ashok at ashok.chandwaney (gmail).
Talk about synchronicity ... one of our big ideas at the last meeting was puttng a bench and rider information at the bus stop, and Luke has already gotten approval for it to happen!
Moving Planet will be awesome!

Next Saturday is the international day of action organized by the 350 campaign, Moving Planet. SEAC has some awesome ideas for a SMCM rally!

All day, we table inside the campus center and work on painting a banner outside the campus center. (handprints and footprints? signatures? murals? messages from students? something to figure out at the next meeting!)
At 2:00, bikers and other fast wheelpowered transportation assemble at the Bike Shop in WC, and walkers and slow wheelpowered transportation assemble at the Campus Center.
Bikers, bike to the campus center!
Rally and photo op on the hill
Bikers bike and walkers walk to Chancellor's Point
fun times! (until 7 or 8 or sundown)

At the end of the meeting, we split up into three groups to work out the logistics of this plan.

Publicity - we need posters EVERYWHERE! (on recycled paper, of course) We will make and/or distribute these at this week's meeting.
Activities - people in this group will coordinate fun things to do (Nerf Gun wars! three-legged races! frisbee games!) and contact student musicians and local bands about performing
Reaching Out - we will work with other clubs to bring more people into this

Get ready for Moving Planet THIS SATURDAY

(NOTE: emails aren't entirely spelled out to protect the innocent from SPAM! You probably know how to complete them.)

SEAC is back (in green)

2011-09-07T19:28:00.005-05:00

Hello all,
Welcome to another year with the St. Mary's Student Environmental Action Coalition! Our first meeting of the year was tonight. We accomplished

a mathematically nontrivial game of The Human Knot
group introductions (what is your favorite Crayola color?)
announcements on the State of SEAC, the State of the Campus, and the State of the State
brainstorming for Moving Planet and other ideas!

Moving Planet is a international day of action organized by the 350 Campaign (we've participated in other actions of theirs before) as a mass mobilization to demand solutions for the climate crisis.

Potential St. Mary's actions:
<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

build a shelter/info sheet/schedule at the bus stop
critical mass bike ride (in costumes?)
ride share and bike shop awareness
lobby for a bike share (have seniors donate bikes?)
lobby for more sheltered bike racks
stickers/high fives/etc. for people walking across campus
flash mob dance ("Electric Slide" into renewable energy?)

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

(Speaking of transportation issues, here is the school rideshare board and county bus schedule.)

At the end of the meeting, we collected everyone's thoughts on what they want SEAC to accomplish. Come to our next meeting (Wednesday, September 14 at 8:30 in Goodpaster 117) as we compile these into a coherent mission for the year.

Stay green!

The Polar Bear Splash...

2011-02-28T16:32:00.002-05:00

... was an great success! We had about 68 people jump, and loads more come to watch. Check out this video, produced by Kaitlin Hines and directed and edited by Andrew Paul Keiper:

If you want to help make awesome events like this happen, come to our weekly meetings - Wednesdays at 9:00PM in Goodpaster 117!

Do it in the Dark Month

2011-02-02T20:19:00.002-05:00

Food Week
Monday, January 31st-Dirt! The Movie Cole Cinema 8 PM
Thursday, February 2nd-SMCM Alumni Meredith Epstein and Guy Kilpatric discuss the sustainable agriculture movement Cole Cinema 8 PM
Friday, February 3rd-Vegan potluck at co-op in the basement of QA 6 PM

Transportation Week
Monday, February 7th-Who Killed the Electric Car? Cole Cinema 8 PM
Thursday, February 10th- Rachel Butler, Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign Cole Cinema 8 PM
Friday, February 11th-Bike Shop at the Campus Center 3 PM

Water Week
Monday, February 14th-Poisoned Waters Library 321 8 PM
Tuesday, February 15th-Ryan Ewing, Choose Clean Water Coalition Cole Cinema 6 PM
Thursday, February 17th-Polar Bear Splash Waterfront 4 PM

Energy Week
Monday, February 21st-Blind Spot Library 321 8 PM
Thursday, February 24th-Alumna Shannon Schmidt, VP of Solar Tech Inc. Cole Cinema 8PM

First SEAC meeting of 2011!

2011-01-26T21:41:00.002-05:00

1. Danny gave a presentation on awesome SEAC history, like Powershift, Appalachia Rising, and free trade coffee!

2. Do It In the Dark Month starts next week with a focus on food. Come to Cole Cinema at 8:00 Monday to see Dirt: The Movie and hear a talk by a Community Sustainable Agriculture farmer and chef. Then on Friday, come to the basement of QA at 6:00 for the Vegan Co-op Potluck! More events like these will be happening all month.

3. Powershift is coming up April 15-18 in DC. Learn about national environmental issues, network with other awesome activists, and lobby Congress for environmental legislation!

4. Possible dumpster door painting (to mark recycling bins) occurs this Saturday, depending on the weather. Look for an email update!

Stay green!

2010-09-15T20:07:00.003-05:00

SEAC 2nd DAY
SPIRIT VEGETABLES: MUSHROOMS ARE NOT VEGETABLES

ST. MARY's River putting out a lot of baby oysters!
-We need volunteers Friday and Saturday (listed under events on the blog)

Tomorrow morning: The oysters are getting dumped 10:30, at the river center. Need help sorting.
It will be really cool!!!1

RIVERFEST: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 25th IN HISTORIC ST. MARY's

NEED HELP WITH: PUMPKIN PAINTING, WADE-IN, SETUP TABLES, AND Other stuff
TABLING: Putting a table out and representing your group and giving information
WADE-IN: Walk out into the river til' you can't see your tennies at riverfest
IZZY, our terrapin will be there. He wants you to be there. come.

CAMPUS CLEANUPS: Cleanups at the point, the greens, etc. picking up bottles after parties and such. BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PARTYING

Ideas for how we can use the green space at the crossroads between QA, DORCH, and Campus Center : Email Danny! (drutherburgmarshall@smcm.edu)

SHELLEY Talked - FOOD AND WATER WATCH (based in DC) - She's tryin to get Arsenic out of Chickens so you can eat it better. This is related to Chesapeake bay - Go to meeting tomorrow, September 16th
for more info go to
foodandwaterwatch.org

(Leslie)Off-Shore Wind campaign
Off-shore wind legislation - focusing on governor race....

APPALACHIA RISING -> Mountaintop removal
-Washington DC
-Sept 25-27
-Activism Workshops
-Day of Action - September 27th
-We have a van, and 25 housing spots reserved for people! We can find a way for everyone who wants to go.
MORE INFO!

WEEKEND IN OCTOBER -> ST. MARY'S ENVIRONMENTAL WEEKEND
People Visit, there will be workshops?
-eco-parties?
-Looking for a working group for people to help out with this
We did it before and 60 people came!
If you want a certain workshop to be there, email Caroline (She's under the contacts on the blog homepage)

WORKSHOPS IN GENERAL
email paula (pjriner@smcm.edu) about workshops you want to do this semester at seac or if you have any ideas how you could host, or help participate in a workshop
-how to contact important people on campus
-how to host a potluck
-fundraising
-Mt. Top Removal
-Science of CO2
-Issues with the Chesapeake
-How to make green cleaning supplies? (Elliott)

Things people want more info on:...?
Should we just eat banana bread?...

We need people to help out with snacks! VEGAN PL0X

Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-25T17:02:00.003-05:00

This Saturday, March 27th, 2010, turn off your lights from 9 to 10 p.m. to celebrate

EARTH HOUR

There will be events across campus that you can do in the dark!

You could go to:

A Bonfire in the WC firepit
A cookout for all the dorms on ths hill
A vegetarian feast in Calvert
Another bonfire in the South Crescents firepit
A musical, craft-making extravaganza hosyted by SEAC at the campus center!

Find out more about Earth Hour here. We hope to see you there!

Polar Bear Splash!!

2010-02-19T17:32:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody,

Yesterday was the Polar Bear Splash, held at the docks on the St. Mary's River. Proceeds were donated to Trees for the Future, a nonprofit organization working against deforestation. Despite the arctic conditions, about 40 students jumped in the river to raise awareness and funds.

If you have pictures or video, please send them to smcmseac@gmail.com!

New SEAC officers!!

2009-12-15T16:45:00.001-05:00

Hellooo Seacers!

We have new officers for next semester! They are as follows:

President: Johanna Galat!

VP: Paula/Emily

Secretary: Elena Gross

Treasurer: Nat/Caitlin

Webstorian: Jennifer Kunze

Media Coordinator: Caroline/Elena

Eats Peep: Tara Hutton

MSCC rep!: Emily Saari

congratulations to all!!

Agenda-- 10/07/2009

2009-10-19T13:03:00.002-05:00

Wednesday October 7th!

Ice breaker
Maryland Powershift!
Symposium
Take Back the Tap!
-advertisement update!
-water bottle curtain construction
Workshop: The Science of Global Warming

2009-10-19T13:02:00.001-05:00

The Student Environmental Action Coalition presents a screening of:

FLOW

Join us TOMORROW, Wed Oct 14th in Cole Cinema at 8pm

Irena Salina’s award-winning documentary investigation into what
experts label the most important political and environmental issue of
the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case
against the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water
supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights,
and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. Interviews
with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly
building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film
introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the
water grab, while begging the question:
‘CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?’

Afterwards, stay for our SEAC meeting!

For more information about Flow, visit the website at: www.flowthefilm.com

Information about Recycling & Composting on Campus

2009-09-30T19:29:00.002-05:00

COMPOSTING

We CAN compost:

Fruits & Vegetables,

Egg Shells,

Coffee Grounds,

Tea Bags & Leaves,

Grains, and

Bread Scraps

We CAN’T compost:

Trash,

Recycling (incl. paper)

Oil,

Meat, or

Dairy

The 7 Bin Locations (all on top of grass):

Parish Hall Kitchen (across the street from Kent Hall)

Campus Center (on the side of the building closest to the Grind)

Behind Queen Anne (by the Co-op doors)

Between PG and Caroline (close to the dumpsters)

Goodpaster Loading Dock (across from SC 8-12)

Community Garden (our old wooden frame to the right of DPC)

Waring Commons (by the dumpsters in the small parking lot)

How can you identify the bins?

The bins are black and measure 40” x 23” x 23”.

How can you start composting?

Use any sealable container to start collecting your food scraps. Dump them in a bin on a regular basis (once a week suggested).

Why compost?

Decrease your waste
Reduce landfill greenhouse gas emissions
Help produce rich organic fertilizer that can be used on the campus grounds!

RECYCLING

You can mix your newspaper, magazines, catalogs, cereal boxes, mixed paper (printer
paper, copier' paper, mail, etc.) phone books, plastics, plastic bags, aerosol
cans, aluminum foil/pans, juice boxes/aseptic packaging, glass, aluminum, and
steel containers into the same recycling container.

We have expanded our plastic recycling program to include #3 thru #7 plastics such as
narrow neck containers/bottles and wide mouth' containers such as
margarine/butter tubs, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, peanut butter,
mayonnaise and plastic cups in addition to all #1 & #2 that we already collect.

Agenda -- 09/23/09

2009-09-30T19:16:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, Sept 23rd
Ice Breaker
-What's your favorite salty snack?
-if you could shrink any animal to fit in your pocket, what one would it be?

Riverfest: anyone else want to sign up for tabling?

Workshop volunteers
email smcmseac@gmail.com

Take back the Tap:

Who wants to design pledges and flyers?!?!
Volunteers to talk to Mr. (tricky dick) Wagner
Press Release

Eats peep!

Presidential Search

Remember:
Activism Training this Saturday!
RiverFest this Sunday!

Workshop:
Tabling!
How to represent SEAC to community
How to talk to people about our issues
Take back the Tap

Agenda -- 09/16/2009

2009-09-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

What kind of context is SEAC working in this year?
• President?!
• Strategic Plan Development
• Sustainability Committee
• State of MD
• Finances :(
• The Nation and The World

What should our role be?
• What are Eco-Reps, Sustainability Committee, and EcoHouse up to?
• Take back the Tap
o brita pitchers
o more bottles--in grind
o promos $$ bring in pledge for discount at campus store
o post information (flyers)—cost
o table for awareness
o go to Richard
o give info to eco reps
o personal commitment pledge
o pepsi challenge

UPCOMING EVENTS!!!!
• Eco-Reps meeting --TOMORROW @ 8:40, right here.
• Help Elaine and the Oysters! -- SATURDAY 7am-12pm
• The first Sustainability Committee Meeting -- This upcoming MONDAY!
• FREE Grassroots Activism Training -- SATURDAY Sept 26th All Day in DPC
• RiverFest! -- SUNDAY Sept 27th on Historic (Sign up to TABLE!)

How to get rid of your trash, and use other people's trash:
Workshop on composting, dumpstering, etc. (Tara)
Fun Alert: Dumpster Dive for SEAC eats! (Caitlin and Megan can drive)

Wall Walk Brainstorm Session

2009-09-16T18:38:00.002-05:00

What events & campaigns do you want to see on campus?

Solar power on Dorm & Building roofs
Reusable to-go boxes in great room (YES!)
Changing Great Room plastic cups to recyclable ones (the ones we have are all compostable; lets make people aware)
Low paper/paper free classes/non-bleached paper
Remove paper towel dispensers in the bathroom, replace with hand-dryer
Lights off in academic buildings
Turn air conditioning in campus buildings up few degreees
Local food/freegan potlucks
Compost bins in every hall
Recycling bins in every room & dorm (some are really badly marked)
Turn off lights in dorm hallways after a certain time
Make trash bins for cigarettes more ubiquitous (DORCH PORCH)
Make trash cans more ubiquitous (less littering)
Awareness about unplugging electric appliances when not in use. And about wasting water (especially in bathrooms).
CFC Bulbs/batteries/ink cartridge recycling

What events/campaigns do you want to see SEAC tackle off-campus?

Get local churches on board w/ sustainability
CCAN: Polar Bear Plunge in Bay in January
Powershift!
ACES bill (I wanna protest/fight for it!)
Under 350
Trips to sustainable communities (Camden House, Twin Oaks, etc)
Lobbys!
Town hall meetings
Work w/ local groups re: Calvert Cliffs?

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Ideas? Advice?

SEAC rocks my organic cotton socks!
We should make sure the Quiznos on campus has meat from animals that have been treated humanely.
Carbon emissions through the process of recycling… counter productive?
How can we further master the art of being awesome?

Polar Bear Splash!

2009-04-21T17:28:00.002-05:00

Thanks to our very own Danny Ruthenberg-Marshall!!!

Election Results!!

2009-04-15T21:53:00.003-05:00

President

Tara Hutton/Emily Saari

Vice President

Danny Ruthenberg-Marshall

Secretary

Elena Gross

Treasurer

Johanna Galat

Webstorian

Caitlin Cyrus

Congrats to all our officers for Fall 09!!

Shout-Out

2009-04-14T08:52:00.002-05:00

Shout out to Emily Saari, who managed to get Kimberly Clark products out of the campus store and grind! They will be replaced by more sustainable Seventh Generation products.

Read what greenpeace has to say about KC.

Also, get pumped for the MSCC gathering this Saturday!!

photos galore!

2009-04-03T14:36:00.002-05:00

So the lazy webstorian uploaded some of the powershift photos to our flickr! (We are limited to 100 MB a month, so expect more next month!)

SEAC awesomeness!

2009-04-03T10:16:00.002-05:00

Hey activists! here are some important dates for you:

Beach Clean Up Saturday, April 4th, from 9am-12 - meet at the boat house!

MSCC Conference - April 18 & 19- get ready for some awesome MD state action!

Steny Hoyer Town Hall Meeting - May 11, 6pm

And here are some lovely pictures from the meeting, for President Obama:

You are all awesome!

SEAC this week!

2009-02-06T12:47:00.002-05:00

Hello environmentalists!

In SEAC this week, we covered a lot of ground!

*Earth Hour, which the campus will be participating in! So tell your friends!

*Polar Bear SPLASH! Is Thursday, Feb 12th at 4pm at the waterfront! Bring your swimmies! Some awesome slogans for the splash are:

Get wet for environmental protection
Splash for change
The world is warming, but St.Mary's is still chillin'
Freeze while you can
Are you a polar bear, or a chicken?
All the cool kids are doing it - some for the third time

Write them on all your chalk boards, white boards, sidewalks, and bulletin boards!

*Thomas mentioned Eyeonpalin.com--to keep track of Sarah Palin's wolf-killing ways.

*And if you still want to go to Powershift, email smcmseac@gmail.com! Attend the facebook event!

See you next week, same green time, same green place

POWERSHIFT 09

2009-01-27T10:49:00.003-05:00

Ready to go to powershift??? Make sure you get a spot and we'll take you for free!!

Email smcmseac@gmail.com with your name, phone number, email address, t-shirt size, whether or not you want to attend the lobby day/rally/nonviolent action on March 2, and if you need housing or can provide housing for others! Invite your friends!

OR, attend the SEAC meeting tomorrow! Goodpaster 117 at 9:00pm!!

More info at http://www.powershift09.org/

2009-01-12T20:24:00.002-05:00

Hello eco-adventurers!

Hope everyone had a lovely break and is pumped for a new semester of environmental action!! One of the big things we shall be pursuing is Powershift 2009! If you are interested in helping organize Powershift, email Tara Hutton at tnhutton@smcm.edu or Kaitlyn Grigsby at kjgrigsby@smcm.edu! If you are just interested in possibly attending Powershift, you can RSVP to the facebook event or wait for some awesome All-student emails in the future advertising Powershift!

And, if anyone is interested in some inspiration for environmentally conscious living, here are some great resources on the net!

365 Days of Trash

Life Less Plastic

Green Wiki

If you have any others, comment and I'll add them to the list!

Stay green!

Ideas for Next Semester

2008-12-06T10:55:00.002-05:00

So a couple of weeks ago, we all brainstormed up some excellent ideas for SEAC next semester! Thanks to Mr Luke Huffman, here they are, all typed up!

ON CAMPUS
FairTrade and/or Organic Coffee in Campus Center (all over campus)
Publicity Campaign for Trayless
Expand and pump up the Ride Board
Great Room composting
Increase local food, decrease non-local food
Increase the size of the Community Garden
Reduce heating in dorms and classrooms
Composting buckets outside of each dorm
Replace paper towels in dorm bathrooms with something else
Focus The Nation
Do It In The Dark Month
Anti-Building Campaign
Instead of Foodbridge, put in a Stop Sign
Or hire students as crossing guards
Progressive Campus Coalition (with FUSE, STARS, BSU, GJL)
Raise money for The Clearwater
On-site energy generation
Get the ARC partially run on bike power
Highway and beach cleanups
Double-Sided/Energy Star printers
Get teachers to accept papers through the internet and on reused/back side of paper
Work more with Sustainability Committee
Ask Point News to reduce amount of paper used in publication and to not hand it out on the Greens, they just blow away. Or offer it online.
More Eco-Friendly grass-cutting, leaf cleanup, gardening.
Eliminate pesticide use
More potlucks!

OFF-CAMPUS/STATE/FEDERAL
Global Warming Solutions Act
Lobby the hell out of Steny Hoyer, form a coalition with other groups (churches, unions, locals…)
PowerShift!
Increase Public Transportation
Letter Writing to Officials

SEAC This Week!

2008-12-03T23:06:00.002-05:00

Hey SEACers!

So this week, we had elections! The new officers for Spring 09 are:

Elizabeth Brunner and Bethany Wetherill as Co-President!

Aaron French and Kevin Paul as Co-Vice President!

Chelsea Howard-Foley as Treasurer!

Luke Huffman as Secretary!

Tara Hutton as Webstorian!

We also talked about plans for next semester! What we have lined up right now is:

-Global Warming Solutions Act will be put to the Maryland congress again this year, and we're teaming up with the Maryland State Climate Coalition to try to get it passed!! If you are interested in either being on a committee to plan lobbying or plan political action, email smcmseac@gmail.com

-Polar Bear Splash will be happening early next semester! Again, if you are interested in being on a committee for that, email smcmseac@gmail.com

-POWERSHIFT 09!! We will be sending a busload of eager environmental activists to attend!! More info to come! Want to help? smcmseac@gmail.com!

Stay green!

2008-11-12T14:14:00.001-05:00

Way to go, SEAC! Thanks to your hard work, we made it to the #1 spot in the country! (By percentage, of course. Tiny school. You know.)

SEAC This Week

2008-09-26T00:29:00.002-05:00

Hey SEAC!

This week, we did a recap of THE FLOOD. So far, we have 579 pledges turned in!!! Go SMCM! This also means that we will be number ONE on the powervote top ten by percent, because we will have over 25% of our campus pledged. (We're still number four without all of that reported!)

Since we reached our goal of 500 pledges, it means we will have a PARTY this evening, Friday, at SC12! The theme is 'recycling', so either dress in recyclables or recycle a costume and maybe we'll even get some recycling action on!

Also, if anyone is interested in some powervote outreach, there are still slots to table at riverfest on Saturday, or go to the Solomon's 5k walk! E-mail Aaron French at afrench @ smcm . edu if you still want to sign up!

Stay green!

SEAC this week!

2008-09-21T18:16:00.002-05:00

Hello SEAC-ers! Welcome to the new blog feature, where Tara, your lovely webstorian, recaps what happened in SEAC this week! (This one is a bit late, most of these will happen between Wednesday night and Thursday.)

This week, we prepared for CLASS RAPS for powervote, which we will present on Monday and Tuesday! Missed the meeting? Still want to get your classmates to sign the powervote pledge? Here's the toolkit with a sample rap! If you need more cards, stop by LQ22 or NC18 to pick up more! If you have a bunch to drop off, you can drop cards off at LQ22, NC18, or in the green box in the campus center!

Also, if anyone is interested in becoming involved in the still-running fair trade coffee campaign, they should email Shane Hall at sdhall@smcm.edu!!

Stay green, St Mary's!

Ben Cardin!

2008-09-21T18:11:00.005-05:00

Hey green people!

So on Friday, September 5th, Senator Ben Cardin visited the school and SEAC was there to find out how green he was, and put Powervote pressure on him! Luckily, Senator Cardin defined energy as the single most important political issue this election. He put renewable energy first and also said that we need to be more than carbon neutral, and be "carbon negative". He wants to see an ammendment to the Lieberman-Warner act to support better public transportation.

Unfortunately, Cardin wasn't all clean and green. he is a proponent of "safe nuclear power" and coal. We asked Cardin if he would support a moratorium on all coal, including "clean coal". Unfortunately, Cardin does not support any such policy, since he wants pro-coal votes, though he does support the cap and trade system, hoping that it will decrease the need for coal. After the meeting, SEAC told him that young voters would be checking in on his environmental stance, so he should publicize his position.

Here's Senator Cardin's website for more information!

2008-05-04T14:25:00.003-05:00

Our dearly beloved Meredith has completed her SMP, the long-awaited Consumer's Guide to Opting Out, and it is now available for you!

Check it out! (Requires Abode Reader)

The link is also in the "Resources" section of the sidebar, in case you ever want to come back to it.

DON'T PANIC: Your Guide to Global Reform

2008-05-03T10:11:00.002-05:00

Sue Johnson's Introduction to Visual Thinking Class recently published a zine on global warming, and we thought you might like to see it.

Click here to see it as a google presentation.

Click here to see it on facebook.

Lots of good info in it!

Let's make a list!

2008-04-24T11:22:00.002-05:00

Hey there, SEAC!

Last night, we had our final meeting of the year, featuring ice cream (including vegan options!) and nostalgia. We put together a list of things we've done this year so that we could look back on a year well done, along with putting together a list of things we want to do next year.

In order of being shouted out last night, things we did this year:

-Focus the Nation
-Polar Bear Splash
-Plastic bag recycling program
-Chico bags
-Powershift
-Greenfestival
-Earth Day with Public Citizen
-Bike generator
-Highway cleanups
-Do it in the Dark Month
-Vegan Thanksgiving
-President's Climate Commitment
-Coffee (the beginning)
-Town Hall meeting
-Riverfest
-Health Heroes award
-Earth Hour
-World Carnival and vegan bake sale
-Farm Bill
-Storming Annapolis
-That other polar bear splash
-Maryland Student Climate Summit
-No War No Warming
-Critical Mass
-Bike-powered dance party
-Working with first-year orientation
-Native plants planting

Awesome!

For next year, we'd like to tackle....

-Green/Pink Party
-Green cleaning supplies
-Coffee (the saga continues)
-Double-sided printing
-Anti-oppression, environmental justice
-Coalition-building with BSU, Raices Hispanas, have a green fashion show?!
-Offset college travel, especially air travel
-Sustainable endowment (Mark Orlowski?)
-Trail maintenance (Brian Rayburn, GPS?)
-Energy star
-Bottled water (Jen Yogi?)
-Cleanups, walks, drum circles, workshops
-Mountaintop removal
-Conferences
-Riverfest
-Consumer week (October-ish) (Maybe with GJL, FNB?!)
-Maryland Student Climate Commitment, coalition with other MD schools, groups, communities!
-Tampaction with FUSE
-Anti-clean coal
-Calvert Cliffs nuclear (direct action?)
-Meet with Steny Hoyer
-Read environmental poetry/children's books
-Work with SMRP to get to local elementary schools?

Hoo boy. Next year is going to be intense. And by "intense," I mean "it's going to ROCK!"

Rebirth!

2008-04-03T10:01:00.004-05:00

Dear readers,

Worry not. This blog is soon to be revitalized. At the very least, it will get some momentum next semester, as we are creating the officer position of Webmaster/Historian. If you are going to be a St Mary's student next semester and are interested in applying for the position (or any other SEAC officer position), send an email to jlgibson (at) smcm (dot) edu with your name and a few sentences about why you are a good candidate.

Stay green!

Be it hereby resolved:

2007-12-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

A victory!

The St Mary's Student Government Association passed a resolution last night to be an official endorser of Focus the Nation. We are now listed on the FTN website along with all the other endorsers from across the country. Check it out HERE.

Interested in helping out with FTN? Email Erin McDermott-face to get the inside scoop.

Delicious!

2007-12-05T18:45:00.000-05:00

Mouth still watering from Vegan Thanksgiving? Just dying to have one more taste of that one dish? Well, my dear gourmet, you're in luck! We have just published the recipes from Vegan Thanksgiving 2007, available to all-- free of charge!-- on the world wide web.

Check it out!

The link is also handily in the right-hand navigation bar, down there with vegan bake sale recipes, tips for a green dorm room, and how to have an eco-friendly summer. All of them are worthy documents. Give 'em a look.

Great job!

2007-12-01T13:14:00.000-05:00

I promise there will be a real update sometime soon, but to tide you over, I have some fantastic news:

The St Mary's College of MD group on EologyFund.com has saved over 20,000 square feet of habit already! We just started this semester-- just imagine the impact we will make by the end of the year! EcologyFund.com operates by donating advertisement proceeds, so it's completely free. All we have to do to keep preserving is click daily.

Congrats, SMCM!

Shift that power!

2007-11-13T15:38:00.000-05:00

We took a whole bunch of people to Powershift 2007 November 2-5. In total, there were 48 SMCM students at Powershift-- that's about 2.6% of our entire student body. Just think-- if almost three percept of the students at St Mary's were willing to spend a weekend fighting climate change at another campus, just imagine what we can get done closer to home! Five of us stayed for Lobby Day, during which we descended on Capitol Hill and thronged the halls of Congress. It was pretty fantastic. (Remember, remember the 5th of November!)

Here's (almost) the whole gang, photogenic as always:

In case you didn't know, St Mary's was featured as the second biggest victory in the nation! In the "Challenge Toolkit," distributed to all the attendees of Powershift, our student referendum to switch to green power is second only to the entire University of California system committing to carbon neutrality. Way to go!

Almost immediately after returning from shifting that power, we held a workshop on Tuesday, Nov 6, to plan Focus the Nation. Eban Goodstein himself came down to lead the workshop, which was pretty exciting. Focus the Nation will be taking place on Jan 31, so expect to hear more about it as the time approaches. If you're interested in being a part of planning, contact Erin McDermott.

Last but not least, Monday, Nov 12, we held a forum on global warming with the Center for the Study of Democracy. Our panelists were Bill Williams (SMCM Professor of Biology), Mike Tidwell (CCAN), and Jack Russell (St Mary's County Board of Commissioners). There was a good mix of students and community members, and I feel like a lot of important issues were raised to get people thinking about what needs to be done to prevent climate change from going any further.

Don't forget about Vegan Thanksgiving, which will be taking place this Sunday (Nov 18) at 5:30 in the QA rec room, right outside the Co-op Kitchen. If you plan on cooking something, send your ingredients list to Anna Vaudin so that SEAC can buy things for you. (Free food!)

Way to go!

2007-10-30T22:03:00.000-05:00

Alright, SEAC! We were declared club of the month! And just think-- we've barely gotten started on all the actions we have planned for this year.

At our last meeting, we had special guests Andy Buckingham and Amardeep Dhanju, both of whom were pretty cool. They were on campus for the Natural Science and Math Colloquium lecture on wind power and decided to come on over to meet the group that made St Mary's Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) purchase happen. That's us! After a delicious dessert potluck with them, we had a nitty gritty meeting to hammer out the details of Powershift. Trust me, Powershift is definitely worth all the trouble. It's going to be great.

Stay green, SEACers! And good going on the club of the month!

Faces, faces, faces!

2007-10-15T21:45:00.000-05:00

Want to see some sweet pictures of SEACers in action? And by action, we mean posing for pictures.

Here's Tyler at the Emergency Zone event on Oct 11. The event was organized to inform people living in proximity to the Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactors of the danger involved in nuclear energy plants and the emergency plans currently in place.

Here's some of the group we took to Green Festival on Oct 6 and 7. We're advertising our favorite green activity: making our campus carbon neutral!

So much green, so little time

2007-10-12T22:15:00.000-05:00

Oh, dear! I have completely neglected this blog!

On Sept 26, we had a wonderful meeting right after a drum circle to celebrate the full moon. We tossed around ideas for state, national, and corporate campaigns, in addition to solidifying some of our campus campaigns. The big focus of the evening was on nuclear power. There are currently plans to build a new nuclear reactor in Calvert Cliffs. If this goes through, it'll be the first nuclear reactor built in about 30 years. We don't just care about this because we're close to it! We care because this is the test site for nuclear power expansion across the country, and we're hoping to nip it in the bud.

On Sept 29, a few SEACers went to Riverfest! We raised awareness of environmental issues, especially the plans for the nuclear reactor. We very successfully tabled with a postcard petition from Maryland PIRG (www.marypirg.org) to send to our legislators. The postcards encourage our legislators to use the government subsidies for building the reactor and put them toward energy efficiency measures and energy savings instead, as well as investigating renewable energy sources.

Meanwhile, our dearest Bonnie V. has been tirelessly crusading to get plastic bags out of the Daily Grind and campus bookstore! She's doing an awesome job! We dorm-stormed on Oct 3 to collect plastic bags from students to be used in the new reused bags program. From now on, you'll be able to drop off your plastic bags at the Daily Grind to be used by future shoppers. This way, we won't need a new plastic bag every time we stop by to grab our junk food. Or, even better, bring your own reusable bag! Cloth bags last forever and look really cool.

Most recently, a few of us went to the DC Green Festival on Oct 6 and 7. What a blast! Two days of environmental speakers, eco-friendly vendors, fair trade products, and really inspiring people. I mean, honestly, we got to hear Ralph Nader, Bill McKibben, and Francis Moore Lappe. Who could say no to that? (Just for fun: check out a picture of us at the event!)

Stay green, SEAC! I hope to see your lovely eco faces on Wednesday, Oct 10. Remember: NC 2, 9:00!

Erin's Pumpkin Cookies

2007-09-20T19:17:00.000-05:00

The turnout at this meeting was just over 30 SEACers. I think everyone at this point is pretty dedicated, so I'm really excited about how many members we've retained this far in.

Our extra-special guest this week was Ethan Nuss from Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN). (Guess what! They have a blog, too. All the cool environmentalists are blogging these days.) I don't know about you guys, but I'm super pumped about some of the ideas that he helped us with, and I can't wait to work with him and CCAN in the future. He really helped us in figuring out some direct actions we can perform to put our energy to use. Hopefully, we'll be able to channel all our enthusiasm this year into things that make a difference. Thanks for coming, Ethan! I'm sure we'll see you again.

The main thing we did this meeting was break up into focus groups to think of actions for this year. Specifically, the groups were Green 101, Recycling, Transportation, Consumption, and Campus Environment. We generated some sweet ideas, and I hope to see them get off the ground.

Some things to work on/think about before next meeting:

-Logos for SEAC! We're trying to get a cool graphic to put on all the SEAC materials this year. It would show up on things like fliers, pamphlets, tabling materials, etc. If anyone is into graphic design, we would love for you to donate some creativity.

-Sign up for SGA committees! All students this year have been given the opportunity to be a member of an SGA committee. You all should've received signup forms in your mailboxes. Think about signing up so you can be a voice for the environment.

-If anyone is interested in earning some credit or some money, consider signing up for a work-study program with Larry Hartwick. He needs a student to work on calculating the carbon emissions of St Mary's College, and it sounds like a really neat opportunity.

Egg, avocado, artichoke?

2007-09-12T22:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight's meeting had a turnout of about 40 SEACers. This is huge. I'm going to have a tough time learning all those names, so I apologize in advance for calling you "that guy" or "that one with the hair;" really, it's nothing personal.

If you enjoyed the vegan ginger cookies, you can get to the recipe by clicking "Vegan bake sale recipes" in the navigation bar on the right. Scroll down to "Grandma Gibby's Ginger Cookies." They're super easy, I swear. They also work well as bribes.

During our goal shout-out and while going over the Wall of Goals today, we got some really great ideas for what we want to do this year. Remember, you are the driving force behind SEAC! If you have an idea that you're excited about, tell us! A lot of the goals from the meeting today centered around changing the personal habits of students on campus and reaching out to the community. Let's get to it!

Elaine Szymkowiak, who is awesome, also came to our meeting tonight, mostly to talk about Riverfest, sponsored by the St. Mary's Watershed Association. That'll be happening Sept 29, and they'd love to have SEAC involved. Whether we're volunteering to help paint pumpkins or tabling for ourselves, let's get out there! There's going to be an excellent raffle, too. Tickets are only $5, and entering gets you a shot at some sweet prizes, like a fishing trip for 6 or a kayak. Tickets will also be sold at the St Mary's County Fair, Sept 22-23, and they need some help selling them. If you're interested in selling raffle tickets at the fair, contact Erin McDermott.

Last but not least, here are some links for e-activism!

EcologyFund - Register for the site and join the group "St. Mary's College of MD" so we can keep a tally of how many sq feet we've saved as a group!

The Rainforest Site - You know, save rainforest. Pretty cool. They also have tabs at the top for other worthy causes.

Both sites' donations are paid for by the sponsors who run ads on the site, so it costs you nothing to save the world! Cool beans!

See you all next Wednesday! (NC2, 9:00)

Welcome back!

2007-09-06T11:08:00.001-05:00

Hello, fellow SEACers! This is Joanna, your new Secretary, bringing you the latest and greatest news about the club we all love.

Yesterday marked the official return of SEAC to St Mary's, with our first meeting of the semester. We had a grand total of 61 students show up-- this has got to be a record. The ideas tossed out during our icebreaker and on the Wall of Goals are really exciting; it sounds like we have a great group of dedicated, green members. We wrapped up with a round of Eco Stretches, though a few members expressed an interest in playing an enormous game of Duck-Duck-Goose.

Next week, we'll be going over the Wall of Goals and start laying plans for this year's actions. Remember: every Wednesday, 9:00, NC2!

Report from final meeting

2007-04-26T06:53:00.000-05:00

Well, after a fantastic sustainability party, community market, tie-dying, button selling, and colorful carrots, we celebrated Earth Day with a bonfire and round of "angry stick, happy rock" where we burned our frustrations and celebrated our joys in environmentalism. Then last night we had our biannual ice cream social and elected new officers. So, for next year our fearless leaders will be:

Presidents: Mer and Rachel
Vice President: Tyler
Secretary: Joanna
Tresurer: Erin

We also watched our contribution to the YouTube videos asking the presidential candidates to give us their plan to stop global warming. Catch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABd41MYRVI4

Sustainability Soiree

2007-04-19T19:58:00.000-05:00

The campus will celebrate the students' success in making St. Mary's the first green college in Maryland with an Earth Day Sustainability Soiree on Saturday, April 21 from noon-2 p.m. The event takes place on the campus center patio and is free and open to the public.

The electricity-free event will kick off with live music from student bands. There will be activities that use alternative power as well as games and food. The soiree is a student-run party designed to bring attention to ways that colleges can reduce their carbon emissions and reduce global warming. The College’s soccer team will make ice cream without electricity using a new ice cream maker that can be tossed, shaken and kicked. There will be a bike-powered smoothie machine. and students are invited to bring kites to test the power of the wind. The College’s caterer, Bon Appétit, will serve hors d’ oeuvres made from locally grown foods. Eating fresh and locally produced foods reduces the use of fossil fuels in transportation and reduces pollution from emissions.

At 1 p.m. Maggie O’Brien, the College president, and student leaders will sign several declarations of support of environmental initiatives, including the Talloires Declaration. The college will also become an EPA Green Power Partner and join the Energy Star program. Eric Daniels, vice president of BP Solar and invited political leaders will speak to the group.

Come on out and wear GREEN to show your support!

World Carnival Report

2007-04-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

We made over $100 this weekend at the vegan bake sale at World Carnival, and an excellent time was had by all. Next up, Ecofest! Get excited people! Tomorrow will be the screening of Captain Planet and Ferngully at the campus center.

Also, Earth Day is just one week away. The sustainability commitee has an idea to show the administration our support for sustainability (like they need further reminding). The EPA Star Partnership (which we are joining next Saturday) has a virtual tree that people can dedicate a leaf to someone or something. There is no cost to the dedication. Your just asked to click on one item that your will support in the coming year, ie: renewable energy, replacing lightbulbs, less driving etc. The website asks for your first name and last initial along with who the dedication is for. To make this really work as a community activity, I say we all put down "SMCM" in the dedication field. If we can get this thing to grow into something large, it will really confirm Maggie's opinion and commitment towards the sustainability program.

Here is the link: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=earthday.earthday_2007

Meeting 4-11-07

2007-04-12T21:45:00.000-05:00

First of all, we still need people to help table at World Carnival, selling vegan baked goods and doing trash sorting, so let Mer know if you can help. We will be making a "green clothesline" as our part in the nation-wide "Step it Up" action. Bring your green clothing to any of the baking sites (Co-op, NC25, or WC kitchen) tomorrow. Speaking of baking, if you would like to help, feel free to stop by the Co-op and WC starting at 3:00 and NC25 starting at 4:00.

We also discussed our plans to make a video addressed to the presidential candidates asking what their plan is to cut carbon dioxide emmisions 80% by 2050. We will have as many people as possible all read the same script and then splice the people together so everyone says a word or two. It should be pretty hot! (and cool)

Also, don't forget about the highway cleanup! Sunday at 10:30 at the campus center. Breakfast will be provided.

Meeting 4-4-07

2007-04-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

We went over the last bits of buisness to be done before World Carnival and Ecofest. There will be vegan cookie baking in the WC kitchen, NC25, and the co-op next Friday starting at 3:00, anyone who can help, please do! A sign up sheet will be e-mailed out for tabling on Saturday. We decided to have our final highway cleanup on Sunday after world carnival. If we get a lot of people it will go quickly!

Also, tomorrow, Tom Wisner will be giving a wonderful preformance of storytelling and song. SEAC is going to meet with him before the preformance for snacks and conversation. The snacks will be at 6:30 and the preformance starts at 7:30 at DPC. It will be a good time, so come out if you can.

Watershed cleanup results

2007-04-04T07:28:00.000-05:00

This Saturday we had about 20 volunteers (students, administration, community members) cleanup three local beaches (Elms Beach, St. Inagoes, and St. Mary's Waterfront) as a part of the larger Potomac Watershed cleanup. We collected about 30 bags of trash - half recycling the other half trash. Interesting finds: 2 decaying cow heads with hide still on them and an old tractor!

Thank you to everyone who helped out, and the Potomac River Watershed thanks you too!

Meeting 3-28-07

2007-03-29T08:30:00.000-05:00

Rosie, for one, is awesome for putting this blog together.
Thanks girl!
At last night's meeting we discussed World Carnival, the Potomac Watershed Cleanup this Saturday (meet at the Campus Center at 8:30am!) and Ecofest plans -- we voted to show Captain Planet and Fern Gully like last year, do tie-dying, and do another dumpster-dive to sort out recyclables outside the campus center. We also discussed possibilities of a bonfire and/or a candlelight dinner next semester for a Do-It-In-the-Dark campaign.
More updates to follow, as events happen...

Northeast Student Energy Summit

2007-03-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

Well, after 13 hours of travel and a great many vegan chocolate chip cookies, twelve St. Mary's students arrived at Boston University for a weekend full of environmental actions and trainings. The next morning we got up early and, after wolfing down bagels and bananas, we set off for Harvard Square where we participated in the last leg of the Interfaith March for Climate Rescue (http://www.climatewalk.org/). We joined 800 other walkers, some of which had marched all the way from Northampton, for the 5-mile walk to Copley Square in Boston. There, at Old South Church, we heard an inspirational interfaith service were representatives from all faiths (Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and Earth Spirits) all spoke on the importance of ecological action and respect for the Earth. The day ended with a rally in Copley Square were we heard more about energy reform and how we can work together to get things done.

After a night of great music, Thai food, and late-night coffee, we got down to business. We heard from a representative of the Sierra Student Coalition on what schools from around the Northeast have done, and what we can continue to do to push for energy reform. We also heard from a representative of the Union of Concerned Scientists on what global warming will mean for the Northeast. Unfortunately, due to the prospect of another ten hours in the car, we could only stay for one of the training/workshop sessions, however we split up and everyone came away with new ideas for environmental action at St. Mary's

2007-03-27T18:32:00.000-05:00

This is the first post in the St. Mary's Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) blog we will have periodic updates on environmental activities by St. Mary's students. Stay tuned for a report back from the trip to the North East Student Energy Summit!