Finding S.P.A.C.E. on Campus

Sharing my knowledge of the on-campus club SPACE (Seattle Pacific Agriculture for the Community and Environment) usually comes with blank stares or "Garden club? We have a community garden?" Yes! In fact, I would highly encourage checking it out firsthand. You'll be happily welcomed by fresh fruits, vegetables and perhaps a couple weeds here and there.

Tucked away off of 4th Ave and W Dravus, you'll find the beautiful gem that is SPU's organic community garden. S.P.A.C.E. is in its third year of cultivating the community through organic urban-gardening. Whether you are a student, faculty member or person of the community, SPACE welcomes you with open arms to be apart of their mission in providing fresh organically grown produce to the community.

Although the clubs first cover crop planting already passed, there are still many opportunities to join S.P.A.C.E. this year. Be on the lookout for future harvests, plantings and their annual winter screening event. Past screening events have included a collaboration with community members in order for students to observe and discuss issues of food practices in America.

For further information about S.P.A.C.E., the community garden and upcoming events please contact Co-Presidents Rachael Nelson-Knecht (nelsor3@spu.edu) or Brittany Raab (raab13@spu.edu). Any input for the club is always opening welcomed as well. S.P.A.C.E. is always searching for new ideas on events and service projects!

Renewal: Day of Prayer

Renewal is having their Day of Prayer event November 9th and you're invited to join! This year the Day of Prayer will be focused around water-related issues. This is a great opportunity for students to come together to discuss and pray on water-related issues in our own community here in Seattle. With water being so prevalent in our area, pollution into our waterways and streams is a continual problem that needs to be addressed.

One third of Washington's waters are too polluted to meet state water quality standards. When water runs off of surfaces such as roofs, pavements and highways it can collect many contaminants (fertilizer, oil, animal waste, soil, and trash) that will go untreated directly into our local waterways. About 60% of contaminants come from these sources. With the help of the community and the Department of Ecology, together we can ensure a higher quality and care for our water.

Tip of the Week: Recycling

You use it when you barbecue, cover your jars with it and wrap your leftovers in it. Aluminum foil is a great product that can accomplish various tasks. It also can go in your recycling! Be sure to rinse your foil and flatten it before disposing it into your recycling bin. Employees who sort our city's recycling are trained to throw away crumpled up foil, assuming it may contain food or other materials in it.

Creation Care Video Contest

Renewal and other christian organizations are co-sponsoring the Creation Care Video Contest this year. You and your friends (ages 18-25) have the opportunity to create a video (30 seconds to 3 minutes) that conveys the creation care message. The videos have to be submitted by December 10th on YouTube.

For more information you can go to the creation care video contest website.

SPU Composting Program

Exciting things are happening on campus! This year SPU has incorporated a pilot composting program for students living in campus apartments. At the beginning of this quarter, each apartment was granted a their own personal compost bin along with a sample of compostable bags. The individual bins can be emptied into a larger food/yard waste collection bin next to each building's exterior garbage and recycle bins. This composting program is a significant step in SPU's continual commitment to waste reduction and supporting a sustainable campus. Last year's waste audit was a reflection of the amount of materials that campus apartment residents will be able to divert from the landfill by properly recycling and composting.

Green Tips for a Cost Savings Autumn

As classes start up this fall, it may become a little more challenging trying to stay green while attempting to remember once again what homework was assigned (or that you have to assign) during the week. Never fear! Whether you live in a residence hall or off-campus, here are a few simple tips that will allow you to use sustainable resources, save costs and still have time to finish your homework this quarter.

• Use power strips
As the weather slowly starts to become cooler, both electrical consumption and city electrical rates are going to increase gradually. Power strips are a great way to cut costs and reduce your electrical output consumed by "energy vampires" (e.g., cell phone chargers and DVR's) that are hiding around your residence hall or house. Basic 6-outlet power strips can be bought online and in stores in a price range of $5 to $10.

• Efficiently using water
  Three easy solutions in water efficiency are:
  
  1. Shortening showers and using less hot water will help you see decreases in both your water and heating (or electrical) payments. For example, wash your clothes using cold water or if necessary a hot/cold combination for more soiled items.
  2. When running a dishwasher or washing machine, always make sure that you're running a full load in order to avoid wasting water. Make use of the available water saver feature on your appliances instead of setting loads on high.
  3. Remembering to turn off the water in between brushing your teeth and washing the dishes is always a good habit!

• Biking or busing around
  Don't let the rainy season bring you down! Try motivating yourself this fall to use sustainable modes of transportation such as riding the bus or biking around town. If you have your bike on campus or at your home, don't be afraid to bring it out a couple times a week and feel the fresh crisp autumn air. In addition, bus passes are provided to students on-campus for check out in exchange for their campus ID. Students can pay a $2 fee for a 24-hour bus pass or have the option of a free 5-hour bus pass.

• Reusable water bottles
  Seattle has been reported to have some of the highest quality tap water available in the country. Having a reusable water bottle will help you utilize this excellent resource that's provided in your very own faucet! Not only will you save costs on buying bottles at the local store but you will also enjoy the satisfying feeling of using less plastic bottles and decreasing your environmental footprint.

• Learning to turn down the thermostat
  Instead of cranking up the thermostat this year, try the power of bundling up! Extra blankets at night and wearing another layer around the house are great alternatives to raising the temperature on your thermostat. If you use a fireplace, turning down your thermostat while it's in use is yet another sustainable solution to cutting costs.

• Sealing your home
  Air leaks can become a tremendous nuisance around your house when trying to save money. Adding new caulking to the bottom of your windows and applying door sweeps are easy ways to increase insulation in your home. Door sweeps can be found online and at your local hardware store in a price range of $3 to $14.
  
  Newly constructed buildings are less likely to be prone to air leaks. However, there are still a couple ways to increase insulation in your room. Keeping your blinds closed, especially when sleeping at night, will help maintain heat. You can also hang an extra blanket over your windows, providing extra insulation in order to reduce heat from escaping your room.

What Are We Throwing Away?

Over the past few weeks, the sustainability staff has carried out a waste audit to determine how much of the waste from campus apartments could in the future be diverted away from landfills. While rifling through garbage wasn't exactly pleasant, the results found were pretty staggering: over the course of the audit, a full 80% of waste from campus apartments was material that could either be recycled or composted. That means only 20% of the garbage was actually waste!