Issue 2 May 2012

In This Issue: Community Action

GreenTech................................................................03

Living Tips ................................................................04

Ecohouse ..................................................................05

Student Research.....................................................07

Academics.................................................................08

Food...........................................................................09

Perspectives..............................................................11

Office of Sustainability............................................13

Opportunities...........................................................17

Expressions...............................................................19

13

07

Students volunteer on Athens Beautification Day and help transform Ecohouse landscaping. Athens

Beautification Day is hosted by the Ohio University Student Senate Off-Campus Living Commission with

the purpose of cleaning up the city while strengthening relationships among community groups. It is a

perfect opportunity to volunteer for a few hours and find out more about organizations in the community

you currently live in.

Cover Photo: © Shanon Wise

On The Cover

05

2

From Our Director Community involvement

has always been a natural

cornerstone in my approach to

and understanding of

sustainability. I often discuss the

fundamental idea that we must

offer up our time, efforts and

knowledge to our neighbors in an

effort to enhance the sustainable

development and environmental

vitality of an area.

Since relocating to Ohio, though, I have been delighted to

discover a need to deepen my interpretation of “community.”

Area residents and OU students/faculty/staff seem to hold a great

sense of responsibility to the term. Here, I have witnessed a

sincere sense of connection to one’s community. I have seen

neighbors delight in the ability to assist with yard work on a hot

day; students volunteer their time to educate youth; farmers

patiently answer questions that they’ve answered hundreds of

times before…and, all in the name of caring for their

community. I was moved by one local resident’s recent

description of community as both a responsibility and an

opportunity; a delicate balance of caring for ourselves and one

another in a manner that doesn’t compromise the resources that

surround us.

Sustaining a community is hard work. It requires a level

of interdependence that is rarely achieved in contemporary

living. We are taught at an early age to limit our vulnerability and

be independent creatures; strong and capable. Though, such

isolation can limit our personal and collective growth.

It is my sincere hope that each of you has the opportunity

to further explore your understanding of and appreciation for

sustainability by engaging in the communities that surround

you. This issue of Routes is meant to offer you a quick glimpse

into sustainability’s relationship to “community.”

Our doors are open to those who wish to engage deeper

in this conversation and discover their own definitions for

“community” and “sustainability.” Please feel free to contact us at

the information provided on this page.

Thank you for your dedication to yourselves, your

environment and your neighbors. I am excited by the

opportunity to be a part of this community and learn alongside

each of you.

Sincerely,

Annie Laurie Cadmus

Director of Sustainability, Ohio University

Routes Magazine

Director Annie Laurie Cadmus

Graduate Assistants Jessica Bilecki* / Outreach

Alex Snyder* / Technical

Mary Leciejewski / Events

Elaine Goetz / Reporting

Penny Morgan / Web

Writers Maddie Edminister

Emily Kuzmick

Katie Lasco

Photographers Shanon Wise

Alex Snyder

Layout Neal Patten

*Indicates editors

Keep In Touch:

3

Green Tech By Alex Snyder OPower App on Facebook: Challenge your friends to see

who’s more energy efficient! The long awaited OPower

energy application for Facebook lets you track your energy

consumption and share and compare with your friends. The

site is currently in its BETA stages but seems to be working

without a hitch. The site also provides quick and easy tips

that can help you and those around you conserve energy and

save money!

Instagram: Apparently this application for the iPhone and

now the Android is worth a whopping $1 billion…or so the

fine creators of Facebook think so. With this issue of Routes

focusing on community, I wanted to share Instagram because

it allows people from all over the world to share their images

and show off their communities! With that said, if you’re on

a hike or busy in the garden, snap a quick picture and share it

with us at facebook.com/sustainableou!

Athens Time Exchange: Do you have a useful skill? Or may-

be you need some help!? Athens Time Exchange is a great way

to both give and get. Help someone out with a project and

you’re paid in “time.” You can then bank your time and use it to

pay someone else who is in the program for something you

need done! It’s people helping people and best of all it’s fun,

easy, and free!

Wind Map: I have been obsessed with “Wind Map” since I

first saw it a few weeks ago. Who knew looking at wind

patterns could be so fascinating. This free website lets you

see wind movement across the US and gives you a handy key

to judge the wind speed.

4

Living Tips Get out and enjoy the fresh air by gardening! Not only

is it great exercise and cheaper than the grocery store,

organic and naturally grown food is great for overall health. If

you don't have a garden, make use of a community garden.

Here in Athens, we have the Westside Community Garden

located at 400 West State Street and the Community

Garden Pilot Program located at Ohio University's Ecohouse

at 8133 Dairy Lane. Grow your own food and make some

new friends!

Support local business! You can do this in many ways,

including purchasing produce and baked goods from

businesses that support local producers such as Casa Nueva,

Donkey Coffee, Village Bakery, Abrio's Brick Oven, Fluff and

Purple Chopsticks just to name a few. Or go straight to the

source. Visit the Farmer’s Market located at 1000 East State

Street every Wednesday and Saturday 10 to 1.

Practice sustainability at all of OU’s dining halls.

Reduce your carbon footprint by participating in Meatless

Mondays; help us reduce the amount of water used to wash

dishes by participating in Trayless Tuesdays and using a

reusable water bottle instead of a cup; reduce waste by

taking only take what you know you’ll eat; and, limit what is

sent to the landfills by avoiding plastic bags and disposable

cutlery at the Grab N’ Go.

Volunteer. It gives you the opportunity to change lives,

including your own, so find a skill you can put to good use

and help out your community!

Eco Reps is a student organization devoted to educating students about ways to “go green.” They put on

residence hall programs, help the Office of Sustainability with RecycleMania and ResChallenge, and

participate in various Earth Month events.

To Learn More, Contact: Liz Emley - President ee244409@ohio.edu

Shanon Wise

Shanon Wise

5

Ecohouse

Permaculture:

A Step Towards Sustainability in Athens

While most of Athens slept soundly in their

beds on the crisp Sunday morning of April 22, a

small group of students and community members

were already awake and getting dirty. Dressed in

work pants and armed with rakes, they pushed piles

of rich compost across the front garden of the Ohio

University Ecohouse, located south of campus at

8133 Dairy Lane. Two wheelbarrows trundled

towards the red brick porch with more of the

dark material.

Though haphazard-looking to start, the plot

would eventually be transformed into a small garden,

complete with a walkway, semi-circle of culinary

herbs, and neat border of daffodils and irises.

“So we just got the big shrubbery out, and

now we have to sheet mulch,” said Jessica Bilecki, an

Environmental Studies graduate student and

permaculture activist. “The flags are marking the

gooseberries and service berries, and then there’s

going to be some wild indigo, because the indigo is a

nitrogen-fixer.”

Plants that are nitrogen-fixers have bacteria

that convert nitrogen in the atmosphere to other

compounds like ammonia, which can be consumed

by other plants when the nitrogen-fixer dies, This

eliminates the need for extra fertilization. Similarly, dynamic accumulators like comfrey have deep roots

that draw up minerals from underground. “Those

nutrients get released into the soil when the foliage

dies and breaks down on the surface,”

Bilecki explained.

The project was the culmination of a three-

day permaculture workshop offered by the OU

Office of Sustainability and taught by Bilecki, Kurt

Belser, and Weston Lombard. All three instructors

are certified in permaculture design. Belser is co-

owner of the Wingnuttery, while Lombard manages

One World Tree nursery and is co-founder of the

Athens Area Permaculture Guild.

The first two sessions, held on Saturday and

Sunday of the previous weekend, provided a

theoretical introduction to the principles of permaculture. Lessons were taught in a classroom at

The Ridges, but then the group would periodically

move outside and look at applications to the land.

On the second day, participants practiced what they

learned about the design process. Participants were

divided into groups and asked to create their own

design plan for the Ecohouse garden.

Participants Sarah Minkin and Eden Kinkaid think about what to put in their design.

Mark Jacobs, planting at the Ecohouse

By Katie Lasco

Photo: Emily Kuzmick

Photo: Shanon Wise

6

Although the workshop emphasized

landscaping, permaculture is actually a broad system

of thinking. A combination of the words “permanent”

and “agriculture”, permaculture is a holistic design

approach that integrates the model of natural

ecosystems into all aspects of life. There are six

categories of design: building; tools and technology;

education and culture; health and spiritual well-being;

finance and economics; and community governance.

“You’re trying to make the inputs of one

element the outputs of another,” Lombard said. “So

people might have water runoff going into

aquacultures with fish, and use that water to fertilize

hydroponic growing, which then gets further

recycled.” Other features of permaculture design include passive solar systems, fuel from organic waste,

and rainwater catchment units. Lifestyle choices come

into play as well, and many permaculture activists

choose to ride their bike, practice yoga, buy fair-trade

products, or reduce waste.

However, the idea isn’t to slow down

technology or do without modern comforts.

“There’s a certain standard of living that we all

want. But we can’t keep doing what we’re doing,”

Bilecki said in an interview. “Permaculture is one tool

that can help us maintain a decent standard of living

without compromising the health of the planet”.

Although Athens gets more attention for its

local food movement, there seems to be a substantial

interest in permaculture as well. Chris Chmiel, owner

of Integration Acres and founder of the Pawpaw

Festival, studied permaculture during his time at Ohio

University and cites the principles as an inspiration for

the layout of his farm.

“The core of what we’re doing with pawpaws

and goats is based in permaculture,” Chmiel said.

“Pawpaws are fly-pollinated and naturally resistant to

grazing animals. The goats don’t browse on the trees,

increase soil fertility, and usually increase the number

of flies for pollination.” In other words, the goats

provide outputs that naturally help the

pawpaws grow.

Similarly, Lombard described a week long

workshop he recently hosted at his family’s farm in

Athens, where 17 participants learned about the

principles and application of permaculture. Some

came from the community, while others traveled

from as far as Maryland.

These individuals illustrate Athens as a place

where the foundation and ethics already exist for the

permaculture movement to grow.

“This community has been open to these ideas

for a while,” Bilecki said. “People here are pretty

concerned about the environmental impacts their

personal decisions make, probably more than the

average community.”

Workshop participant Liz Alexy grew up in

the area, and has plans for graduate school in the fall.

She expressed similar sentiments as she spread even a

pile of compost with her rake. “I think I am like many children in Athens: hippie parents, back-to-the-

landers. And there’s a huge interest in following what

our parents did.”

Perhaps, Bilecki suggested, the study of

permaculture could even be integrated into Ohio

University curriculum. No formal courses currently

exist, but the incorporation of permaculture design

into an academic setting would benefit the evolving

theory, because research questions could be posed

about the effectiveness of certain principles.

For now, the movement towards

permaculture and sustainability in Athens will

continue to grow with events like the workshop. If

people here can learn to change their individual lives,

perhaps they can serve as a model for

other communities.

“Until we understand how we can apply these

principles in our own lives, it’s hard to apply it on

large scales,” Bilecki said.

OHIO Ecohouse is a student residence designed to “demonstrate affordable green technology and sustainable

living in order to inform, engage and inspire bot residents and visitors. The OHIO Ecohouse is not just a place

— it is a dynamic educational experience which promotes critical thinking and tangible actions

toward sustainability.”

Photo: Emily Kuzmick

7

Student Research By Maddie Edminister

Going Green with Paint Pigments

Here at Ohio University, even our paint

could soon be turning green. Doctoral Civil

Engineering student, Elaine Goetz, has been working

with other individuals in her program towards

developing a system that would use the process of

electrolysis to extract harmful metals from mine

drainage that pollute streams and convert them into

paint pigment. This concept of repurposing by

converting pollutants into paint is not entirely

revolutionary, as the Swedes have been extracting

copper from mine drainage and turning it into paint

for centuries. The color has become somewhat of a

signature in Swedish architecture with its recognizable red hue covering buildings made of

both wood and brick. Despite its popularity abroad,

this is a fairly recent activity in the United States,

with only a few other reported cases of research in

the area.

Pyrite, an iron sulfide mineral found in local

coal mines, reacts with water and air to produce

pollutants. The iron from the pyrite dissolves in the

water, which finds its way into rivers and streams.

Upon oxidation, the iron precipitates, coating the

stream beds and eliminating any chance of a

sustainable ecosystem. By removing this mineral

from streams, we are doing both ourselves as well as

the environment a good service. For our own

benefit, we are able to convert these substances,

through the process of electrolysis, into paint

products that can be used in our local community or sold on a larger scale market. As far as the

environment is concerned, we are able to foster

thriving ecological communities in rivers and streams

that would otherwise be drowned out by the weight

and toxicity of the mineral pollutants.

Elaine Goetz has been working with her

advisor, Dr. Guy Riefler, and fellow doctoral student,

Husam Abu Hajar, over the past few years on

developing a processing plant where this process will

actually take place. She has received much guidance

and direction from Blake Arthur, a manager for the

Ohio Division of Mineral Resources and

Management, who designed this particular process

and outlined it in his research, titled, “The

Electrolysis of Mine Drainage.” The pilot plant, which

was funded by the US Forest Service, is located in Nelsonville and is expected to open for testing in the

very near future. At this

plant, the electrolysis will

actually take place and

the paint pigment will be

extracted. The coloring

of this pigment varies

depending on the

precipitate, which stream

it is extracted from and

the drying and grinding

process it endures, but in

our area it is likely to be

made up of warm tones

such a reds, oranges and yellows.

“In 2007, 78% of the paint pigment used in

the U.S. was imported. If this process of electrolysis

of acid mine drainage catches on, pigment produced

right here in southeastern Ohio could replace a

significant percentage of imported pigment,”

according to Goetz. The initial research will be done

in Snake Hollow, a creek near Chauncey, Ohio,

which is fairly rich in aluminum as well as iron

pollutants. By extracting these pollutants, the

researchers will be cleaning up the river. Ideally, they

will be able to convert the chemical pollutants in the

pilot plant into paint pigments that can be used

locally in our Athens community. The paint pigments

may end up being red, but this process is all about

going green.

Photo: Alex Snyder

From this... ...to this.

Lowimpactliving.com

8

Academics By Michelle Schechter

New Environmental Studies Undergraduate

Degree for Honors Tutorial College

In the fall of 2013, Ohio University’s Honors

Tutorial College will begin offering an undergraduate

degree of Environmental Studies. Previously a

certificate was the only formal environmental studies

opportunity available for undergraduates. The

program was developed by Professor Geoff Buckley,

a professor in the department of Geography along

with the support of the Associate Dean of the

Honors Tutorial Jan Hodson.

Many may wonder what a student can do

with an undergraduate degree in environmental

studies post-graduation, but according to Geoff

Buckley, “most students will go on to graduate

school, but if not, many should consider doing something urban or energy related.” The focus now

is developing urban communities to reduce the use

of cars and gas and lowering the emissions we

produce from the use of vehicles. Other fields

students can look into can be transportation

planning or hazards/climate change. All of the

students that will be admitted into the Honors

Tutorial College (HTC) program will be highly

motivated and hopefully will be able to help us all

live sustainably.

Students will be able to begin the application

process in December of 2012 and if selected will

begin the program in fall 2013. To be eligible for this

program students must have a strong interest in

pursuing environmental studies post-graduation and

be a member of the HTC.

The Honors Tutorial College is different

compared to any other college at Ohio University

and students enrolled in HTC are required to

complete a number of seminars and tutorials. Like

most typical undergraduates, HTC students are

required to take general requirements to fulfill

University Requirements. General requirements

include subjects such as social sciences, humanities

and Junior Composition. Students are able to choose

from a variety of interesting classes covering topics

they want to learn more about. In their final year at

OU students are required to write a thesis in order

to complete the program and graduate. Click here

for more information about HTC or the

environmental studies degree.

We double dog dare you

to participate in the National Bike

Challenge, a local and national competi-

tion to see who can log the most bike miles.

Why: prizes, bragging rights, a healthier

planet and a healthier you

When: May 1 - Aug 31

How :go to http://

www.nationalbikechallenge.org/join.html and

click the “Join the Challenge” link. After reg-

istering for a free Endomondo account, you

can join our team (Office of Sustainability at Ohio University) or create your own team.

Then log the miles you ride and see who

wins!

9

Food Photography and text by Emily Kuzmick

A Better Way to Start Your Day!

Athens, Ohio is one of the best places to

experience the benefits of locally grown, organic

foods. From locally run restaurants and cafés such

as Casa Nueva, Donkey Coffee, and Village Bakery

and Café’ to open food markets such as the weekly

Athens Farmer’s Market, anyone affiliated with the

Athens area has a multitude of options. Campus

programs strive to take advantage of the readily

available food sources that help sustain local

businesses as well as the environment. One such

group is Vegan Cooking Workshop, an organization

here on campus that meets weekly to “cook, serve,

eat, and clean” with food that is locally purchased and organically grown. Additionally, the organization

works towards building a strong sense of

community, something vital in sharing sustainable

practices. What most people don’t realize is that

the recipes are completely attainable, easy to make,

and of course, delicious—this vegan breakfast recipe

is perfect for helping to sustain an ideal environment,

a strong community, and a healthy body.

Fruit Salad

Apples from Farmer’s Market (chopped)

Oranges or tangerines

Pineapple

Blueberries

Strawberries

Directions: Chop, mix and serve!

Vegan Pancakes (from allrecipes.com: NICDELIS)

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups soy milk or water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions: 1. Heat pan on stove to medium heat.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. 3. Add soy milk and vegetable oil to mixture. Mix until smooth.

4. Ladle one spoonful of batter into pan.

5. Flip carefully when bubbles appear in middle of pancake, or when edges begin to stiffen.

6. Repeat until batter is gone, and try not to eat them all while you’re cooking them!

10

Fruit Syrup

12 oz. of fresh strawberries (now in season) or frozen berries

1 ¼ cup unsweetened apple juice 10 teaspoons cornstarch

2 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

Directions: 1. Combine in blender and puree until desired consistency. Or, for a chunky fruit sauce, do not

puree ingredients and simply combine ingredients by hand in a saucepan.

2. Cook in saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken or until desired consistency.

3. Serve while still warm over pancakes, muffins, scones or ice cream!

Tofu Scramble Vegetables:

1 bell pepper

1 container of drained and crumbled extra firm tofu (not silken)

Cooking oil

1—2 cups chopped kale, spinach, Swiss chard or arugula

Spice Blend:

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon thyme

Crushed garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

Directions: Sauté kale and peppers in cooking oil. Add spice blend and a little water to help mix the blend.

When veggies are tender, move them to the sides of the pan and form an empty circle in the

middle of your pan. Add more oil to the middle of the pan, then add the tofu. If tofu sticks, add

more water. When tofu turns golden, mix in the vegetables and fry until veggies are cooked!

11

Perspectives Abroad A glimpse into India | Jessica Bilecki

I sat down with Pronoy Rai, an International Development

Studies Masters student from Hydrabab, India to talk about

differences in how sustainability is addressed in the U.S. and in

India. I learned that India has a better transit system than the

U.S. and has a National commitment to greenhouse gas

emissions reduction. Here are a few other tidbits

Pronoy shared.

J: Do you talk about sustainability related issues in

school and when does that conversation

start happening?

P: Scarcity in some ways has created opportunities. I

remember at least from my 5th or 6th grade we are taught

constantly about environmental conservation. I think I would

credit that to the fact that there is already the realization that

resources are scarce and there isn’t as much monetary

resources to invest in creating infrastructure and that kind of

thing. So our schools always had conservation in the syllabi.

That aside, I would also credit the dominant religion in India to

have played a role because environmental preservation in

Hinduism is very essential. Ensuring trees are not cut, food is

not wasted, for instance, these are things that are central to—

and it’s not a religion by your standards because it’s not

organized at all, it doesn’t have any structure, it’s more

philosophy. Hinduism is essentially a way of life...it’s like

Buddhism, it’s sort of broad categories of instructions on how

to live a happy sustainable life. I think sustainability is a part of

it and that trickles down to what we eat and it’s ok. If you talk

about why you should not waste food at home, you should

not waste water—it’s not yours. It’s something that’s

nature’s. The attempt is to talk about the world from an

ecocentric perspective and not an anthropocentric

perspective. Like you are the center and environment is all

around you. It doesn’t work that way. It’s like the

environment is the entity and you are a part of it like there

are animals and trees and birds and clouds and all of it which is

part of the environment. That’s the broad understanding. If

you do take an ecocentric view of the world perhaps it

creates opportunities to convey the message that you—just

because you have the power to, you cannot waste things. So

for example in my house, where I grew up, it was engrained in

us that you cannot waste food. You only take as much food as

you can eat. If you left food, you know, everyone would be

uncomfortable at the end because that is not what you should

be doing.

J: Does that ecocentric view carry over into how

business is conducted? Do businesses try to

minimize waste?

P: I would like to think so, but no. Unless there is economic

incentive. Which is why the level of pollution is so high

because companies just don’t care and regulatory reforms are

very weak.

Interested in learning more or how to get involved? Pronoy

recommends starting with the Ministry of Environment and

Forests in India, ATREEE and any number of NGO’s.

Students in Costa Rica

12

Have you ever wanted to leap out of the box

and experience cultures other than your own? Have

you ever wanted to see the world but have no idea

how to organize your trip? Have you ever wanted to

take college classes in a different country? Then

education abroad is your calling! Many college

students jump to the opportunity to explore the

planet, expand their cultural perspective, and learn

something new within subjects they are

passionate about.

Deciding which education abroad experience

to attend can, unfortunately, be a daunting task that

many college students face. Studying internationally is a life changing experience, so making sure which

program is right for you is a big deal. At Ohio

University, you’re in

luck! There are great

resources available on

campus and online to

help you catch the

travel bug.

Sustainable

development and

community-centered

programs are at the

forefront of the green

revolution. Keeping

up with demand,

Ohio University has

numerous programs

to pick from that can

be taken for credit

and paid for with existing scholarships. Routes will

periodically feature profiles of community-based

study abroad programs focused on addressing

sustainability issues that might spark your curiosity.

This issue’s featured program is Sustainability

+ Environment, in Monteverde, Costa Rica offered

by the Council on International Education Exchange.

The Costa Rican (CIEE) program is designed for

students that are interested in learning about

sustainable practices and environmental conservation

driven activism in a beautiful and tropical climate.

What You’ll Do in Monteverde, Costa Rica:

The CIEE coursework offered focuses on

population growth, consumption, urbanization,

and globalization. You will experience possible

solutions firsthand by exploring the intersection

of humans and how they impact the

environment, economy and everyday society.

Gain experience from an internship through local

education, conservation, development business,

or an NGO.

You will adventure to protected areas of rare

biodiversity within remote and unique locations

in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. There you will gain knowledge in conservation, sustainable practices,

and be engrossed in the Costa Rican

sustainability

movement by

volunteering with

local organizations.

While living with

your Costa Rican host

family, you will

explore local culture

and be immersed in

Spanish language.

This education abroad

opportunity is well

rounded, mixing

conservation work

with environmental

advocacy, catering to

a large range within the green sector. If your career

path has any relevance inside this emerging field, this

program may help you stand out against the crowd.

According to the resident director Karen Masters,

“Involvement is for someone who wants to save the

world, but isn’t afraid to get dirty while doing it!”

Interested students can find more

information about this program by going to the Ohio

University Office of Education Abroad to talk to an

advisor, or go to CIEE.

Monteverde, Costa Rica | By Jaymie Tighe

For what its worth…

“Studying development and related environmental issues abroad with CIEE Thailand when I was an undergraduate was by far the best learning

experience of my life and worth every penny.”

~Jessica Bilecki

13

Office of Sustainability

Local Cooking Demonstration

Awardee: Heidi Anderson, Education/Special Events Coordinator

at OU Wellworks and Conscious Ohio

On April 24th a group of OU employees gathered to learn more

about cooking with fresh and local food. The evening consisted of

watching a movie trailer for “Hand to Mouth: The Athens Ohio

Food Cycle”, learning about the campus-wide CSA program

where people can ‘subscribe’ to a weekly box of fresh produce,

observation of cooking demonstrations and culminated in a dinner

of the dishes featured in the cooking demonstration.

FLOW — For Love of Water

Awardee: Benjamin Bushwick

“Water issues are real.” To help educate students about sheer volumes of

water bottle waste and other social and ecological issues associated with

water around the globe Benjamin Screened the movie Flow– For Love of

Water. In addition, as part of Earth Fest 2012 he created a visual display to

help communicate facts about the options we have when it comes to

drinking water. Benjamin’s hope is that students will be empowered to

boycott bottled water and its associated negative impacts. After all, as

Benjamin puts it,

“As consumers, we carry tremendous power: We decide which

businesses live, and we decide which businesses die. We allow them

to thrive. We can condemn them for lies.”

Mackin’ on Local Food

Awardee: Jill Carlson, MacKinnon Hall RA

Talk about staking functions! This event encouraged recycling,

zero waste, energy efficiency and supporting the local food

economy. When MacKinnon Hall residents brought their

recyclables to a drop off point they traded in their ‘waste’ for

energy efficient light bulbs, a taste of local food, and maybe

even a lesson about local food as well. It was a way of bringing

the greater community to campus and helping students connect

to local restaurants that support local farmers and producers.

See a full write up in Compass.

Grant Winners | Jessica Bilecki For Earth Month this year members of the OU community were invited to organize their own sustainability

related event. Eight groups were awarded mini-grants up to $500 each from the Office of Sustainability to

assist with program implementation. Here are this year’s grant winners.

Photo: Ryanne Gallagher

Photo: Lisa Kefalos

14

Mini Farmers Market on campus

Awardee: Tracy Kelly, Graduate Student Senate

It’s not entirely convenient to try to get to the Athens Farmers

Market every Saturday morning so GSS brought the Market to OU!

This helps raise awareness about local food producers and provides

students with easy access to delicious snacks, some of which they

may never have considered before. Kohlrabi anyone? Seriously, try

it with a sprinkle of salt. Mmmmm

300 Trees Pledge

Awardee: Stephanie Miller & Molly Gurien, Biological Sciences

This program encouraged students to voluntarily pledge to plant 300

trees in their lifetime. Why 300? This is the number that is said to

counter balance the amount of fossil fuel pollution one person

produces in a lifetime. Over 75 students signed the pledge and were

given 30 tree seedlings to plant. In addition, about 300 trees were

planted by volunteers the weekend of April 14th and 15th on OU

property and reclaimed mineland.

Beekeeping workshop at OU Lancaster

Awardee: Giorgi Shonia, OU Lancaster’s branch of the

Kanawha Environmental Education Project

Like honey? What about zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes,

apples, pears, almonds—you get the picture. Small as they

may be, we need pollinators but honeybee populations have

been facing some major challenges recently. Ohio

University Lancaster’s branch of the Kanawha Environmental

Education Project organized a beekeeping workshop at the

Lancaster Campus. Students and residents attended a

presentation by Mr. Zale Maxwell and learned about some

of the problems bees face today and had a live hive

experience.” Following the presentations, the film “Vanishing of the Bees” was screened.

Vegan Cooking

Awardee: Halie Cousineau, Conscious Ohio (Vegan Cooking)

Friends, music, dancing and good food. What could be better?

The Vegan Cooking Workshop provided a fully local, vegan

meal. This workshop stressed the many benefits of local food.

Lowering your ecological and carbon foot prints doesn’t need to

be a sacrifice. In fact it can be fun! CAPTION

Photo: Jess Lanning Eagle-Gazette

Photo: Alexandra Deet

Photo: Jessica Bilecki

Photo: Molly Gurien

15

Office of Sustainability

Sustainability Plan Update | Kyla McConnell

Benchmark 8

Improve sustainability literacy of students, faculty

and staff

Mission:

Increase sustainability literacy at least 5% every year

How you can help:

Learn what sustainability is

Request information on sustainability at

orientation and in your classes

Volunteer to be a sustainability liaison for your

department or student group

Spread the word. Have great suggestions? We

want to hear them—sustainability@ohio.edu

Increases in sustainability literacy lead to

greater environmental awareness. Once I became

familiar with facts and statistics about the local

environment, I became more conscientious about

my daily actions which have had a great impact on

my life. For example, when I started to monitor my

waste more often, I began to notice that I was also

spending less money. In a struggling economy, it is

important that people become aware and implement

sustainability in their lifestyles so that they will be

able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.

In 2011, Elaine Goetz, the research and

reporting coordinator graduate assistant at the Ohio

University Office of Sustainability, created

sustainability literacy surveys that six volunteers

distributed to 228 students, faculty, and staff in

classrooms and at campus events in efforts to meet

goals of benchmark 8 of the sustainability plan. The

assessment consisted of three multiple choice

questions concerning the definition of sustainability,

knowledge of personal carbon footprint, and

behaviors related to sustainability. Results from the survey show that social

justice and living simply are areas of sustainability

literacy that can be improved at Ohio University.

The Office of Sustainability will continue to work

towards achieving benchmark 8 by increasing of

sustainability literacy in the Ohio

University community.

“Meeting present needs without compromising

the ability of future generations to meet their

needs.”“Meeting present

needs without

compromising

the ability of

future

generations to

meet their

needs”

WECD 1987

39.1% knew a general definition of sustainability.

If you read this you’ll know one too.

Good news!

92.1% were familiar

with what a carbon

footprint is!

Not so good news:

Only 17.6% calculated

their own carbon

footprints.

Survey Says…

16

OU BEST IN MAC

Adapted from writings contributed by Ed Newman

This spring 28 colleges and universities across Ohio

competed in RecycleMania. The results are in for this

8 week national recycling and waste reduction

completion. OU dominated the MAC in 5 of 6

competitions. Go bobcats!

Strong contributions from Alden Library, OIT, and

stepped up performances from many departments

and students in residence halls boosted Ohio’s

recycling rate 4% this year over last and took OU to

the top of the MAC with a total of 58,508 pounds of

material recycled in 8 weeks!

Some of OHIO’s regional campuses also turned in

impressive recycling performances this year. OU

Southern’s Adam Riehl and student assistant, Joe

O’Leary stated at the onset of RecycleMania that they

were going to emphasize waste minimization this year

that is, compete hard in reducing overall

consumption. They did this with gusto and actually

ranked 8th in the country in this effort.

OU Lancaster also excelled, ranking 9th in the nation

in per capita recycling. These are impressive

achievements by two or our regional campuses to

note. Todd McCullough, a

graduate student at OUL

noted that he’s worked with

the custodial staff and has

gone through a lot of what

was coming off of the campus

to beef up what was going in

recycling instead of

trash disposal.

Regional campuses from OU,

KSU and BGSU competed

against each other and OU Zanesville had the highest

recycling amount at 14,262 lbs. OU Eastern also

posted very competitive per capita scores for paper

at 2.09 lbs. per person and for beverage containers

at 4.35 lbs.

See www.recyclemania.com for complete results.

Stay tuned for Game Day Challenge next fall when

OHIO competes for the greatest recycling, waste

minimization and composting at a football game. It

will take a real team effort to beat the 82% recycling

rate we reached last fall at the OU vs. Temple game.

Institution

E-waste

recycled

Purdue University - West Lafayette69,965

Ohio University-Main Campus 58,508

Michigan State University 58,000

University of California-Davis 51,440

Oregon State University 49,025

Rutgers University 46,381

Duke University 45,752

Stony Brook University 35,404

Cornell University 33,569

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 32,179

Total 480,223

New to the program this year was a pilot e-waste

recycling program. 67 schools, reported the weight

of all the e-waste recovered in one month.

Think about it. 480,223 pounds of e-waste from only 10 institutions.

That’s approximately 16,000 desktop computers

17

Summer Courses

Omega Institute Permaculture Design Certification

June 22-29 & Aug 19-26

Summer Course with Dave Jacke, Kay Cafasso,

Connor Stedman and Ethan Roland in Rhinebeck,

NY. Gain your design certification with Kay Cafasso

of Sowing Solutions and Dave Jacke, award winning

author of Edible Forest Gardens. Practice

permaculture design while conducting design work at

the Omega site! Register and learn about all retreat

facilities and free classes (yoga, meditation, etc)

offered during this course at the Omega Institute!

Permaculture Design

Certification Course with Living

Routes at the Sirius EcoVillage

July 13-Aug 2

Join teachersKay Cafasso, Jono Neiger, Llani Davidson

and guests Dave Jacke, Ryan Harb, Eric Toensmeier

and Jonathan Bates at Sirius EcoVillage near Amherst,

MA. Option to gain 4 college credits with UMass

Amherst. Meet with some of the best permaculture

designers in the northeast~ Gain experience in the

gardens~ Be surrounded by a wonderful and

supportive community at Sirius EcoVillage~ Practice

ecological design from client interviews to detailed

designs ~ Visit local permaculture farms, urban sites,

and homesteads ~ and much more!

I

In Athens for the summer?

Consider taking a class related

to environmental issues: Water

and Pollution (GEOL 231),

Conservation and Biodiversity

(BIOS 220), Ecology in the 21st

Century (BIOS 275), Intro to

Environmental Health (EH 260),

and Americans & Forests: Conservation/Policy (PBIO 109)

are all offered online and in the classroom. First day

of summer session is June 18, and the last day to

register for classes is June 25.

Conferences EcoSummit 2012

September 30 – October 5, 2012

Now is the time to register for the 4th annual

EcoSummit on ecological sustainability in Columbus,

OH. This conference will bring together the world's

most respected minds in ecological science (E.O.

Wilson, Jared Diamondto discuss restoring the planet's ecosystems. The symposia, general sessions,

posters, and workshops cover a wide variety of

ecological topics over the week, including ecological

restoration and engineering, ecosystem services,

global climate change, and sustainable business.

Opportunities Katie Lasco & Jessica Bilecki

18

Volunteer

If you’re looking to get some community service hours, check out a

nonprofit environmental organization right here in Athens. Community Food Initiatives (CFI) supports the local food movement by maintaining

community gardens, collecting and donating fresh food, and providing

educational programs for children in the county.

Interested?

Contact: cfi@communityfoodinitiatives.org or call: 740.593.5971

Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is hosting a 2012 Ohio

Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series June—September. OEFFA

needs help facilitating tours and photographing events.

If interested in facilitating contact: Michelle Gregg

If interested in photographing contact: Lauren Ketcham

The Office of Sustainability offers volunteer and internship positions to

students in a variety of disciplines. Develop valuable skills for your

future career and help the Office of Sustainability achieve its mission. To

learn more, send an email describing your area(s) of interest to:

sustainability@ohio.edu

Speak Up!

Climate Action Plan (CAP)

OU has committed to becoming Climate neutral (0 carbon emissions) by 2075. Want

to know how we propose to do this? Have more effective strategies in mind, more

aggressive timelines? We want to hear from you! Review OU’s Climate Action Plan

online and tell us what you think. Send comments to sustainability@ohio.edu or send

anonymous comments through surveymonkey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/

OUCAPFeedback. Hurry you only have until the end of May!

19

Expressions Spotlight on Abby Chew

Every Issue of Routes features the creative work of an artist whose work

expresses some form of sustainability. This Issue features poems of OU Eastern

Adjunct faculty member Abby Chew.

Abby lives near Captina Creek in Barnesville, Ohio, where she teaches poetry and

English courses at OU Eastern, teaches at Olney Friends School, raises goats, and

hangs out with a dog named Alice and some farmers named Don and Sandy. Chew

earned her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is the recipient of a 2012

Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award. Her first book of poems,

Discontinued Township Roads, is forthcoming from WordTech Communications

in 2013.

If you are a student, faculty or staff member and are interested in having your work featured, send a

biography, and jpgs or word documents featuring your work to sustainability@ohio.edu

20

Back Two

Jog down this road and you won’t see the culvert

once spattered with blood where our dog

killed a ground hog. You might, if you jog in late fall or winter

when the blackberry brambles and cinnamon fern

die back, see the skeletons of three deer—

big bucks, not much antlered—poached and left to rot.

Now their bones lie bare in the dirt.

I stepped knee-deep into the belly of one when I jumped

down the hillside in search of morels. Granted,

I wasn’t moving with any care. I did not have an eye out

for elm and ash. I wasn’t kneeling.

But the rain had brought out the green and I wanted it.

So I jumped. The stink and the slap of flesh,

the sudden buzz of flies tapping my half-closed eyes.

That kind of landing can ruin a girl.

Photo: Jessica Bilecki

21

Chicken Coop

When building a chicken coop, you need to know,

while your hens are stupid, unbelievably so,

they have a hunger for land and light.

Sister has a nanny goat whose legs she ties

for milking. But the chickens don’t peck

her small hands pressing beneath their feathers

for eggs. The hens let her do

the thing quietly. Of course their brains

are peanuts. Of course. But you

need to know how to build the frame

of their house. Make it warm. Make it tight.

Maybe paint it yellow. Heat the water

in January, when you think your own fingers

may shatter from wind. Don’t tell

them where you’re going when you leave.

Feed on a schedule. Don’t kick at the rooster

where he waits in the bare yard, aiming his nail

of a beak at your knees. Talk to them

like you do your good dog.

Tell them you are sorry. Tell them

everything you know you should.

Photo: Don Guindon

22

Storm

No one asks for silence this morning

but we give it without question. The dawn,

long past, brought a haze of heat, laid it down

over us heavy, not at all like your body

over mine. Not at all like that.

Last night, a brutal storm struck us down.

I watched lightning crick the side of the building,

wind snap the bean trellis, toss it up, spinning.

We salvage what we can.

The sky doesn’t ask if we want our arms

slick with sweat as we pick beans, row on row,

does not ask if we want to kneel in the shade

panting like old house cats, to vomit into the weeds.

July doesn’t ask what we desire.

It only creeps up over the hill each morning,

brings us what we deserve.

23

“I Want To Change The World...

But I Don’t Know How.”

Join the Ohio University Office of Sustainability!

Visit Our Website

Yoke

The dirt wasn’t like this in Indiana,

where my brother and I dug holes

for night-crawlers, holes in red clay

that needed all the help

it could get to make all that corn.

Now, living in Iowa,

even the soil I kick back

from the edges of my driveway

blacks my boots. It’s rich out here.

My brother helped birth twin

Oxen calves last spring.

Their black noses pressed to my palms

like I could offer them

anything but grain

from an old coffee can.

They were leggy and light

for the one time in their lives. My brother

named them Poncho and Lefty, raised them up

to the yoke. More than 25 million days

to plough the farmland here. Still—

their noses. The thin hide

above their ankles. It’s work we learn,

more than anything, and work

we teach. It’s the changing

of calves into ploughshares,

prairie into furrows. It’s a soil

so fertile we can’t help but bend it.

And my brother, working at the forge

with a broken calabash hook, will tell you oxen

aren’t built to pull. They haven’t the shoulders,

the muscled legs. But they’re built

to keep walking, keep working

with a yoke strapped to their horns,

keep edging that plough

through God knows how much prairie,

until we let them stop.

24

“I Want To Change The World...

But I Don’t Know How.”

Join the Ohio University Office of Sustainability!

Visit Our Website