Syracuse University Divests

*This was originally published in The Ithacan on April 4th, 2015.

On the last day of March, Syracuse University announced it will be divesting — or withdrawing its endowment fund investments — from coal and other fossil fuel companies. The Orange Nation is joining a growing list of colleges and universities who are taking this step, in addition to municipalities, religious institutions, foundations and more.

The movement to divest has primarily been led by college students and broadcasted by environmental activist organization 350.org. With hundreds of active student organizations across the country, sit-ins, marches and banner drops are becoming more and more common.

The City of Ithaca is on the list of municipalities who have divested, and the Park Foundation — an invaluable financial source for the Park School of Communications and Ithaca College as a whole — is among the list of divested foundations. The college, however, is nowhere to be found on 350’s “Divestment Commitments” list.

The college’s student organization aimed at pressuring administration to take this step, Divest IC, has faltered and become inactive. Without it, President Tom Rochon and the Board of Trustees are off the hook.

Find the Time

On Friday, after working seven hours downtown at The Ithaca Voice, I hiked up South Hill back to campus and walked straight into the Fitness Center. I removed my jewelry and tossed it into my backpack, pulled a harness on over my dress pants and got my belay certification at the rock wall.

Double the Trouble

As I marched my way across the gorgeous state of Colorado, I couldn't get over the mountains, the wide open spaces, the crazy rock formations, the gentle forests and the big blue sky. At that time, I was still settling into March life and was perpetually amazed by the kind and welcoming spirits of my fellow Marchers. I noticed something else too; I couldn't stop thinking about how much my friend Rob Lister would love the Climate March.

One night as we camped in the San Isabel National Forest — which remains to be one of my favorite campsites so far — I sat down beside a bubbling stream near our campsite, dipped my feet into the cool water and wrote Rob a letter. I described to him the beauty of Colorado, the physical challenge of walking 15 to 20 miles each day and the incredible new family I had acquired in the Marchers. I ended the letter by begging him to come out and see it for himself.

Climate March Update!

Hello lovely readers! I have an update about my fundraising efforts for the Great March for Climate Action.

My silicone bracelets arrived: they are green (of course) and they say "The Great Climate March" on them. I'm selling them for $2. Here are a couple of pictures:

Also, I am selling catalog items through Nature's Vision, an environmentally friendly fundraising company. The catalog includes shirts, jewelry and accessories, water bottles, mugs, garden supplies (including flowers and bulbs), kitchen supplies, beach towels, fleece blankets, candles, and more. I will earn a 40% commission from what I sell, and on top of that, many of the items donate a certain percent to organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, Animal Planet, and the Humane Society of the United States.

Picture courtesy of: http://www.naturesvisionfundraising.com/

To view the catalog, go to http://www.naturesvisionfundraising.com/artwork/NV_spring.pdf. If you are interested in ordering an item, email me at viridorari@yahoo.com with your name, address and phone number, the item's number, the name of the item, and if it is a shirt, what size you want. I can accept checks or cash for payment. I will be taking orders until April, so if there is a certain time you would like to receive your items by, please include that in the email as well.

As always, you can donate directly at any time on my CrowdRise website here. My first donation came from my lovely grandparents! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for supporting me.

I also owe a big thank you to the Ithaca College Environmental Society! This student club promotes environmental awareness and responsibility on our campus through education, activism, and stewardship, reaching out within our campus and to the Ithaca community. After attending an ICES meeting and presenting to the members and answering their questions, I have received the club's full support so that I can table at my school to educate the campus and hopefully receive donations. After presenting, a couple members expressed interest in joining the march as well! I am so thankful for ICES's support and I look forward to continuing to work with the club.

Another thank you to my residence floor! My hall mates have expressed a large interest in my initiative and have been buying my bracelets. You are the best support system ever! To read about my floor, the Sustainably Conscious Community, check out my RA's guest writing post.

A couple of my hall-mates sporting their bracelets! Thanks for the support! 

Picture courtesy of: Me

I am still in the process of contacting businesses and organizations and applying for sponsorships and grants. Stay tuned on Viridorari to keep up to date on my fundraising progress!

To learn more about the Climate March, go to www.climatemarch.org, and please email me with any questions! To see my original announcement, go here. 

Guest Writer: IC Sustainably Conscious Community

Today on Viridorari I am excited to have my Ithaca College residential hall RA, Rachel Gray, on the blog to talk about the floor that her and I both live on. Our floor is designated as the Sustainably Conscious Community, and unlike normal residential floors, we partake in special activities and programs to learn how to live sustainably. We are also required to do community service, and at the end of the semester we’ll turn in an essay about our experiences. So far I’ve had an amazing time living in the Sustainably Conscious Community, and everyone here is friendly and welcoming. But, before I give too much away, I’ll turn you over to Rachel and let her talk about it.

Ecofriendly Economics: Going Green at College

15 Ways for College Students to be Greener in their Dorm and on Campus

As a first time college student this semester living in a sustainably conscious residence hall, I am acutely aware of my impact on the planet and my ability to have a greater control over that impact, especially now that I'm living on my own. 

             Think about it, Freshmen. For the first time in your life, you have complete control over how you live and how you spend your money. That means you can have more control over how sustainable or unsustainable you are.

            So, in today’s Ecofriendly Economics section, I am providing fifteen ways that college students, like myself, can be more green in their dorm and everyday habits. Ithaca College students: look for the bold sections to see information that specifically relates to our college and the Ithaca area.