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STUDENT OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

Monthly Newsletter • April 2013

A BRIEF BLURB ON BeesBY ELLEN E. SORENSON

Brighten Your DayWITH A SOLAR ARRAYBY GREGORY T. NELSON

APRIL 2013

The largest project this year, and ever, for

the Student Office of Sustainability has been

a commitment to install a solar panel array

on campus. McIntyre Library, like much of the

rest of campus, will be getting a makeover,

as the panels will be installed on the roof of

this central building. Most of the panels will

be in the top plateau of the roof, but two rows

of panels will be installed on the angled skirt

that can be seen on top of the library. This will

allow them to be seen from much of lower

campus.

In total, 160 panels will be installed and

the array will be a 40kW system estimated to

generate 47,000 kWh of electricity annually.

This project is the product of a successful

collaboration between the Student Office of

Sustainability and Facilities Management, and

we hope to continue this trend to increase

renewable energy on campus. The current

plan is to get the array installed over the

summer, so hopefully come fall we will be

harvesting sun beams!

Seymour’sSustainableLIFESTYLETIPS:

• RIDE YOUR BIKE AND CARPOOL

• UTILIZE A RAIN BARREL FOR RAINWATER

• PROPERLY DISPOSE OF WASTE AFTER OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

• SHOP AT THE FARMERS MARKET

• USE THE SUNLIGHT AS OPPOSED TO ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

• DRY YOUR CLOTHES OUTDOORS

Believe it or not but the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has just started it’s third year of having honey bee hives! The Foodlums, a student organization dedicated to working towards a sustainable food system, started the honey bee hives with the Student Office of Sustainability’s support. Three years ago, student beekeepers attended the Dunn County Beekeeping all-day workshop to learn about the in’s and out’s of beekeeping. This provided them with the knowledge and some hands-on expert help from one of their advisors Dr. Joe Hupy. These hives are carefully taken care of throughout the four seasons by the Foodlums.

SUMMER

EDITION

The Foodlums have given multiple presentations about the benefits of urban beekeeping and the value honey bees bring for our food supply but also our pollination needs. Without honey bees we would not have the vivid colors of the rainbow in our fruits, vegetables and flowers. Honeybees are responsible for pollinating two-thirds of our food supply, and they are slowly disappearing. Honey bee populations have been down since 2005; we need to make conscious efforts to help save the honey bee populations. You can help! Plant a pollinator habitat full of bright floral native species of flowers. You can also help through supporting local beekeepers in your area by purchasing their honey. You will be able to taste the difference, as the honey will take on the various flavors of the local plants. Honey from the Eau Claire area has clover and goldenrod influences if the honey is harvested in the fall. If the honey is harvested during the summer months the honey takes on a beautiful influence on native floral flowers and is extremely smooth. The Foodlums and the Student Office of Sustainability is looking for a student beekeeper this fall semester. If you have any interest in learning about bees, coming to the honey harvest or would like to be the beekeeper please contact Ellen Sorenson sorensee@uwec.edu or Dr. Joe Hupy hupyjp@uwec.edu or Greg Nelson nelsongt@uwec.edu

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Student Office of Sustainability • March 2013 • Monthly Newsletter

APRIL 2013

Squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can. This is an anaerobic process, meaning the fermentation of your compost must occur with as little air as possible.

Tie the bag shut with the rubber band, tight enough to prevent outside air and microbes from entering, yet loose enough to allow CO2 gas to escape as a byproduct of the fermentation.

Keep your compost bag in the sun so that it may soak up some rays and get hot during the day. The bag will hold in heat over night.

Within in a couple weeks, your compost should be ready to use! If not, you may add more sugar to boost the process.

MERCURY CONTAMINATIONin FISH PREVAILSBY MARIAH E. DORNER

In the midst of summertime and the fishing season, it is important for every fisher-person to be aware of environmental risks associated with consuming their catch. Most of us have heard of mercury contamination in fish, but the levels of toxicity are not consistent from location to location.

Mercury is released into the environment through a variety of human-related activities. Many thermometers, thermostats, and compact fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury. Also, many electronics contain trace amounts of the heavy metal. A significant amount of these things are not disposed of properly; in fact, only about 2 percent of household CFLs are recycled properly nationally. These items can end up in landfills, or as trash to energy power plants, where mercury is released into the environment. Coal-fired plants release mercury gas into the air. Air-borne mercury settles onto the ground and into lakes and rivers where it makes its way, through various mechanisms, into the bodies of the fish we eat.

“The reason that every freshwater body and most of the New England coast has a mercury warning is from trash-burning or coal-fired plants,” said Johan C. Varekamp, an earth science professor at Wesleyan University. “It’s amazing that even in the most pristine places — such as northern Maine — you can’t eat the fish every day because it’s relatively high in mercury.”

Mercury is a dangerous pollutant, because it can attack the central nervous system and damage the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and

Make Your OwnSOLAR COMPOST FERTILIZERBY MARIAH E. DORNER

Materials:• Active dry yeast (bread yeast), 5 packets• Kitchen waste, grass, leaves, paper, other compostable materials• Water• 5 pounds sugar• A large, thick, black garbage bag• A sunny location and warm weather• Measuring cup (2-cups or 500 mL)• 5-gallon bucket• Rubber band

Add five gallons of biomass (Kitchen waste, grass, leaves, paper, other compostable materials) to the black garbage bag. Be careful not to punch a hole in the bag.

Fill the five gallon bucket about two-thirds full with room temperature water and add five pounds (2.26 kg) of sugar. Mix well.

Add five tablespoons of dry active bread yeast to the sugar solution. This is about 5 packets worth.

Pour the sugar, water, and yeast solution into the garbage bag with the biomass. The contents of the bag should be soaking wet. If they are not, you may need to add more water.

immune system. Developing fetuses and small children are especially susceptible, and mercury can cause neurological and developmental damage.

Attempts to curb mercury pollution include tighter emissions restrictions and encouraging proper recycling. Yet, one study done in Connecticut last year found that, of eight bodies of water studied, at least 70 percent of the fish sampled contained toxic mercury levels of at least 0.5 parts per million. Safe levels of mercury are at or below 0.2 parts per million. It is generally recommended that a person consumes no more than two fish-containing meals per week, however the contamination of the fish depends on where it came from and what kind of fish it is.

For more information on mercury and fish safety check out this article from the EPA: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/outreach/advice_index.cfm

“Unhealthy Mercury Levels Persist in Connecticut Waterways and Fish- The New Haven Register – Serving New Haven, Connecticut.”New Haven Register. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2013. <http://nhregister.com/articles/2013/04/19/news/doc5170252a6b4d9348329520.txt?viewmode=3>.

“What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish.”Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2013. <http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/outreach/advice_index.cfm>.

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When your compost is done, the liquid portion can be used as liquid plant booster. Mix one tablespoon of the compost juice to one gallon of water. This fertilizer can be sprayed or poured onto plants to promote healthy growth and discourage pests. Left over solids may be removed and used in your next solar compost bag, or may be saved for regular composting. Your compost juice can also serve as a source of live yeast culture for your next batch of solar compost.

This project was adapted from the book Recycling Projects for the Evil Genius by Russel GehrkeCheck it out for other cool green project ideas!https://s3.amazonaws.com/scaredcrow-pdf/Recycling%20Projects%20For%20the%20Evil%20Genius.pdf

Gehrke, Russel. “Solar-Powered Bag Composter.” Recycling Projects for the Evil Genius. N.p.: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 103-06. Web. <https://s3.amazonaws.com/scaredcrow-pdf/Recycling%20Projects%20For%20the%20Evil%20Genius.pdf>.

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Student Office of Sustainability • March 2013 • Monthly Newsletter

APRIL 2013

ALL ABOUT Solar PanelsBY EMILY A. ZUPON

HOW DO SOLAR PANEL ENERGY SYSTEMS WORK?1. Sunlight hits solar panels

2. Photovoltaic (PV) cells create electricity (direct current)

3. An inverter changes the direct current to an alternating current (the kind that is in our power lines and homes)

4. Electricity passes by a meter measuring the electricity from the solar panel

5. Electricity is fed to the house’s electrical system

6. A Net Meter measures how much energy is not being used

A Closer Look at a Solar Panel

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Student Office of Sustainability • March 2013 • Monthly Newsletter

APRIL 2013

MIS

SIO

N

CO

NT

AC

TThe SOS provides funding for projects that reduce UW-Eau

Claire’s negative impact on the environment and make UW-

Eau Claire a more sustainable campus. The SOS allocates

funding to projects addressing the various sustainability

areas of transportation, energy, waste, climate change, food

systems, campus ecology, environmental ethics, and outreach.

STUDENT OFFICE OF

SUSTAINABILITY

MEETINGS:

Tuesdays, 5 PM | Council Oak Room, Davies Center 260

DIRECTOR:

Ellen Sorensonstusen65@uwec.edu

NEWSLETTER DESIGN, SERENA S. WAGNER

The Student Office of SustainabilitySUMMER TO-DO LIST