September 2022

Introducing the Green Badge Program!

Have you ever wanted to become more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable, but didn't know where to start? Weber State has created a NEW program that incentivizes students, faculty, and staff to make their lives more sustainable and increase their knowledge of 8 different aspects of sustainability topics by earning monthly badges. Each month focuses on a different aspect of sustainability and participants earn badges by completing actions related to that theme. Available actions vary from attending virtual and in-person events, reading/watching educational material, making changes at home, volunteering, and more.

Start earning your Green Badges today. Get recognized and rewarded for earning five or more badges at the annual Sustainability Awards Ceremony!

Email greenbadge@weber.edu for more information.

Be a Carbon Neutral Commuter

91¶ÌÊÓƵ is committed to being carbon neutral by the year 2040. To date, 91¶ÌÊÓƵ has cut its total carbon footprint by 62% but our emissions associated with students, faculty, and staff commuting to and from the university still remain high and represented 42% of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ's total footprint in 2021-2022! To be a part of the solution please consider using alternative forms of transportation to get to campus and/or contribute to the purchase of carbon offsets to reduce your impact. A carbon offset is an action or project (such as the planting of trees or carbon sequestration) that compensates for the emission of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Offsets are measured in tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent. The average 91¶ÌÊÓƵ parking pass holder emits over two tons of greenhouse gases annually commuting to and from the university. 

When you purchase your parking pass this year please select the "Add Carbon Offset" option to contribute to the carbon offset fund. All contributions will be matched by 91¶ÌÊÓƵ's Energy & Sustainability Office! If your parking pass purchase is on autorenewal, or if you do not purchase a parking pass but would like to help, you can still contribute by and then select "Add Carbon Offset" as depicted in the screenshots here. To learn more, please visit our sustainability website or contact Sustainability Manager, Jenn Bodine at (801) 626-6421.

Transportation ElectrifiedBlue car in front of an EV charging station outside of a Weber State brick building.

On August 25th, 91¶ÌÊÓƵ hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony debuting the new Wildcat Shuttle bus route which will be serviced by clean all-electric buses. This route is a segment of the Ogden Express Bus Rapid Transit line (OGX) which will ultimately continue to the Frontrunner Station by the end of next year. Being all-electric, the shuttle is extremely quiet and produces no direct emissions which is a great solution for our air quality along the Wasatch Front. As an added bonus, it is free to park at the Dee Events Center and ride the shuttle which runs every 10 minutes from 6:30 am - 8:30 pm, Monday–Friday. 

91¶ÌÊÓƵ is also supporting all-electric transportation by transitioning its own fleet over to plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles as well as making electric vehicle charging stations available to the public. Stations are located throughout the Ogden Campus and at the Davis Campus and Community Education Center located on 26th and Monroe in Ogden. Stations can be found on the and are available to anyone with any 91¶ÌÊÓƵ parking permit (e.g. there is no need to have an A permit to park in an A lot, just a valid 91¶ÌÊÓƵ permit). Charging costs 35 cents per hour and is limited to three hours per vehicle. 

Free and Discounted Smart Thermostats are Back

Empower Northern Utah is back! Once again Weber State's Sustainability team is offering Weber and Davis County residents free and discounted smart thermostats. Discounted thermostats will be under $67 (originally $169) and free thermostats are available for qualified low- to moderate-income households. 
 
Discounted Smart Thermostats:
Registration for discounted Nest E smart thermostats is open on a first come first serve basis. Visit weber.edu/empower for more details, to find out if your home's heating and cooling system is compatible with the Nest E, and to register. Successful registrants will be invited to pick up their new thermostat on Saturday, October 1 from 9 – 11 am, at the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Davis Campus in Layton.  
 
Free Smart Thermostats:
The free thermostats for low- and moderate-income qualified households are distributed through the HEAT Program. For more information visit .
 
Empower Northern Utah is offered by Weber State Sustainability in partnership with UCAIR (Utah Clean Air Partnership), the HEAT Program, the Lawarence T. and Janet T. Dee Foundation, and others. The program is helping residents of Weber and Davis Counties cut utility bills, increase home efficiency and comfort, and to protect our environment. 

91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Garden Club

The Garden Club is one of four Sustainable Clubs at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ. It’s primarily focused on providing gardening education, teaching sustainable horticulture practices, and aiding in local food insecurity efforts. The Garden Club hosts events and workshops throughout the year regarding organic gardening techniques, plant care, composting, sustainable cooking and food practices, tree plantings, and xeriscaping. The 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Community Garden is located southeast of the Wildcat Village and is student-managed and operated. The fresh, organic produce harvested is donated to volunteers, Weber Cares Pantry, and to the local community. So far this summer, the garden has donated over 30 pounds of vegetables, fruits, and herbs to the Weber Cares Pantry on campus!

If you are interested in learning more about the Garden Club, future projects, receiving event notifications or would like to become a Garden Club member, please email gardenclub@weber.edu. 

Food Recovery NetworkBack of a car filled with about large preparation trays of food.

The campus Food Recovery Network averaged over 1000 pounds of food collected per month this summer. At the end of the summer semester, the grand total of all food collected from Sodexo and donated to the Lantern House (N. Utah’s largest homeless shelter) was 3,605 pounds of food. The weight is the equivalent to 3,005 plates of food. The food recovered was also valued to roughly $5,470. The Food Recovery Network at Weber State now has representation on the Food Recovery Network’s national board, the SAAB (Student Alumni Advisory Board). Food recoveries take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 - 3:30 pm.

If you are interested in volunteering to help, registration is available on . 

Anthropocene Focus of Fall Art ExhibitTop view of three plastic dinosaurs looking down into a lit hole.

September 2nd marked the opening of the exhibition “Constructs for the Anthropocene” by Seattle-based artist, Buster Simpson.  It is on through November 5th in the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery at Weber State. The artist will provide a public lecture on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at 6pm in the Kimball Arts Center, room 120.  

According to Simpson, "Constructs for the Anthropocene is a compilation of studio and public art projects addressing some of the prime concerns of climate disruption. The selected constructs are examples of ecological and social actions, intended as suggested approaches for mitigating climate change effects through publicly sited art, in what could be considered an ecological call to arms.

The exhibition presents a wide range of tactics for addressing pressing issues such as: sea rise, migrating species, planet acidification, sequestration of greenhouse gases, potable water supplies, sustainable energy, and climate equity.

Creative thinkers are well equipped to engage with complex issues and communicate the urgency of human impact on our planet. The Anthropocene Epoch is of our making and will require us all to transition creatively to an adaptive future that is both life-sustaining and poetic."

Sustainability EducationA student wearing a blue shirt raising his hand. We see him from behind.

Faculty! Help support Weber State’s goal to further sustainability education across campus. All disciplines, perspectives and skills are needed to address the collective sustainability challenges we face (such as those included in the Anthropocene exhibition described above) and improve life for all.

With the SUS course attribute, faculty indicate that their course or course section addresses sustainability, broadly defined, in some way.  A course may focus on a vast array of issues, topics, tools and approaches in the intersecting environmental and social/economic aspects of sustainability. The SUS attribute signals to students that a class includes sustainability-focused learning outcomes. 

Formally incorporating sustainability into the classroom offers students context on how to incorporate sustainability into their daily lives, whether at school, work, home or play, as well as the necessary tools to make positive change from local to global scales.  Students can search for the SUS attribute during registration and find a list of SUS classes here.

Application deadline for the SUS attribute to be used on Spring 2023 91¶ÌÊÓƵ classes is Monday, October 3.  The application process involves three simple steps (your syllabus, a form, and submission in Curriculog).  The “Why, What, and How” of the attribute and all necessary links to apply can be found here. Successful applicants may retain the SUS attribute on their course/section for five years before renewal.  Faculty are invited to participate in SUS application workshops on Monday, September 26 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm, or Thursday September 29 from 1:30-2:30 pm. Click here for more information. Contact the SUS Attribute Committee Chair, Alice Mulder, at amulder@weber.edu with any questions.

Green Team UpdateThree women standing in front of a tree with red leaves, bare from leaves falling off and covering the green grass.

The Green Department Program has exciting opportunities and resources planned for this Fall! Stay tuned for more information. If your Green Team wants to set up a meeting to get reestablished or if you are interested in having your department or office join the Green Department Program, please email analeahvaughn@weber.edu. The Green Department Program is a voluntary, competitive, and incentive-based program for faculty and staff. The goal of the Green Department Program is to foster a sustainability-minded culture on campus and help Weber State achieve its energy efficiency and sustainability goals. For more information about the program, please see the . In addition, the program has a variety of resources available to all of the campus community such as a Green , , and other printable Green Information and Resources. Visit the Green Department Program website to learn more. 

Congratulations to the following departments that have moved up to Green V3.0 level certification as of this fall: Davis Student Involvement & Leadership, Human Resources, and 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Computer Labs. Additionally, the Division of Online and Continuing Education (DOCE) in Hurst 101 as well as Women and Gender Studies leveled up to Gold, DOCE in Hurst 102 leveled up to Silver. We celebrate them and their dedication to making Weber Green. 

Water Warrior ProgramA green patch of grass with bushes and trees littering the landscape. A sprinkler is on and covering the majority of the visible grass with it's spray.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ's Energy and Sustainability Office annually partners with the landscape shop for the Water Warrior Program. The Water Warrior program incentivizes landscapers around campus to reduce water consumption by improving the irrigation system's efficiency through irrigation auditing and upgrades. 

Every five years, rather than performing upgrades to individual irrigation zones, the program focuses on auditing as many areas as possible, so that we have an average distribution uniformity around campus. This allows us to judge how effective the program is. 
This year the program has completed audits on 90 irrigation zones throughout campus. In the past, areas that have been upgraded through the Water Warrior program have seen anywhere from a 20-50% reduction in water consumption, while at the same time maintaining, or improving the aesthetics of the landscape.

Events

September 13 - Until gone 
Empower Northern Utah's free and discounted smart thermostat program
Register online at weber.edu/empower

September 25-October 1

September 26

1:30 – 2:30 pm Shepherd Union Atrium

September 27

3:30 - 5:00 pm

September 27
"Market-Based Solutions to Addressing Climate Change"                                                                   with Former U.S. Representative, Bob Inglis, 
Executive Director of republicEn.org, Energy Optimists, Climate Realists
5:30 pm Lindquist Hall 101, pizza available at 5 pm

September 29
“Volts and Bolts: Auto Tech in the Electric Vehicle Age”
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Layton Campus in building D2, room 110

September 30

11:00 am – 1:00 pm 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Davis

October 1
Empower Nothern Utah free and discounted thermostat program 
Thermostat pick up (for those who have pre-purchased) at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Davis Campus 

October 8
Zero Waste Football Game
12:00 pm @ home

October 14
Sustainable Clubs Meeting
1:30 - 2:30 pm Wildcat Theater

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