Green Team

Action

• Contra Dance
  • Green Team is working with R.E.A.C.H. (Respect, Education, Action, Community, Hope), another student organization, to put on a UMaine ContraDance.  The event will be on Thursday November 18th at 7pm in Estabrooke Hall.  The dance is free, but donations are gladly accepted.  The Rusty Strings will be playing, and John McIntire will be calling.  Find the event on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156819644335678
• Green Film Series
  • Green Team is showing a series of films on the subject of sustainability ranging in subjects from peak oil to agribusiness to bottledwater. We hope these filmsincrease the level of ecoliteracy at UMaine by showing people the urgency of the world’s environmental problems as well as ways that these problems are being addressed.

• UMaine Compost Program
  • Green Team is asking the university administration to create an on campus, university run composting program. While Black Bear Dining currently composts behind the scenes, the material is outsourced to a site over 15 miles away in Hudson, ME.  At present, the university cannot compost any additional material without facing increased costs.  The Green Team feels there is a great opportunity to initiate a university run compost program.   This program could use a formerly active compost site at the J.F. Witter Farm.  After some initial advocacy, “UMaine is seriously considering the purchase of a thing called the Earth Bin System made by Green Mountain Technologies.”   These bins would allow larger amounts of material (1/4 to 2 tons per day) to be composted and mixed on site, asopposed to our current system of transporting smaller 30 gallon drums.  The operational details of this program are yet to be decided, but because Dining already composts, the implementation will most likely be smooth.  FMI on Earth Bins, please visit: http://www.compostingtechnology.com/invesselsystems/earthbin/

• Single Stream Recycling
  • Green Team has been working to change Umaine’s recycling program from a “multi-stream” system to a “single stream” system.  Single stream is a modern method of recycling that makes recycling easier, increases the number of materials that can be recycled, and boosts recycling rates.  Umaine already recycles well, but single stream will be a huge improvement.

• Plastic Use Reduction
  • Green Team is trying to reduce the use of plastic on campus by working with organizations such as Black Bear Dining to find alternatives to disposable plastic.
  • http://www.plasticsoup.org/
    
    
• Free Student Garden
  • Green Team would like to see more green around campus, both inside and outside.  As part of this, we are supporting an effort to replace the filthy fountain in the union with terraced plant beds.  The idea is that students will grow and maintain the garden, providing a beautiful and rewarding, year round, learning experience to anyone interested in growing food.
  • Danielle’s Blog: http://sustainme2010.wordpress.com/
  • Maine Campus Article: http://mainecampus.com/2010/02/08/student’s-capstone-could-lead-to-flora-in-the-fountain/
  • Sign the PETITION:  http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/freestudentgarden/

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