Campus Sustainability

Earth Week Around the World

April 22 is a day that more than a billion people celebrate now. Earth Day is meant to bring awareness to problems the Earth faces, like pollution and deforestation. The first Earth Day was in 1970 when Senator Gaylord Nelson organized an event to show the large support for environmental issues throughout the United States. […]

Read more

LEED Certification: What It Means (On and Off Campus)

LEED Certified buildings are an important part of sustainable development around the world. Buildings becoming more sustainable can result in energy saving, safe structure, and enhancing the community standards. These buildings are an important part of addressing climate change and accomplishing ESG goals. These buildings really support more equitable communities as well.  There are four […]

Read more

Why Should You Get Outside

Getting outside during this time of the year can be difficult because of the cold and the overwhelming speed of the spring semester. With this, the benefits of going outside can be difficult to see, but there are so many mental and physical health reasons to take an adventure outside in this cold.  February is […]

Read more

Experiences Instead of Gifts

The holidays have arrived, gifts are running back and forth between friends and family and everyone is stressed about the perfect gift to get their special someone. There is a new idea going around that is sustainable and interesting for new gift giving. Giving someone an experience as a gift is a new option that […]

Read more

Composting at the University of Maine

Off Rangeley Road, behind the Printing and Mailing Services, there is a hidden gem on the University of Maine’s campus. It’s forty feet long, one of a kind, nine years old, and costs $140,000.  It is the University of Maine’s composting system. This composter takes in 4500 to 5000 pounds of food from the dining […]

Read more

Buying Locally and Seasonally: How It Benefits the Consumer

Thanksgiving is coming up, which is an important American holiday that focuses on food, giving thanks, food, gratitude, food, and, of course, food. As we think about how grateful we are, we should also wonder where that turkey came from this year, and who grew the corn. Buying locally and seasonally are two ideas that […]

Read more

Palm Oil – What is it and why is it important?

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that is extracted from the fruit of oil palm trees around the world, including South America, Asia, Indonesia, and Africa. It is in close to 50% of the packaged products we have, from chocolate to shampoo to biofuel. (WWF) It is extremely versatile and has many useful properties. […]

Read more

Egg Carton Bats hanging on a chandelier

Sustainable Decoration and DIY Halloween Ideas

It’s the time of year when the spooky elements start coming out and the leaves start falling from the trees. That probably means you’re thinking about decorations for your room, your door, your lawn, or your apartment. You’re probably even stalking that one special decoration at Walmart or Target in hopes that it goes on […]

Read more

Happy Earth Day Graphic

Earth Day: Why is it Important?

As many of you may already know, on April 22nd we will be celebrating Earth Day. However, some of you might be wondering how we came to celebrate it? The easiest place to start is at the beginning, or rather, a little before the beginning technically. The first Earth Day was 51 years ago on April 22nd, 1970, but we need to look back a little further to understand how Earth Day started. For those of you who have read our article on Women’s History Month this is going to sound pretty familiar.

Read more

Moose affected by the tick uprise

David vs. Goliath, The story of Moose and Winter Tick

Moose may be some of the most intriguing animals in the entire world. Moose populations have always been important ecologically and culturally in much of the northern United States (Ellingwood, 2018). In the northern New England states there are currently over 60,000 moose spread throughout the region. Sadly moose populations have not been faring well due to a small but destructive enemy. Ticks. The emergence of these tiny terrors has had terrible impacts on the populations of moose.

Read more