Get in the Giving Spirit

In 2016, the United Nations launched their bold and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this agenda, there are 17 sustainable development goals focusing on wiping-out poverty, fighting inequality, and tackling climate change.

As the holiday season descends upon us, with the second night of Hannukah tonight, and Christmas, Winter Solstice and Kwanzaa in a little over a week, it is officially time to get in the spirit of giving. That being said, here are some ways you can tackle at least one of these 17 sustainable development goals this holiday season. 

Goal 1: Donate to End Poverty, an organization focused on ending poverty through microenterprise. 

Goal 2: Contribute your time to volunteer for or send in a donation to the Sodexo Stop Hunger Program. 

Goal 3: Donate to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that delivers emergency medical aid to impoverished, disease-stricken countries worldwide.

Goal 4: Donate to or become a child sponsor at Save the Children, an organization focusing on providing worldwide education.

Goal 5 + 10: This holiday season, reflect on the times that maybe you haven't been so open-minded and accepting. Then make a change in 2018. Being kind is easy.

Goal 6: Help fund the building of clean water sources in Africa by donating to The Water Project.

Goal 7: While the cost of solar panels and windmills is far too steep for the average person to afford, investing in switching the lightbulbs in your house from incandescents to LEDs or CFLs can save 5 to 10 times the amount of energy expended. 

Goal 8: While there is not much you can do to help economic growth in other countries, you can educate yourself. In most places in the world besides the United States, the average person lives on about $2 a day. To put this in perspective, the average meal costs about $12.75 in the United States. 

Goal 9: Donate or volunteer your time to Construction for a Change, an organization that focuses on building necessary infrastructure such as medical buildings and schoolhouses in impoverished areas of the world. 

Goal 11: Talk to a town councilman or councilwoman about the sustainable projects currently in the works in your town and how you can contribute. Remember, you can always start your own!

Goal 12: Make it your New Years Resolution to be a responsible and thoughtful consumer. Remember, we only have one planet and change starts with one person. 

Goal 13: Become a member of the Climate Action Campaign to stop climate change. You can also donate and/or volunteer at one of their events!

Goal 14 + 15: Make it your goal to only consume sustainably caught and killed seafood, meat and poultry.

Goal 16: Don't be a bystander to injustice. See something, say something.

As you can see, it is incredibly easy to get involved this holiday season. From taking a moment to reflect on your own actions, to donating to an organization or even volunteering, you can make a difference. Remember, change begins with one person, so be the change you want to see in the world and others will follow. 

Happy Holidays! Chag Sameach! Likizo Furaha!

Things to be Thankful for: Access to Clean Water

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things we are grateful to have, like family and great helpings of food on our plates. However, rarely do we think about those things we take for granted each day that people all over the world don't have access too-- like clean drinking water.

Currently 884 million people in the world lack access to safe water supplies. Of those 884 million, more than 840,000 of them will die this year from a water-related disease. Not to mention, every minute a child dies of a water-related disease.

In the United States, we are incredibly fortunate to have access to clean water right at our fingertips. Unlike in developing countries, we have drinking water running through every faucet! We don't have to worry about where our next drink will come from or if it will be contaminated. In areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa, women spend their days collecting water from sources miles away from their village that are often polluted.

However, access to clean drinking is not just a problem affecting third world countries. After Hurricane Maria hit the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico in December, there have been long lasting issues with the water system. This has left 70% of the island without clean drinking water since the occurrence. Medical professionals across the island have seen an influx in patients exhibiting gastrointestinal illnesses characteristic of those contracted from contaminated water. Among the more serious are the 74 cases of leptospirosis-- a dangerous bacteria caused by rat feces-- including 2 reported deaths.

This Thanksgiving we should be grateful for our unlimited access to clean drinking water, a privilege not everyone in the world has.

Get Local or Get Goin'

Rensselaer Dining Services is committed to working closely with local produce distributors to maximize the fruits and vegetables purchased from local farms. As part of the Get Local program by Sodexo and Better Tomorrow Plan, Rensselaer Dining Services is aiming to have 20% local purchases by 2020.

As part of our local sourcing initiative, we have committed to serving entirely locally sourced meals twice a month in our dining halls. These meals, as well as the ingredients and local providers from which they are sourced, are detailed to students on the brightly-decorated local boards found at the entrance of each participating dining hall.


Here is a list of some of our local providers:

Farm	Locations	Products
Carrot Barn	Schoharie, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Davenport Farms	Stone Ridge, NY	Sweet corn, broccoli, tomatoes, cantaloupes, peppers, squash, pumpkins, kale, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, watermelon
Wertman Farms	Melrose, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Miss Sydney’s	Feuro Bush, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Riccardi	Berlin, NY	Lettuce, basil, watercress, tomatoes
Yonder Farms	Troy, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Black Horse	Coxsackie, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Brizzell Farms	Latham, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Torrey Farms	Elba, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Farm at Miller Crossing	Hudson, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Bulich Mushrooms	Catskill, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Carioto Produce	Green Island, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Purdy & Sons	Sherburne, NY	Meat
Byrne Dairy	Lafayette, NY	Dairy
Rockland Bakery	Nanuet, NY	Baked Goods
Lakeside Farms	Ballston Lake, NY	Cider Donuts, Cider
Red's Best	Boston, MA	Seafood

15 Tips to Fight That Footprint!

http://www.globalstewards.org/reduce-carbon-footprint.htm

A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is a so-called greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere and essentially warming the plant. This is extremely dangerous for two obvious reason: (1) increased temperatures will melt the polar ice caps creating more water in the ocean and flooding coastal lands; and (2) increasing temperatures can cause hazardous environmental conditions for living beings (like humans). You can make a difference and help put a stop to global warming by decreasing your carbon footprint.

Here are 15 ways you can make a difference starting today:

1. Turn off the lights when leaving your dorm room.
A general rule of thumb for compact fluorescent lightbulbs is: if you will be out of a room for more than 15 minutes, turn it off.

2. Don't leave the water on when brushing your teeth.
Running the tap while brushing your teeth can waste 4 gallons of water.

3. Invest in a stainless steel or glass reusable water bottle.
Plastic water bottles account for most of the plastic waste produced in the United States. They come in a wide variety from disposable to reusable, and if you can, you should avoid them all. Plastic bottles frequently contain BPA, which has been linked to cancer in lab tests.

4. Eat locally-sourced foods.
It has been estimated that 13% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions result from the production and transport of food. Dining halls on the Rensselaer campus focus on providing locally sourced, fresh ingredients. The local Troy's Farmers Market held every Saturday is another great way to find local products.

5. Decrease your intake of beef and dairy.
Livestock farming produces from 20% to 50% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions. You can reduce your footprint by a quarter just by cutting down on red meats such as beef and lamb.

6. Recycle!!!
Recycling uses less energy and produces less pollution than making things from scratch. For example, making aluminum cans from old ones uses one twelfth of the energy to make them from raw materials. Recycling bins can be found all over campus! Be sure to look for them before disposing of recyclable items in the trash.

7. Minimize driving by walking, biking, public transportation and carpooling.
According to The Rideshare Company, the average American spends 18 days of the year in a car, each car emitting its own weight in carbon dioxide. Instead of driving your car from your dorm or off-campus house to class, how about walking or taking the shuttle? Shuttle stops can be found all around the campus vicinity and you can even track the location of the shuttle on your iPhone!

8. Unplug electronics when done using them.
Electronics such as chargers continues to use power even if your cell phone/TV/labtop isn't attached, let alone charging. Power supplies don't just convert energy; they consume it. Don't forget to unplug your phone/laptop charger when you leave your dorm room in the morning!

9. Compost your food waste.
The decomposition of organics in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas that, according to the EPA, is 70 times more effective at trapping radiant heat than carbon dioxide. When it comes to global warming, composting directly reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) and other powerful greenhouse gases, like methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Compost bins can even be found in the Rensselaer Union!

10. Switch all your lightbulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.
One bulb can reduce up to 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution during its lifetime.

11. Ditch your desktop computer.
According to Energy Star, a laptop can be up to 80% more energy-efficient than a desktop. Looking for an energy efficient laptop? Rensselaer offers laptops at a discounted price to students!

12. Filter your own water.
Americans use about 50 billion plastic water bottles each year. However, the U.S.'s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billion worth of plastic – are wasted each year. Instead of consistently buying plastic water bottles, try investing in a Britta filter pitcher and filling it up with water from your dorm sink!

13. Plant a tree.
Trees provide shade and oxygen while consuming carbon dioxide. According to the Urban Forestry Network, a single young tree absorbs 13 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. That amount will climb up to 48 pounds annually as trees mature. Just one 10-year-old tree releases enough oxygen into the air to support two human beings.

14. Invest in a programmable thermostat.
In order to save energy inside your home when you aren't in it, a programmable thermostat can power off while you are gone. Moreover, adjusting your thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees when you're not home or you're sleeping can cut your energy use by as much as 15%, according to the Energy Department. Don't forget to shut off your AC or heat when leaving your room!

15. Use white trash bags for recycling instead of black ones.
Due to the pigmentation of black trash bags, they cannot be recycled. However, the white ones can.

See how easy it is to reduce your carbon footprint? :)

The Plastic Bag Pollution Solution

Over the last 10 years, we have produced more plastic than we have during the past century. Not to mention, more than 50% of the plastic that we produce gets used once and then thrown away. In fact, enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the Earth four times!

One of the least useful plastic products produced is, not surprisingly, the plastic bag. The average plastic bag has an average use time of only about 12 minutes before it is disposed of to remain in landfills, oceans and other places for thousands of years! Annually, approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. Not to mention, their production consumes copious amounts of fossil fuels which are non-renewable resources.

On the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus, we are no stranger to the plastic bag epidemic. At all retail locations on campus, plastic bags are offered to carry food and material items purchased. Recently, RPI Dining Services has begun handing out reusable tote bags to students signed up for a meal plan. These reusable, recyclable tote bags are made out of coated water-resistant polypropylene. They can be used to carry groceries, meals-to-go and even books and merchandise purchased at the campus store.

Here at RPI, we are taking the necessary steps in order to reduce the amount of plastic waste currently residing in landfills. Not to mention, providing students with free reusable tote bags!

Rensselaer Dining Services Brings Students Clean Water

On October 16th at about 6:00 pm, portions of the water system between Congress St. and Frear Park Road in Troy, NY lost pressure due to an emergency shutdown of a water main for maintenance purposes. Unfortunately, when the water mains lose pressure it increases the chance of untreated water or potentially harmful microbes entering the system. In light of this, Troy issued a voluntary boil water advisory for a few days until routine sampling of the water was completed to ensure safety.

This emergency situation has greatly impacted the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus. Students have been advised not to drink water from the sink in their residence halls or from any of the sinks or water fountains on campus. Due to the lack of available, safe drinking water on campus, Rensselaer Dining Services has partnered with Pepsi to bring free bottled water to campus residents. Students can get up to three bottles of water each day by showing their student ID at the Pepsi truck parked behind the Commons Dining Hall. Moreover, clean drinking water is available inside each of the dining halls, as well as juice and cans of soda. The Rensselaer Dining Services staff has been extremely accommodating to students during this tough time.

In light of all the mayhem occurring over the past two days, we must remember that 783 million people in the world today live without access to clean drinking water. This number equates to 1 in 9 people worldwide. While this may be a slight inconvenience for the students of RPI and the citizens of Troy, NY, we should remain very grateful that we have the luxury of access to clean and safe drinking water on a daily basis

Reusable Mugs: an investment in the future

On average, Americans throw away 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups every year. Considering styrofoam cannot be completely recycled, most of it disposed of today will still be found in landfills 500 years from now! Don't jump to any conclusions though, paper cups aren't much better. According to Starbucks Global Social Impact Report, close to 4 million to-go cups end up in landfills annually. Why not recycle or compost them? Unfortunately, most paper cups, like Starbucks, are lined with plastic making them unable to be recycled or composted.

Rensselaer Dining Services has taken matters into their own hands by gifting a reusable mug to all students that sign up for a dining plan. These reusable mugs are made of BPA-free recyclable plastic and are manufactured in the USA. Not to mention, they are also microwave and dishwasher safe. To incentivize student use, Rensselaer Dining Services has offered $1.25 coffee refills when using the mug-- even cheaper than a small cup of coffee. Though there are no formal statistics reporting how many students actually use these mugs, as a member of the RPI community I see many students each day carrying their mug to the retail cafes on campus to fill-up on coffee before class. 

Diminishing styrofoam and paper waste is a colossal challenge that demands the attention of people all over the world. However, the efforts taken by small communities is the first step to conquering this problem. Here at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, we are taking the steps towards becoming the change the world needs and in doing so we hope to inspire other campuses around the country to do the same.

Campus Composting is in Style

Here at Rensselaer, we are no stranger to food waste. On a campus comprised of over 5,000 students and 14 different dining locations, there is always going to be an unfortunate amount of food waste produced. Our latest efforts to mitigate the damage caused by food waste involves repurposing it a.k.a composting! Students dining in our largest retail location, the Rensselaer Union have the opportunity to compost their leftover food instead of ditching it in the garbage can. Students can find clearly labeled compost bins in the McNeil Room of the Rensselaer Union as well as posters detailing what can and can't be composted.

For those of you unfamiliar with this term, composting is the act of repurposing food by means of decomposition into soil (called compost). The idea behind this is that organic matter, basically, anything that was once living, will eventually decompose. Hence, you can compost anything that was once living or that was derived from living things, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meat, poultry, and fish. You can even compost coffee ground, tea bags, and napkins! Each day the contents of the compost bin are collected and set to decompose at a separate location in Troy for a period of time. The soil (compost) that is produced by the decomposed food is then used in a local Troy garden to grow delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Besides all the food waste that is being diminished at Rensselaer, we also focus largely on recycling. Right next to our compost bins in the McNeil of the Rensselaer Union are recycling bins with posters detailing what can and can't be recycled. All of our plastic to-go containers can be placed in the recycling bins and well as all of the plastic and glass beverage bottles. Student's can also dispose of their used paper, magazines, and newspapers in the recycling bins. 

Theoretically, between composting and recycling, very few things should end up in the garbage cans at the end of the day. However, it is in your hands to make sure you are disposing of your waste properly! It is never too late to take a step towards becoming a more sustainable campus community.

Sustainable Seafood: Freshness minus the Foolishness

Retrieved from redsbest.com

Sustainable seafood is defined as seafood that is either caught or farmed in ways that consider the long-term vitality of harvested species and the well-being of the oceans, as well as the livelihoods of fisheries-dependent communities. Red's Best, a Boston-based distributor of fresh seafood has partnered with Rensselaer dining services to bring students just this. The company's mission is to provide freshly caught seafood from American waters while supporting the livelihood of small-time American fishermen. This partnership comes as part of Sodexo North America's 2015 initiative to serve 100% certified sustainable seafood in line with their Better Tomorrow Plan. 

Specifically, Sodexo of North America outlines 5 key pillars to their sustainable seafood plan:

1. Maintain a wide variety of species in Sodexo's catalogues and menus
2. Ban species at risk and implement control measures for others
3. Increase use of Eco-standards or labels
4. Set up supply for sustainable aquaculture
5. Develop sourcing according to an established technical agreement between Sodexo and WWF

Retrieved from nytimes.com

Unlike other wholesale retailers who's fish rarely was caught in U.S. water, Red's Best upholds these pillars by sourcing their seafood from fishermen located across different areas of Massachusetts and Alaska. These fishermen also focus on in-season fish and small vessel fishing ensuring that over-fishing doesn't occur and species are in their peak season when being harvested-- two main criteria of sustainable fishing.  This affords the opportunity to distribute a plethora of in-season species of freshly caught fish available in Russell Sage Dining Hall and Commons Dining Hall on the Rensselaer campus every Friday. Not to mention, you can actually scan an RSS code on your smartphone to see where the fish you are eating was caught and what species of fish the fillet is. 

The Zero Waste Initiative: saving the world one less landfill at a time

Currently, the average American throws away about 4.5 pounds of trash each day. To put this in perspective, as a country, we could fill 63,000 garbage trucks with trash produced in one day. This sets us in the position of one of the top waste producers in the entire world! Not exactly something to brag about.

Retrieved from Ecocycle.com

You may ask, what's the big deal with trash? Well, the problem boils down to one simple fact: we do not have enough non-renewable resources to continually supply the energy and materials needed to completely reproduce the products thrown away. In fact, if every country consumed resources at the same rate as us, we would need 5 planets just to keep up.

This is why it is imperative that society makes a switch to zero waste. Here at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, we have already taken measures to follow the "Zero Waste Initiative" by recycling, composting, and simply reducing the amount of waste we produce. The "Zero Waste Initiative" is a philosophy that encourages the re-use of products in order to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills and ultimately conserve resources.

This past weekend at Rensselaer's 2017 Commencement, NO trash was disposed of to be sent to landfills. Instead, recycling and compost cans were scattered around the event to collect any disposable items. Sodexo has also ensured that recycling bins can be found in all dining halls around campus and retail cafés on campus even recycle coffee grounds!

While all this is really awesome, especially on a college campus, we can't do it without you. All it takes is a group of empowered students to really make a change on campus. So next time you see a compost bin or recycling bin, make you sure you take advantage of it and help dimish the amount of trash we throw away here at Rensselaer.