sustainability

Food Justice Research Bears Fruit at Sustainability Symposium

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It’s easy to think of issues that revolve around plant and animal life, greenhouse gas emissions and clean drinking water when it comes to studying sustainability and environmentalism. But what about food justice?

The food justice movement examines disparities in food access and health outcomes while seeking ways to provide all with nutritious, affordable and culturally appropriate food. At the same time, it promotes sustainable food systems that prioritize local and ethical production, reducing reliance on industrial agriculture and its associated environmental costs including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and land degradation.

Enter Tali Deaner ’25. With her Senior Integrated Project (SIP) addressing food justice, she was among 12 Kalamazoo College students who recently presented their research at the 2025 sustainability SIP symposium, sponsored by the Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center and K’s environmental studies concentration.

SIPs at K are capstone experiences, a lot like a senior thesis. Students are free to design their own project within their personal and professional interests in partnership with an advisor, and they’re always presented within a department symposium that aligns with a student’s major or chosen subject matter.

In Deaner’s case, she first highlighted her work through the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. However, students like her also find opportunities to present in additional specialty symposiums, if they so choose, leading to Deaner’s participation in the sustainability seminar.

“We have a lot of people who care about sustainability at K, but they don’t always know what to do about that,” Deaner said. “This symposium helped me talk to new people and they seemed to react well to my research. I’m glad I had the opportunity to do it.”

Deaner first got interested in food justice at K while working as a Civic Engagement Scholar for Club Grub through the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement. Founded in 2009, Club Grub is an afterschool program at Kalamazoo Public Schools’ Woodward Elementary that explores healthful eating and gardening. Woodward and K students share experiences and ideas about what they eat and where their food comes from. Each week they make a snack or meal together, often inspiring the K and Woodward students to try a new food for the first time.

In her research, though, Deaner examines food justice from a historical perspective by looking at issues such as real estate redlining, food access and food apartheid, which have contributed to food injustice up to the present day. She hopes an examination of the past could help the city gain a better understanding of what Kalamazoo can do in partnership with local organizations going forward, so residents can have equitable access to nutritious, affordable and culturally appropriate food.

“My message to the city of Kalamazoo would be to listen to the people who are already doing the work,” she said. “Organizations like the foodbank Loaves and Fishes, Chartwells—which is the Kalamazoo Public Schools food provider—and the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Food Hub are doing some great things. But there’s a job for everyone. We need the involvement of people who pass out food at food banks, the fundraisers for local organizations, and the people at the Western Michigan University medical school, who map food access for the sake of pediatrics.”

Deaner’s project is one example of how the sustainability seminars are growing while including projects from various disciplines and continuing to build momentum through students and their advisors. This year alone, for example, Brooke Dolhay ’25 conducted research in the Philippines examining coral reefs there and why so many of them are dying; Lucas Priemer ’25 measured the circumference of specific trees at the Lillian Anderson Arboretum to estimate how much carbon they capture, showing the value of a forest in sustainability; and Westin Grinwis ’25 integrated traditional ecological practices into outdoor orientation programs such as K’s LandSea.

“I couldn’t have been prouder of this year’s presenters,” said Binney Girdler, a professor of biology and the director of K’s environmental studies program. “They worked really hard on their posters and narratives, and it showed. They knew their projects backwards and forwards; not one used or needed notes to give their presentation. After the event, I heard from several College and community members about how professional and engaging the students were. We had great turnout from younger students, friends, family, faculty, staff and community members. The fact that the event had such positive vibes when the subjects covered included so many dire problems humanity faces is entirely due to the passion and caliber of our sustainability minded students.”

Tali Deaner presents her food justice research at the 2025 Sustainability SIP Symposium
Tali Deaner ’25 was among 12 Kalamazoo College students who recently presented their research at the 2025 sustainability SIP symposium, sponsored by the Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center and K’s environmental studies concentration.
Student presents his sustainability Senior Integrated Project
Noah Pyle ’25 presents his research at the sustainability symposium.
Student presenting her sustainability poster
Ivy Walker ’25 presented her SIP on how the survival of Earth relies on a holistic approach to preserving and restoring nature’s most delicate and crucial biological systems.
Professor of Biology Binney Girdler addresses SIP projects including one on food justice
Professor of Biology and Director of Environmental Studies Binney Girdler addresses attendees of the 2025 sustainability SIP symposium.

Finding Trash, Making Treasure in ECO, Art Club Projects

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Art collaboration between Art Club and ECO Club
The ECO Club and Art Club got together to take recycling materials and express themselves in collaborative artwork for the sake of reducing waste.
Art Club ECO club collaboration
The two organizations used items such as cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, toilet paper tubes, plastic bags and egg cartons in creating art.
Art Club ECO club collaboration
Sustainability is an issue that unites many student organizations at Kalamazoo College, making collaboration natural.

Two Kalamazoo College student organizations took a cooperative approach to conservation this year by testing the theory that one person’s trash can be another’s treasure. 

The Environmental Conservation Organization (ECO) Club and Art Club got together to take recycling materials—such as cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, toilet paper tubes, plastic bags, egg cartons and more—and express themselves in collaborative artwork for the sake of reducing waste.  

Geneva Hannibal ’26, Claire Kischer ’26 and Gwen Crowder Smith ’26 have guided Art Club since the beginning of the calendar year with their president, Sage Lewis ’25, on study abroad. 

“Art Club is special to me because as a biology major, I won’t regularly be taking art classes,” Hannibal said. “I really love art, and as a first-year student, Art Club gave me and my friends the opportunity, space, and materials to continue doing art in college. Art Club was described to me as a place for everyone to participate in the visual arts, especially for those who aren’t in art classes.”  

She said Randa Alnaas ’27 of ECO Club was among the first to approach Art Club about working together. Saying yes to her was a no-brainer.  

“Like most people our age, all three of us value sustainability,” Hannibal said. “I think the success of this will be that more students are interested in Art Club and ECO Club. We’d love to see more people come to us with ideas like Randa did, even if it isn’t for collaborations with other student orgs. Anything that gets students inspired to take on leadership roles or help with events is a success.”  

Noah Pyle ’25, a task force leader for ECO Club, said busy schedules prevented cooperation between the groups last year, but once a get-together was on the calendar, securing materials proved to be easy. 

Art Club-ECO Club collaborate to make art
Noah Pyle, a task force leader for ECO Club, said busy schedules prevented cooperation between the groups last year, but once a get-together was on the calendar, securing materials such as cans, plastic bottles, and cardboard proved to be easy. 
Recycling materials collected for collaboration
Randa Alnaas of ECO Club was among the first to approach Art Club about working together. Geneva Hannibal said saying yes to her was a no-brainer. 
Art Club-ECO Club collaborate
“It’s nice being a part of ECO because sustainability is something that everyone cares about at K,” said Shahriar Akhavan Tafti (right). “The possibilities for collaboration here are almost limitless.” 
Finished product of the collaboration
Students can find more information about ECO Club at bit.ly/ECO-CLUB or on Instagram at @kzooeco. They also can check out Art Club on Instagram at @kzooartclub. 

“We sent out emails to say if you have these items, and you’re willing to clean and donate them for our event, we’d be more than happy to take them off your hands,” he said. “We ended up getting a decent amount of material. Just from that request, we received enough for people to be at the event the whole time and keep busy making their projects.” 

Shahriar Akhavan Tafti ’24 of ECO Club said the meetings with Art Club exemplified how K student organizations can come together in a liberal arts environment, foster a community that is environmentally conscious and artistically vibrant, and nurture a passion for the arts and sustainability.  

“It’s nice being a part of ECO because sustainability is something that everyone cares about at K,” he said. “The possibilities for collaboration here are almost limitless.” 

Students can find more information about ECO Club at bit.ly/ECO-CLUB or on Instagram at @kzooeco. They also can check out Art Club on Instagram at @kzooartclub. 

Students Plan Earth Week Events

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Environmentally focused students are leading Earth Week events at Kalamazoo College this year. 

Events will begin at 4 p.m. Friday, April 19, when K student organizations, the Environmental Stewardship Center and climate-action groups from around the city will gather for a climate rally at Bronson Park. Hear from sustainability-focused speakers and network with local environmentalists. The event is organized by Western Michigan University’s Climate Change Working Group and the ARDEA Youth Climate Coalition. K students interested in attending can gather in Red Square at 3:30 p.m. to walk to Bronson Park as a group. 

Also Friday, Camran Stack ’24 and the student composting crew will host the K community at The Grove, between the Living Learning Houses and the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, for some cathartic composting in Rot Your Troubles at 6 p.m. Write down your fears, troubles and pet peeves on compostable materials, and transform them into healthy and abundant soil that supports plant life. 

Then, join the student Bike Co-Op for a ride along the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail beginning at 4:10 p.m. Monday, April 22. Ten bikes are available through Outdoor Programs for student use on a first-come, first-served basis. The ride will depart from the Dewaters Hall parking lot. Or, if you want to enjoy nature a bit closer to campus, join Jessalyn Vrieland ’24 and the other Hoop House Interns from 4:30–6 p.m. for some gardening with food crops. By the way, watch for more information on a Hoop House After Dusk on Friday, April 26, in collaboration with the Kalamazoo College Council of Student Representatives (KCCSR). Dress up in earth tones, enjoy some snacks and have fun with crafts. 

Finally, the annual Senior Integrated Project (SIP) Symposium focused on sustainability will kick off with a keynote address at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in Dewing Hall, Room 103. Ashley Cole-Wick of the Michigan Natural Features Inventory will discuss her work to protect species of butterflies. Students then will present their SIPs in environmental studies, critical ethnic studies, biology and more at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, in the Hicks Student Center Banquet Room.  

Two students give a thumbs up at the Hoop House ahead of earth week
Earth Week events at Kalamazoo College are planned for Friday, April 19-Wednesday, April 24. Join Hoop House interns including Jessalyn Vrieland ’24 for an open house on Monday.

“Sustainability is about making a dedication to and caring for this Earth that has existed since before we were here,” Vrieland said. “It’s important to remember that what we do impacts the environment. It’s something that we should make space for and exist alongside rather than over.” 

For more information on Earth Week and other environmental efforts at the College, visit the Sustainability at K website. 

Start Spring with Worldwide Climate and Justice Education

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Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week, scheduled for April 1–8, has inspired faculty, staff and the Kalamazoo College Climate Action Plan Committee to conduct a series of campus events that will target environmental awareness as students return for spring term.

Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week is a global initiative sparking real dialogue on climate and justice on campuses and in communities around the world. Here’s what the campus community can do to participate.

  • All day Monday, April 1, is Meatless Monday at Welles Dining Center. Plant-based proteins are a promising alternative to traditional meat products because they impact the environment about 50% less than real meat. Explore a variety of proteins that you can integrate into your diet to determine what might work for you.
  • Fight climate anxiety from 5–6 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, at Bissell Theater by becoming an agent of progress against climate change. Participants will talk about the overwhelming feelings some have over environmental concerns. Discover how to channel anxiety into positive action and contribute to a more sustainable future.
  • Journey through K’s green spaces with a scavenger hunt from 11–11:45 a.m. Wednesday, April 3. Explore locations such as the Hoop House, Jolly Garden and the Grove. Gather stamps at every stop to track your path before heading to the Environmental Stewardship Center to redeem a reward. Prizes are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Also Wednesday, from 4:15–6 p.m., follow trails and get a guided tour of K’s Lillian Anderson Arboretum. Meet at Red Square for transportation to the arboretum.
  • At 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Dewing Hall Commons, discover K’s array of student organizations dedicated to environmental sustainability in Klimate Fest. Connect with like-minded individuals seeking a sustainable future and learn about their initiatives aimed at fostering a greener campus and community. Afterward, stay for popcorn and a film screening of Inhabitants: Indigenous Perspectives on Restoring our World beginning at 6:30 p.m.
  • Conclude the week with a climate conversation in Friday’s community reflection from 11 a.m.–11:45 a.m. at Stetson Chapel. K students, faculty and staff will share experiences and discuss climate solutions in a collaborative gathering to foster understanding and dialogue while reflecting on everyone’s role in a sustainable future.
Hoop House for Climate and Justice Education Week
Kalamazoo College’s Hoop House will be one of three sites on campus utilized in a scavenger hunt from 11–11:45 a.m. Wednesday, April 3, during Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week.
Three women set up electric fencing for grazing sheep
K’s Lillian Anderson Arboretum has recreational trails and is a great place for students to perform environmental research. Learn more about the arboretum in a tour from 4:15–6 p.m. Wednesday, April 3. Meet at Red Square for transportation.

For more information on these events, email the Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center at EnvironmentalStewardship@kzoo.edu.

Class Inspires Day of Fewer Cars with A Better Way to K

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Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff will take a step toward carbon neutrality while promoting healthier lifestyles and showing that sustainability matters to the campus community on Tuesday, May 16. The first A Better Way to K Day, planned through the Climate Action Plan Committee (CAP) and the Larry J. Bell ’80 Center for Environmental Stewardship, will invite anyone with business on campus to do anything other than drive on their own to K.

The idea for this event was initially brainstormed in the winter term as a “car-free day” in Professor of English Amelia Katanski’s Wheels of Change first-year seminar with input from City Planner and K alumna Christina Anderson ’98. The course explored how communities can build cycling infrastructure to better support residents.  

Carpooling, taking public transportation, walking, biking or running to get to the College all are encouraged for May 16, and participants who share social media posts with the hashtag #ABetterWaytoK will help spread awareness. Those with obstacles to these modes may still participate by spreading awareness of the day, reducing the number of car trips in a day or thinking critically about systems and what might need to change in our own lives, within K or within the community to make traveling without a car more accessible to everyone.  

“At the heart of the Kalamazoo College community is a commitment to sustainability, and our climate action plan is a commitment to achieving carbon neutrality,” Associate Vice President of Facilities Management and Chief Sustainability Officer Susan Lindemann said. “Finding alternative transportation to campus for A Better Way to K will impact both, while showing that a sustainable lifestyle is not only possible but valued and encouraged in our community.”  

climate
Professor of English Amelia Katanski’s Wheels of Change first-year seminar traveled for a week to Copenhagen, Denmark, to see how the city, one of the world’s best for cycling infrastructure, can provide examples from which Kalamazoo can learn. That class, along with City Planner Christina Anderson ’98, initiated the idea for a climate-targeted “car-free day” on campus. That idea became A Better Way to K Day, scheduled for Tuesday, May 16.

Commuters who want to learn how to use public transportation may contact Associate Bookstore Director Richard Amundson at Richard.Amundson@kzoo.edu for information on routes and tokens. Anyone looking to organize group walks or runs to campus may contact Director of News and Social Media Andy Brown at Andrew.Brown@kzoo.edu. Plus, students who live on campus may participate in A Better Way to K by spreading awareness and finding alternate ways to their off-campus jobs and sites around town. 

Sophomore Emerson Wesselhoff is spearheading student participation through CAP. 

“Initially, I was excited, but a bit confused by the idea of A Better Way to K,” Wesselhoff said. “I already live on campus and I don’t have a car. But I am going to participate by spreading awareness about the day and the reasons why it is so important. I will continue to walk to classes and make efforts to walk or bike to my off-campus job, the climbing gym and my other favorite Kalamazoo spots.” 

Based on recent car-count data from K’s Center for Environmental Stewardship, more than 500 cars are on campus every day. By decreasing that number even slightly, the K community can drastically decrease the carbon emitted from its passenger vehicles each year.  

One day, however, will only be the start of such community efforts that aid sustainability at K. CAP is asking those who participate in A Better Way to K Day—and those who don’t—to submit their reflections of the event along with what might have helped them or prevented them from participating to enable more efforts in the future. The short survey is available at the Sustainability at K website under Share Your Experience.  

“K can help students and our community make a difference in many global issues from across the street or around the world,” Lindemann said. “A Better Way to K will be a way to show we’re taking steps toward improving our climate and environment for everyone—now and for the future.” 

Natatorium Earns LEED Certification

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Kalamazoo College and TowerPinkster—an architecture, engineering and interior design firm—are celebrating that their combined efforts have led to LEED certification status from the U.S. Green Building Council for the College’s natatorium.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green-building rating system in the world. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership.

“The award of LEED certification punctuates the roll-out of the College’s updated Climate Action Plan, which leans heavily on energy reduction to meet its greenhouse-gas emission goals, as well as creating a healthier campus,” Kalamazoo College Associate Vice President of Facilities Management and Chief Sustainability Officer Susan Lindemann said. “This is a significant achievement toward that plan.”

The 29,600-square-foot, two-story natatorium opened in 2021. During the natatorium’s design and construction, the collaborators considered materials, efficient design, and the overall health of the facility’s users in their sustainable practices. The features and elements that led to LEED certification status include:

  • A light-toned roof that helps prevent heat from being reflected into the atmosphere.
  • Efficient rainwater and stormwater management that ensures runoff from storms up to a 98th percentile event will be retained onsite.
  • Low-flow plumbing fixtures installed to reduce the water used in toilets, showers and sinks.
  • Native-plant landscaping that eliminates the need for irrigation.
  • Heat systems that recover energy for the pool air and water.
  • Dedicated outdoor air systems that provide fresh air and efficient heat for spectator areas and locker rooms.
  • A chloramine evacuator system that uses vents to reduce air contaminants where swimmers breathe while preventing a chloramine build up in the building.
  • Bicycle infrastructure with indoor and outdoor parking spaces.
  • Additional energy and water meters to monitor the use of resources.
  • Construction practices that allowed 52 percent of the construction waste to be diverted from landfills.

The natatorium features eight competition lanes, a separate diving area with 1-meter and 3-meter boards, on-deck seating for athletes, a dryland training room, an office suite for coaches and meet management, a high-quality timing system and large scoreboard, varsity team locker rooms for swimmers and divers and a display space of awards in the lobby.

“The new natatorium is truly one-of-a-kind. Its design emphasizes the idea that buildings, which traditionally have a very heavy energy use, can be designed efficiently while still prioritizing the needs and health of student athletes,” said Perry Hausman, manager of mechanical engineering at TowerPinkster. “We are especially proud of the design choices Kalamazoo College selected to promote healthy indoor air quality for a facility type that is so often associated with odors. Congratulations to Kalamazoo College for this incredible honor and for their commitment to sustainable building initiatives.”

Take a virtual tour of Kalamazoo College’s natatorium.
The pool in the Kalamazoo College natatorium, which has earned LEED certification
K’s natatorium has earned LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Natatorium observation deck
Kalamazoo College’s natatorium features eight competition lanes, a separate diving area with 1-meter and 3-meter boards, on-deck seating for athletes, a dryland training room, varsity team locker rooms for swimmers and divers, and more.

Earth Day Connects Students, Environmental Justice

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Environmentalism and environmental justice, involving the deepening and healing of our relationship with the land while acknowledging injustices within our current systems and trying to envision and embody alternatives, are important for students such as Orly Rubinfeld ’20. Rubinfeld sees Earth Day, celebrated every April 22, as a day to reflect more deeply on why our reconnection to the land is so important and why we work for change.

Orly Rubinfeld Earth Day story page
Housemates Orly Rubinfeld (top left), Aiden Voss and Maya Gurfinkel; and Yasamin Shaker (bottom left) and Madeline Ward display some of the plants they’re growing in Kalamazoo.

“Earth Day is an opportunity to re-center on our values,” said Rubinfeld, an independent interdisciplinary major in Environmental Studies. “But we have to remember we have only one Earth and we’ve been pretty unkind to it. If we only pay attention one day a year, we won’t solve our environmental problems. And not just planetary problems but how climate change and other environmental injustices are disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities.”

This year, though, is adding a few challenges to K’s environmental efforts. For example, one way that students engage with food justice is through K’s gardens, including the hoop house. A hoop house, a little like a green house, is a year-round environment for growing vegetables, flowers and other cold-sensitive plants. With distance learning keeping students away from the campus hoop house, students are finding ways to bring that experience home.

Megan Earth Day Cold Frame Hoop House
Megan VanDyke ’22 assembled a cold-frame hoop house at her home in Seattle. The temporary structure stands just a few feet high, yet provides a similar environment to the hoop house at K.

Nora Earth Day plants
Nora Blanchard ’22, is tending to plants at her home this spring in Traverse City.

That’s where Rubinfeld and several students like her come in. She is one of eight housemates living in Kalamazoo’s Vine neighborhood this spring, sheltering in place together through Michigan’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order and continuing the work they began at the hoop house, a facility raised in fall 2018 through the Just Food Collective. The student organization, an effort of the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement, wants to increase student awareness about the challenges and inequities within the food system. This is done while targeting nutritional inequities, climate change and other environmental injustices.

Megan VanDyke plant
A plant begins to sprout at Megan VanDyke’s home in Seattle.

“Food insecurity has always been a problem,” Rubinfeld said. “But in this unique moment, well-resourced people are paying attention at unprecedented levels so I think that’s something we should try to take advantage of as we search for systems that allow people to have more sovereignty over their food systems.”

Rubinfeld and her friends, who all lived together in an environmental justice Living Learning House on campus their sophomore year, have taken on the responsibility of bringing home the lessons they learned at the hoop house to pots and planters on their porch and in their home.

“Our goal was to do something small where we are in our urban space,” Rubinfeld said.

And the Vine neighborhood roommates aren’t the only students planting this spring. Nora Blanchard ’22, is tending to plants at her home in Traverse City. Plus, Megan VanDyke ’22 assembled a cold-frame hoop house at her home in Seattle. The temporary structure stands just a few feet high, yet provides a similar environment to the hoop house on campus.

Efforts like these might seem small, but they represent how the spirit of Earth Day, a time to demonstrate support for environmental protection and environmental justice, endures for the K community.

“I can’t imagine a large-scale effort until I’ve seen it on a small scale,” Rubinfeld said. “How can we expect large change until we see small changes? If my seven housemates and I can do this, imagine what could happen if everyone in our neighborhood could do that. We could be in a very different type of place. I think if everyone had access to the means to grow own own food, we would be much closer to individuals having sovereignty over what they put in their bodies and having access to just, local, and sustainable food for humans and the land.”

Bags to Benches Targets Plastic, Unites K

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Bags to Benches Plastics Drive
Lezlie Lull ’20 participates in the Bags to Benches plastics drive that is uniting the Kalamazoo College community in an effort organized by the Council of Student Representatives and the Eco Club. If the campus can collect 500 pounds of plastic or 40,500 pieces of film during the six-month drive, it will receive a bench made of recycled plastic from the Trex Recycling Co. in Winchester, Virginia.

The Kalamazoo College Council of Student Representatives (KCCSR) and the Eco Club are offering a creative way for you to deal with your plastic waste—including that supply of plastic bags that seems to grow every time you shop.

From now until July, the organizations are collecting clean, dry and residue-free produce bags, closeable food-storage bags, cereal bags and more in receptacles around campus through their self-titled Bags to Benches program.

With the Bags to Benches program, a volunteer will weigh the plastic collected each month at the Hicks Student Center, Upjohn Library Commons, Dewing Hall, Dow Science Center, Anderson Athletic Center and the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership collection sites. If the Trex Recycling Co. in Winchester, Virginia, then confirms that K’s plastics drive has gathered 500 pounds or 40,500 pieces of plastic film, bags and plastic during the six-month drive, the College will receive a bench made of recycled plastic it can place on campus.

Council of Student Representatives President Karina Pantoja encourages the K community to think big when dropping off plastic. Don’t just settle for plastic grocery bags; think about bread bags, bubble wrap, dry-cleaning bags, newspaper sleeves, plastic overwrap, closeable food-storage bags and more.

She said the Bags to Benches program began as representatives were looking for a way to unite the campus and build community around a common cause. The sustainability aspect of the project is a bonus and it shows prospective students they can come to K and seek ways of acting to benefit the greater community.

“We avoided making this a competition between student groups or departments because we think it’s important for everyone to come together and work toward one goal,” said Pantoja, of Paw Paw, Michigan, who majors in English with a concentration in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. “An effort like this can tell students that someone on campus cares about sustainability, that student contributions are valued, and that student representatives exemplify their values. It’s nice to have something that sustains an optimistic and exciting energy throughout campus as all of us can come together to accomplish a goal like this.”

For questions and more ideas about how you can support the Bags to Benches program, email KCCSR at StudentRepresentatives@kzoo.edu.

Alumna Spotlights K in Climate Conversation

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A 2015 Kalamazoo College alumna is helping colleges and universities find a variety of ideas for teaching students about environmentalism and climate leadership. As it turns out, her alma mater provides a good model for such ideas.

Bronte Payne has worked as a clean energy associate through Environment America in Boston since graduating from K with a degree in biology. The nonprofit organization works to bring people together to protect clean air, clean water and open spaces.

Bronte Payne Sparks Climate Conversation
Kalamazoo College alumna Bronte Payne, a clean energy associate at Environment America in Boston, will lead a climate conversation for higher-education administrators, faculty and sustainability directors at the Presidential Climate Leadership Summit in Tempe, Ariz.

Climate conversation upcoming

Payne will lead a panel discussion with higher-education representatives, including presidents, sustainability directors and faculty, this Tuesday at the Presidential Climate Leadership Summit in Tempe, Ariz. The climate conversation, she hopes, will encourage administrators to engage students in finding ways to commit their institutions to full renewable-energy use by 2050.

“It’s not so much a presentation as it is a panel to get administrators thinking outside the box,” Payne said. “We want them to see a commitment to renewable energy is an opportunity rather than something that ties their hands. We want to show opportunities for students to get involved.”

Her portion of the panel discussion will focus on how students helped K ensure the environmental “fitness” of its Fitness and Wellness Center, which opened in October after a September dedication. K’s Sustainability Advisory Committee – which included faculty, staff and students – suggested that the College hire two student LEED-equivalent auditors, training them in the design, energy and sustainability criteria that inform LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

LEED-certified buildings use less water and energy, and have less greenhouse gas emissions. Michelle Sugimoto ’17 and Ogden Wright ’16 were chosen from a dozen applicants and met with designers and builders every few weeks during construction. The actual cost of their training and stipends proved to be a small fraction of the cost of LEED certification. Of course the training and the integrity of these two physics and engineering majors ensured their rigorous conscientiousness as LEED-like certifiers. And the overall cost savings allowed the College to buy a 12-kilowatt solar panel array that offsets 5 percent of the new fitness center’s energy costs.

“I would like to show how this was an example of an amazing opportunity for students to get involved in environmental planning and how it might lead to more involvement after school,” Payne said.

Climate conversation at K was inspiring

When Payne first came to K from West Bloomfield, Mich., she planned on attending medical school one day. But plans soon changed.

“I remember talking in class about how the actual city of Kalamazoo was the site of the largest land-oil spill in the U.S.,” she said. “Learning about it was eye opening. The school itself and professors pushed me to think more creatively about what I could do, and how I could engage the community at large. I fell in love with environmental science courses.”

The discovery of her passion for environmentalism led to a Senior Individualized Project involving a Paul Clements congressional campaign, during which she learned about national environmental policy. Now, she can tell others about the exciting things done at K to address sustainability.

“A lot of the work we did at K is how I ended up working in environmentalism,” Payne said. “It’s exciting to talk about the role I have now with Environment America. I also love to tell the story about all the cool work students and administrators did because I love talking about K.”