This week, the Fort Lewis College campus will change.
"No Impact Week," part of International No Impact Week, March 19 through March 25, explores low-waste lifestyles by giving students, faculty, and staff ways of actually experiencing and experimenting with changing their habits. The goal of the campus-wide events is to engage more people in low-impact actions and lifestyles.
"This is a way we take active steps toward putting an emphasis on personal values and individual behavior change," says the Environmental Center's Environmental Center Programs Assistant Rachel Landis. "No Impact Week is designed with the direct intent of targeting individuals and asking them to examine both their values and behaviors as they relate to a sustainable society."
Each day this week is dedicated to a different environmental issue in creating a sustainable world: Consumption, Water, Food, Energy, Transportation, and Waste. The week will offer workshops, volunteer opportunities, music, films, discussions and talks, residence hall competitions, sustainability training, and other events. There is also a No Impact Challenge that students can participate in, and Tuesday will feature the launching of a new industrial composter for Animas Dining and the Rocket Grill.
International No Impact Week was founded by the non-profit No Impact Project, inspired by the "No Impact Man" book, film, and blog by Colin Beavan -- also known as "No Impact Man" -- which chronicle his year-long experiment reducing his family’s waste while living in New York City. His experience led him to believe that change in individual behavior can lead to both cultural change and political engagement. The "No Impact Man" film will be shown 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Vallecito Room in the Student Union.
Fort Lewis College has been actively improving its sustainability since becoming a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), signed by President Brad Bartel in 2007. Since then, the campus has built LEED-certified "green" buildings, introduced local foods into dining facilities, expanded on-campus recycling, prioritized recycled products in purchasing, installed state-of-the-art irrigation, and more.
No Impact Week on the FLC campus is a collaboration between the FLC Environmental Center, Sodexo, and the student body in the form of a grant from Student Initiative fees.
Schedule of Events for No Impact Week
Monday, March 19: Consumption
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Student Union Plaza
100 ITEMS CHALLENGE
“HAPPINESS AND YOUR STUFF”
7 p.m., Student Union Ballroom
THRIFT STORE FASHION GALA 2012
Tuesday, March 20: Waste
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Animas Dining & Rocket Grill
LAUNCH OF FLC’S NEW INDUSTRIAL COMPOSTER
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Student Union
FREE STORE
7:30 p.m., Vallecito Room
MOVIE, "NO IMPACT MAN"
Wednesday, March 21: Transportation
12:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Student Union Plaza
FREE BIKE TUNE UPS
Thursday, March 22: Food
Noon – 1 p.m., Student Union Plaza
CAMPUS-WIDE POTLUCK
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Berndt Hall
OLD FORT FARM STAND
1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m., Environmental Center Demonstration Garden
GARDEN WORK DAY
11 a.m. -3 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., Student Union
LOCAL FOODS SHOWCASE
Friday, March 23: Energy
All day, residence halls
VOLUNTARY ENERGY AUDITS
Saturday, March 24: Water & Giving Back
2:30 p.m., Rotary Park, 15th Street & Main Avenue
ROCKING THE RIVER! festival
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., River Clean-Up volunteer registration
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Animas River Clean-Up
5 p.m., Live music, etc.
6:15 p.m., Discussion, on Western water rights, with Geology Professor Gary Gianniny
7 p.m., Movie, "Flow"