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Net Impact held a general meeting on Monday October 12 in which we recapped our last meeting, went over some of our upcoming events, and brainstormed ideas for the IU sustainability week next semester. We recapped the last meeting by reminding everyone of the Chemical Safety Reform Bill that passed through the House of Representatives in June by a vote of 398 to 1. This bill promises to drive environmental change by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to review chemicals in products and issue new regulations in a timely manner. It also allows states to go above and beyond the regulations set by the EPA.
We also went over some of our upcoming events, most importantly Greening Cream and Crimson. There will be more opportunities to work a zero waste station starting this Saturday with the Homecoming football game and continuing with the home basketball games, which begin on November 3. For the remainder of the meeting, we brainstormed in small groups to come up with an event that Net Impact can hold next semester as part of sustainability week. There were some really creative ideas, ranging from a 4th Street crawl to a sustainable strategic game! Anyways, if you weren't able to make it to the meeting, I hope this was a good recap and feel free to check out some pictures from the event! -- Trace Our next summer story of sustainability comes from Vice President of Programming Megan Yoder. Over the summer, Megan spent five weeks in Ecuador and worked with the Botanical Garden of Quito. She helped the researchers there cultivate orchids and crops being grown for a biological laboratory. She also harvested barley, wheat, beans, and oats. Being in Ecuador also gave Megan a look at a country with 14 different ecosystems! (That’s more than the entire United States in 1/35th the area!) Northern parts of the Andes have cacti while Quito is cold and rainy. Ecuador also has the highest diversity of orchid species and is the number one exporter of roses. So not only did Megan contribute to the sustainability of Ecuador, she learned a lot about the country too! Nice job, Megan!
-- Trace For our meeting on Monday October 5, we had the opportunity to hear from Professor Stephen Glaholt, a limnologist from the School of Public and Environmental affairs. Professor Glaholt spoke to us about how freshwater ecosystems are being harmed by businesses across the globe. he also explained the process that toxicologists go through when studying the environment and the effects of pollution and different types of pollutants. He finished up his presentation by describing how businesses can change their ways and become more environmentally responsible going forward. Thanks for an insightful speech, Professor!
During the meeting, we also collected membership dues for the semester. Those dues are $15 per member and if you weren't able to make it to the October 5 meeting, please make sure to have your dues for the next general meeting so you can remain an active member of Net Impact! -- Trace The IU Football Hoosiers took on the #1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday October 3 in front of a sellout crowd. This was a great chance for Net Impacters to help Greening Cream & Crimson spread the word about sustainability and assist fans in the proper disposal of their waste from the game. We had a great turnout for this event and there are still three more opportunities to get involved as the IU football team returns home on October 17, November 7, and November 14. All Net Impacters must participate in at least one Greening Cream & Crimson event so don't forget to do so if you haven't already! In the meantime, take a look at some of these awesome pictures from our last event, taken by my fellow Co-Director of Communications, Zack Gilbert.
-- Trace Before we started our green kitchen trivia game at our Monday September 28 meeting, we went through some administrative reminders and updates that I thought might be useful to summarize here. First off, we have a new point system! This semester there will be two categories of points: internal and community. Internal points apply to general meetings, professional speaking events, and games and debates. Community points can be earned at volunteering events, IU Athletics Zero Waste initiatives, and tours. In order to remain an active member of Net Impact, you’ll need to earn four internal points and three community points per semester. If you want to apply for a leadership position in the future, you’ll need to earn five internal points and four community points per semester. If you are currently in a leadership position, you must earn six internal points and five community points per semester to keep your leadership status. For all members, at least one community point must come from an IU Athletics Zero Waste Station. These take place at IU home football games and there are three opportunities left: October 17, November 7, and November 14. So make sure to do that!
Also, if you’re still looking for ways to get involved with Net Impact, we have two more! The first one is to be a site leader at one of our awesome volunteer events. You’ll get to coordinate between the programming department and the volunteers for our predetermined event. This is a great way to get logistical and team management experience. So all you supply chain, operations, and management majors: this could be a cool opportunity for you! Another way you can get involved is through our CSR news team. You will get to research a current event related to corporate social responsibility and present your findings at a general meeting. Both of these are great ways to get involved with Net Impact without taking too much of your time. As for this week’s meeting, we played a green kitchen trivia game to learn fun facts about the sustainability (or lack thereof) of the making and storing of the things we eat. For example, did you know that the United States uses over 80 billion aluminum cans every year! While aluminum can be recycled over and over again, that is still way too many aluminum cans. So even though we were startled by some of the statistics, we had a ton of fun playing the green kitchen trivia game and our Director of Internal Education Adam Reddigari did a great job putting it together! -- Trace In a new series, we asked our members to share any experiences they had over the summer with sustainability. Our first story of summer sustainability comes from one of our Co-Directors of Communications and photographer for the blog, Zack Gilbert. Zack spent a week this summer in a rural area of Panama as part of the Environmental Brigades at IU. He and other students worked with the indigenous community to help improve the sustainability of the land for future agriculture. They achieved this by making barriers to prevent runoff and using manure and leaves as compost. You can get an idea of what those barriers looked like below. His group also advised the natives on how to diversify the crops they grew in order to improve the conditions of the farmlands and the nutrition of the community. Zack summed up his experience by saying “I am grateful I had the chance to visit a different culture and community, and I also realize how sustainable development can make a huge difference for countries and communities that lack resources and face poverty.” Well done, Zack!
-- Trace First of all, thank you to anyone who responded to my little survey from my last post! One of the most popular responses was for things to do around Bloomington. So you asked, and so you shall receive. Now, Bloomington is amazing. There are so many places to explore right here in town, such as the 4th street eateries, the plethora of antique shops or the various hidden walking trails around campus. However, only a small portion of IU students venture outside our city limits to see what our neighboring areas have to offer. That's where I come in. I can't believe there are so many neat places within a 30 minute drive of here! Here are some of the cool locations I've gotten the chance to explore: Zoom Floom Abandoned Water Slide Located right next to Lake Monroe are the Zoom Floom abandoned water park remnants. Only a few parts of the water park remain, including a large, concrete water slide, the shack at the top of it and the small pool at the bottom. Although exploring an area that families once flocked to as a popular summer destination can seem kind of eerie, graffiti artists have turned the slide into somewhat of a work of art. It's whereabouts can be a little tricky sometimes, so if you're looking to explore, just ask me and I can point you in the right direction! McCormick's Creek State Park This place rocks. Exploring McCormick's Creek never gets old. It's beautiful in every season and makes you feel right in sync with your inner adventurer. There are over 10 miles of unmarked trails to roam around on and the best part about this park is creating your own path and finding caves or hills to explore. One of my favorite visits took place at the end of winter last semester when it had finally warmed up a little bit but all the ice remained. McCormick's Creek is located in Spencer, which is about 25 minutes straight down Indiana 46. You will not be disappointed with a day spent here! Morgan-Monroe State Forest Morgan-Monroe is BEAUTIFUL in the fall so keep this one on your radar for the upcoming couple months. What's great about this forest, too, is the hidden Musgrave Orchard placed down a couple winding roads. The small store (pictured above) offers pumpkins, apple cider, caramels, and more. There's a seating area to overlook the orchard and even some horses in a nearby pasture, making it the perfect place to visit with friends and take in the beautiful autumn weather! Morgan-Monroe State Forest/Musgrave Orchard are located only 20 minutes north on Indiana 37. If you choose to spend your day off exploring any of these locations, you will not be disappointed. They bring out both your inner photographer (I took all these photos on my phone!), hiker and explorer. I encourage you to grab a car full of pals and get to know our local area! I've always wanted to bring together a crowd of Net Impacters to spend the day getting to know each other and adventuring together. What do you think?! Maybe we can get something together.
Happy Hump Day! Morgan |