Office of Sustainability

SLU Environmental Action Organization (EAO): EAO is an environmental advocacy organization with three main focuses: reducing the university's carbon footprint, promoting sustainability initiatives on campus, and environmental education. EAO achieves this by taking on various projects around campus and in the wider community related to the many environmental issues our world faces today. EAO also hosts educational events to better inform the local community and press for sustainable change. 

SLU Close the Loop & Barn Goods Thrift Store: We are an initiative aiming to reduce waste on campus through education and creating a culture of exchange! We collect donations of pre-loved clothes, host swap events and workshops, and hope to help cultivate intentional consumption at St. Lawrence. The Barn Good Thrift Store is St. Lawrence University's very own thrift store! Completely ran by students affiliated with Close The Loop, the store provides people in the SLU and Canton community with a chance to participate in circular, sustainable exchange with the goal of reducing waste and expressing your individuality and style at very cheap prices.  

The Green House Low Impact Living Theme Cottage: The Green House seeks to foster and encourage a low-impact, local lifestyle on the St. Lawrence University campus and beyond. We host vegetarian and locally sourced dinners every week, run sustainability and food-focused workshops, and work farm hours at Birdsfoot farm as a part of our community shared agriculture (CSA) program. We throw Pumpkin Palooza in the Fall and the North Country Folk Festival in the Spring!

Sustainability Program: The Sustainability Program gives the next generation of thinkers and leaders the tools to tackle the globally important challenges of sustainability. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches and diversity of thought within our definitions and analyses of sustainability. Beginning in Fall 2024, after many treasured years working out of the farm site at 1894 State Highway 68, the Sustainability Program will be moving to the main campus at St. Lawrence University. Students will participate in a living-learning community in an on-campus residence and take core courses including a one-credit academic and half-credit practicum course each term focused on sustainability-related issues, experiences, and skills. 

Adirondack Semester: The Mission of the Adirondack Semester is to enable students to study nature and human relationships with nature through academic classes enriched by direct experience. The Semester takes place at Arcadia, an off-the-grid yurt village in the heart of the Adirondacks. The goals of the program are to foster a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the natural world, to create a vibrant living and learning community at Arcadia, and to cultivate a strong connection to the Adirondack region.

Campus Tree Advisory Committee: The campus tree advisory committee includes students, staff, faculty and members of the community. We welcome all tree enthusiasts and meet to coordinate Arbor Day celebrations, campus research, and support management needs. Reach out to Professor Sara Ashpole for more information!

Nature Up North: Nature Up North is a community-based organization based at St. Lawrence University whose mission is to foster a deeper sense of appreciation for, and connection to, the North Country environment and in doing so to create a bioregionally literate community that is committed to protecting the wild things and wild places that define this place we call home.

The Campus Committee on Sustainability and Climate Neutrality: The Campus Committee on Sustainability and Climate Neutrality will consider means to move the University toward environmental sustainability and review the University's progress toward this goal and the goal of climate neutrality. Specifically the committee will review and approve revisions to the Climate Action Plan (CAP) and successive Work Plans for the implementation of the CAP. Meetings are open to others (students, faculty, and staff) who are interested in tackling sustainability and climate neutrality issues on campus.

Village of Canton Canton Sustainability Committee: The Canton Sustainability Committee was established in the spring of 2014. A student participating in SLU’s Sustainability Semester undertook the coordination of the new committee as the community-based learning (CBL) component of the Semester. Prospective committee participants were identified and general plans plans for getting the committee off the ground were set. The first meeting was held on April 22, 2014 – Earth Day.

Casella collects SLU's Recycling. Cycling is zero-sort, meaning that plastics, glass, cardboard, and paper can all go in the same bin. Things to keep in mind:

• Do not bag your recycling. Plastics bags are NOT recyclable in our bins. They can, however, be recycled at local grocery stores.
• Make sure that plastics are clean of food residue before placing them in recycling bins. Dining hall take out containers are not recyclable. Use Dana's reusable take out containers when you can!
• Follow Casella's guide, pasted below.

Pre-consumer waste (i.e. food scraps from food prep) are composted on campus. Scraps are brought to our aerated windrow, non-industrial, composting operation (by the stables).

Post-consumer recycling bins (where you can put your food waste) are located near North Star Cafe in the student center.

To avoid waste from dining facilities, participate in the reusable takeout container system. Pay $5 once during the semester to receive a container. Each time you use it, you can bring it back to the dining hall and exchange it for a clean one or a token that can be redeemed for a clean container at a later date.

Our Dining Services team works closely with our students and departments across campus on solutions that prioritize sustainability in all eateries, including:

• Offering trayless service and effectively reducing food waste by 23 tons and water waste by 100,000 gallons annually.
• Preparing meals with local produce.
• Partnering with local businesses and producers to feature their food on our menus.
• Instating a reusable container exchange program and offering discounts to those who use reusable containers like coffee mugs. 
• Serving fair trade, organic coffee sourced from New England.
• Providing biodegradable utensils and napkins. 
• Using food preparation techniques that include pre-consumer composting.

August 31, 2024 (Saturday, 10:00am - 1:00 pm) - Community Science Workshop - Monitor the Water of the Grasse River

Join Nature Up North to learn more about how community members, that's you, can monitor the waterways near you! Our MOW the Grasse (Monitor Our Water) community science initiative provides an opportunity for hands-on experience with the tools and methods needed to check water quality. We'll walk you through the step-by-step process of checking physical conditions (temperature, flow, and others), chemical conditions (pH, agricultural runoff), and finally biological conditions (macroinvertebrates, and e-coli). Finally, we'll be able to draw conclusions about water quality based on what we find the day of the tests!

This workshop will be co-hosted by Grass River Heritage as part of their Walk in the Park series. This is a great chance to learn more about Grasse River Heritage, their events, and ways you can get involved with maintaining some of Canton's community parks.

Bring a pair of water shoes if you have them, or a pair of shoes you don't mind getting wet! You can find our complete water monitoring guide attached below.

Make sure to register so we know how many testing kits we need to bring. Click on this link to register: https://www.natureupnorth.org/form/august-31-mow-signup

Contact Dan French, Nature Up North for more info, at djfrench@stlawu.edu

August 15, 2024 (Thursday, 2:00-3:00pm) - Integrating Waste Reduction and Diversion into Academics

Sponsored by CURC (formerly the College and University Recycling Council)

Waste reduction and diversion isn't just about operations. The primary mission of colleges and universities is to educate and if we are to change culture and achieve a zero waste society we must change minds. Integrating waste reduction and diversion into academics not only raises the visibility of the issue but normalizes it among our community of students. Join this webinar to hear from schools that have done just that and learn how to work with faculty at your institution to integrate waste reduction into their curriculum.

Presenters:

• Julie Muir and Christopher Kuntzsch, Stanford University
• Debbie Steinberg and Fethiye Ozis, Carnegie Mellon University

REGISTER HERE

August 7, 2024 (Wednesday, 12:00pm - 1:30pm) - Community-Scale Wasted Food Reduction in Municipalities

REGISTER HERE

May 18, 2024 - Heritage Park Trail Walking Tour

Tom VandeWater led a 1/2 mile walk around Falls Island and explored the geology and dynamics of the Grasse River as seen from this historic island through a thousand million years of time.

May 10, 2024 - Canton Hosts First Local Planning Committee Meeting for $4.5M NY Forward  Award

The Local Planning Committee (LPC) includes local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and community representatives. LPC members will attend a variety of meetings at which they will be asked to brainstorm ideas, provide direction to consultants, review planning products, and prioritize actions. Village Mayor Michael Dalton and Kathryn Morris, President of St. Lawrence University are the Canton LPC Co-Chairs. 

Public workshops and engagement activities will be scheduled throughout the effort to allow opportunity for public input. More information about NY Forward can be found at https://www.ny.gov/programs/ny-forward.  

May 7, 2024 - Rich Road Solar + Battery Storage Project Public Hearing

In early March, the NY State Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) issued a draft permit for EDF Renewables' 240-MW solar project on 1,700 acres immediately south of the Village of Canton.

A public hearing for this project will be held at 6pm on May 7 at the Best Western University Inn at 90 E. Main St., Canton. Speakers will be allotted 3 minutes each for public comment.

April 17, 2024 (11:30 am - 1:00 pm) - Campus Community Roundtable Luncheon

Clarkson University’s Cheel Campus Center, 2^nd floor Barben rooms

This event is organized by NoCoPEACS, Potsdam’s Climate Smart Community Committee, and Canton’s Sustainability Committee and is sponsored by the Associate Colleges of St. Lawrence Valley as part of the annual Sustainability Day events.

The Roundtable Luncheon component is a gathering of university and community leaders for focused discussion on issues related to sustainability. The theme of discussion this year will be Climate Change Adaptation/Resilience. With weird weather leading to recent power outages, high winds and local flooding, our region is vulnerable, especially when we have thousands of students on our campuses and in our communities. Yet at the same time, we are less vulnerable than many communities and may have an opportunity to be an attractive destination for climate refugees.  The goal of this event is to initiate Campus-Community conversation related to opportunities and challenges as we consider adapting to a changing climate.

 The lunch will include a brief introduction to the topic by Clarkson’s Dr. Erik Backus, who was one of the co-authors of the recently released NYS Climate Impact Assessment report. Facilitated discussions at tables with individuals with similar profession/interest/expertise -will forge relationships and promote a better understanding of each groups’ need to understand and prepare for a changing climate.

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April 15, 2024 - Rich Road Solar + Battery Storage Project

In early March, the NY State Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) issued a draft permit for EDF Renewables' 240-MW solar project on 1,700 acres immediately south of the Village of Canton.

A public hearing for this project will be held at 6pm on May 7 at the Best Western University Inn at 90 E. Main St., Canton. Speakers will be allotted 3 minutes each for public comment.

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March 2024 - Solar Development Mapping Tool

The St. Lawrence County Planning Office has created and recently made available a Solar Development Mapping Tool in response to widespread solar development on prime agricultural land throughout the County.  This Tool is intended to be used as a guide for solar developers as they seek out property for future solar development and for municipalities, who may wish to restrict development in certain parts of their community.  This mapping tool may be accessed via the SLC Planning Office mapping webpage.

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September 19, 2024 – Kinsley Campus Heating Plant

Justin Gotham, HVAC & Utilities Manager, Facilities Operations. led a tour of the Kinsley Central Heating Plant (1926). Tour included the three natural gas steam boilers and water heating equipment, followed by a review and discussion of alternative heating (and cooling) systems. For the 14 attendees, this was an unique and essential ground-zero opportunity to learn how SLU currently heats campus buildings, and options for decarbonization currently being reviewed, with associated GHG emissions and costs. 

June 28, 2024 - Forty-Nine Campus Trees Being Replaced Due to Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)

Unfortunately, as the result of the invasive species Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis), 49 ash trees are being replaced on campus this summer. Replacement trees, on a 1:1 basis, will be primarily composed of honey locust, red maple, sugar maple and various oaks.

Prior to EAB, the main campus had 406 ash trees, with removal starting in 2020. At the beginning of this Summer (2024), there were 290 ash trees. With the additional 49 removed this Summer, there are 241 ash trees remaining on campus, all of which are expected to eventually be removed. These numbers do not include ash trees located in wooded areas of campus. These ash trees will be removed only if they become a hazard to trail users.

May 24, 2024 - Barn Good Thrift Store Receives New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Grant

The Barn Good Thrift Store, a campus based business run by the student club Close the Loop, is making the move to 11 Hillside. Not only is the thrift store re-opening soon in this new location, but it will be supported by a NYSAR³ grant of $5,000. This award will be used to "purchase upgrades and targeted investments in equipment and supplies to bring the business to economic sustainability," according to NYSAR³'s press release. Environmental Studies Professor Lori Clark led the grant application, and she is hopeful that the award will help Close the Loop develop the new location for "exchanging goods, upcycling textiles, hosting diverse speakers, developing sewing and repair skills and selling quality used items."

May 2, 2024 - SLU Electric and Natural Gas Usage, Rates, Trends and Projections Seminar

The SLU Campus Committee on Sustainability and Carbon Neutrality (CCSCN) and the Office of Sustainability is hosting the initial seminar of the SLU Campus Ecology and Infrastructure Lunch & Learn Series, “SLU Electric and Natural Gas Usage, Rates, Trends and Projections”. This seminar will feature Zack Hallock, Senior Energy Services Advisor / Competitive Energy Services (CES), and be held on Thursday, May 2, noon-1:00pm, at the Sullivan Student Center, Hannon Room 322.

The seminar will be an-depth look into SLU’s past, present and future electric and natural gas utility usage and rates, procurement process and analysis, local, regional and global market context, current SLU energy challenges, and review of near and long-term scenario planning.

Zack is a SLU alumni and has been CES’s energy advisor for SLU since 2017. Competitive Energy Services has been assisting end-users with procurement and energy resources since the advent of deregulation more than 20 years ago.

This event is free, all are welcome, and if you would like, bring your brown bag lunch.

The SLU Campus Ecology and Infrastructure Lunch & Learn Series is intended to inform and educate all campus users on relevant issues related to campus ecological systems and underlying infrastructure specifically pertaining to the St. Lawrence University campus.

April 27, 2024 - Tree Planting Festival

 Join the Environmental Studies Dept. at the Living Lab to celebrate Arbor Day with a Tree Planting Festival, Saturday, April 27, noon-4:00pm. All are invited to help plant over 100 trees. Bring boots and a shovel if you have one (though we have several shovels to share). Questions? Reach out to prboar20@stlawu.edu.

March 2024 - LED Lightbulbs

As part of our Facilities Enhancement Plan renovations, our campus is transitioning to LED lighting, marking a significant step towards sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

Installation work will commence in common areas such as hallways and restrooms in the Spring 2024 semester. Throughout the summer, the work will extend to student rooms, classrooms, and other spaces. 

March 2024 - SLU Green Guide & Sustainability Survey

An updated "Green Guide" with helpful information for students regarding living sustainably on campus, including how to recycle, saving energy, and getting involved in clubs, has been created by the Office of Sustainability. You can find the document here. 

The OoS also sent out a Campus Sustainability Survey in March to gauge the sustainability literacy & culture of SLU's campus. Please find the results of this survey here.