October is Sustainability month at MTU. There are a number of events scheduled, and last week hosted Sustainability Fest. The DHH ballroom played host to a gathering of representatives from Husky Eats, Students for Sustainability, Green Campus enterprise and Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action (KYCA). Each group had an information table set up for students to interact with. The idea of the event was for students to, “Come, have some fun and learn a little bit about sustainability,” said Alan Turnquist, Director of Sustainability and Resilience.
Campus Executive Chef Erik Copeland led a “teaching kitchen” on pickling. Put together by Husky Eats, the interactive lesson included basic knife skills and the chance to take home a custom jar of pickled ingredients. Locally sourced vegetables were provided for students to cut how they like and pack into a canning jar. It wasn’t just veggies– hard boiled eggs were also an option if students wanted to take a swing at recreating the Keweenaw classic of pickled eggs. First year graduate student Viraj Reddy was attracted by the opportunity, saying “I love pickles so why not go make my own?”
The student-led organizations each had unique booths with information and games. Students for Sustainability set up an ecobrick bowling alley. Ecobricks are plastic bottles that have been stuffed with softer plastic like candy bar wrappers to create a very sturdy ‘brick’ of plastic. They are being used in developing countries to build a variety of things from planters to buildings. KYCA had trivia questions and was informing people of their role on campus. They are hosting two information sessions as part of sustainability month about U.P. energy on Oct. 23 and divestment on Oct. 25.
If you missed out on this event there are still plenty of opportunities to connect with the sustainability community at MTU. As it is Sustainability month, October has events each week, and the student organizations involved meet regularly. For more information on the sustainability month events, visit the Sustainability Department’s web page, www.mtu.edu/sustainability, and check out their blog.
