Go Green

Chelsea Langevin – Turning a new leaf. New shades of green are emerging on campus — and they have nothing to do with Linfield’s well-groomed landscape.
This year, the college is implementing a series of sustainable changes, ranging from solar-panel windows to a compost pile, all in an effort to become more eco-friendly.
Tim Stewart, superintendent of environmental services, said Linfield has always considered ways to increase sustainability and has recently become more proactive as a result of the efforts of Linfield’s sustainability club, Greenfield.
“It’s the little things we can do as a college to help the environment as much as we can,” Stewart said.
Indoctrinating
Sustainability
A key initiative the college took this year involved designing freshman orientation around the subject of sustainability.
“That’s the first look at Linfield they have,” said junior David Kellner-Rode, president of Greenfield.
The orientation comprised 10 events, each with a “green” topic, such as eating locally and defining sustainability.
In addition to making these eco-friendly changes, Linfield is helping students realize their personal sustainability goals.
This semester, the school will introduce the Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fund. A portion of the fund will increase Linfield’s renewable energy from 6 percent to 15 percent, and the remainder will fund sustainability grants for faculty, students and community members interested in creating their own “green” projects.
Good intentions
In an effort to reduce energy use, Greenfield will reach to the out¬side community Sept. 26 to install energy-efficient light bulbs pro¬vided by McMinnville Water & Light, senior Duncan Reid said. For each light bulb installed, McMinnville Water & Light will grant the school a $3 energy credit.
While it may seem that these students and faculty are going the extra mile to be “green,” they believe it’s their duty.
“Sustainability is about living your life intentionally,” Reid said. That means making conscious decisions about whether to throw your scrap paper in the trash can or walk it to the recycling bin instead.
“Are we going to be 100 percent sustainable? No. But if we can hit 50 percent, I think that’s great,” Stewart said.

environmental cooperation

Linfield policies are not the only thing changing; so is the way stu¬dents perceive their role in the campus environment and how they move within it.
An improvement to transportation is the U Car Share program, which allows students to rent cars in advance to run errands or plan trips, Kellner-Rode said.
Two-wheel traveling has also been made easier on campus with the Bike Co-op, where students can bring their bikes for tune-ups and repairs or rent themselves a bike.
The bike co-op will be open during varying time frames for roughly 12 hours each week, Kellner-Rode said. It is located in the royal-blue building on Cozine Lane, near Campbell hall.
“A lot of people don’t know how to fix their bikes and just stop using them, so this is a great resource,” Kellner-Rode said.