Saturday, September 12th from 9am-12pm: North Woods Stewardship Day
Skidmore College's North Woods is a treasured resource for both the College and larger Saratoga Community. On North Woods Stewardship Day we will be doing our part to take care of this wonderful resource by cleaning and maintaining the trails. There will also be two walking tours of the North Woods, topic and time TBA.
Friday, September 18th from 11am-2pm: Bicycle Maintenance Day
Does your bike have a flat tire that you've been meaning to inflate for weeks? Does your bike just need a little TLC so you can ride it again? On Friday, 9/18 stop by the Case College Center patio to get your bike "spiffed" up. A representative from Skidmore's Environmental Action Club's green bikes program along with a bike mechanic from Elevate Bicycles will be on hand to help out with some simple bike repairs. Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network will also be present to promote safe biking practices and their bicycle benefits program. Click here to learn more about Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network.
Sunday, September 20th-September 26th: Leave Your Car at Home Week
There will be several friendly competition categories including businesses with: fewer than 5 employees, between 6-20, 21-100 and over 101 employees. For each category there will be recognition for the business that has the highest percentage of employee participation and the company that avoids driving the most miles during Leave Your Car at Home Week. People are encouraged to leave their car at home, when running errands, going to church or synagogue, or going to work or school. You are encouraged to think about how to combine “auto-powered” transport (biking, walking etc.) with carpooling, or public transportation. The Capital District Transportation Authority’s bus schedule info can be found online at WWW.CDTA.org. Also a new online carpooling tool, from the Capital District Transportation Committee, helps commuters find carpooling buddy at www.ipool2.org.
Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network’s Bike to Work Day last May and Skidmore’s Leave Your Car at Home Week last fall are serving as a springboard for this collaborative initiative.
To prepare for the week, Skidmore College and Elevate Bicycles of Saratoga Springs will host a Bicycle Maintenance Day at Skidmore College on Friday, September 18th from 11am-3pm at Case College Center. Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network will also attend the bicycle maintenance event to promote safe bicycling practices.
Past Events:
Wednesday, July 15th from 2-3pm: Invasive Species Walk with Associate Professor of Biology, Joshua Ness
Japanese knotweed and garlic mustard and burning bush...oh my! Come learn about some of the Northeast's invasive species that threaten the biodiversity of our forested communities. Learn about where they come from, why they are an environmental hazard and what you can do to help. Participants should meet at Falstaff's parking lot, by the main entrance to the North Woods.
Sunday, July 19th from 1:30-3pm: The History of the North Woods Walk with Associate Professor and Chair of Economics, Robert Jones
The present Skidmore College campus is located on land that prior to 1960 was known as Woodlawn. Its grounds contained largely forested land with a large lawn, several estate homes and more than 20 miles of trails dating back more than a century. Some of the historic carriage trails still remain and are part of the Skidmore North Woods trail system. The guided tour on Sunday, July19th will begin with a short overview of the history of the North Woods in Bolton 281 from 1:30-2pm and then the tour will head into the North Woods and follow some of those historic carriage trails. Participants should meet in Bolton 281. The program will run from 1:30-3pm and is free and open to the public.
Earth Day Celebration on Case Green: Saturday, April 18th from 11am-6pm
North Woods Stewardship Day: Sunday, April 19th from 1-4pm
Environmental Action Club Potluck Dinner Challenge: Wednesday, April 22nd from 7pm-12am in Falstaffs
The Environmental Action Club is hosting a potluck dinner "challenge" at Falstaffs on April 22nd, Earth Day! Come show off your culinary skills and enjoy an evening of good food and great company--bonus points will be awarded to dishes that use local ingredients!Saturday, May 9th and Sunday, May 17th: Give and GO! collection days
What you don't want, someone else might need. Give and Go is a program designed to capture the used goods that students leave behind at the end of the year and bring it to a local nonprofit where the goods can be reused or resold. This program diverts tons of material from the landfill and gives Skidmore students an opportunity to give back to their community. If you would like to volunteer for the Give and Go please contact Erica Fuller at efuller@skidmore.edu or at 518-580-5865.Friday, February 20th:
Skidmore College, in conjunction with Children and Nature Saratoga, will offer a winter hike for families in the North Woods, as part of a series of activities for children during the school system’s winter break. The hike, led by Skidmore guides, will launch from Falstaff’s at 2 p.m. and will return there for refreshments. Children and Nature Saratoga, a local organization dedicated to promoting outdoor activities for children (http://childrenandnaturesaratoga.org/), is promoting area activities available to children and families throughout the School Break week (February 16-22). Each day (except Saturday), the organization has featured an outdoor program.
Saturday, February 21st:
Big Green Scream:
The Big Green Scream returns Saturday, Feb. 21, when Skidmore’s men’s and women’s basketball teams take on William Smith and Hobart in a Liberty League doubleheader at the Sports and Recreation Center. The women’s game starts at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game at 4 p.m. The fun-filled day will feature food, prizes, raffles, and a dorm banner contest.
Focus Skidmore 2009
Focus Skidmore is a series of events surrounding climate change solutions. Building on last year's momentum, Skidmore has another year of climate change action and solution education planned.
Monday, February 2nd at 6pm in Davis Auditorium:
The National Teach-in for Global Warming Solutions is hosting a webcast featuring various speakers focusing on climate change action from various perspectives. A panel discussion will follow the webcast featuring Skidmore's own climate action experts. Please click here to learn more about The National Teach-in for Global Warming Solutions.
The panel will include:
Rebecca Drago, Student, Vice President of the Environmental Action Club
Karen Kellogg, Director of Environmental Studies Program
Jim Kennelly, Director of International Affairs, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Management and Business.
Rik Scarce, Associate Professor of Sociology
Bob Turner, Associate Professor of Government
Green House Gas Inventory: Commuting/Travel and Environmental Attitude and Awareness Survey Launch: Those that participate in the survey will be entered into a raffle. The prizes are $10 gift card to Putnam Market, $10 gift card to Uncommon Grounds and a $5 gift card to Saratoga Coffee Traders! Click here to take the survey.
Reusable Mug Pledge: At all of the Focus Skidmore events there will be the opportunity to pledge to use a reusable mug at Dining Services Spa, Burgess Cafe and Murray-Aikins Atrium Cafe. The first 350 pledge participants will receive a coupon for a free reusable mug, which is redeemable at Dining Services Spa on Friday, 2/6 and Monday, 2/9. Please visit www.350.org for more information on the 350 organization. Thank you to Dining Services and Green Mountain Coffee for sponsoring our reusable mug initiative!!
Recyclemania kicks OFF! Recyclemania is a 10-week nation wide recycling and waste reduction competition--Skidmore is entered for the first year!! Please visit www.recyclemaniacs.org for details.
Wednesday, February 4th at 8pm in the Spa.
Showing of the Documentary The RENEWAL Project:
"Across the nation, people of faith are standing up for the environment. Evangelical Christians are fighting mountaintop removal, a coal mining process that is decimating Appalachia. Muslims are supporting sustainable farming. Jews are helping children experience the bond between nature and spirituality. Interfaith Power and Light is mobilizing people of all faiths in a religious response to global warming.
For the first time, the combined energy of these diverse activists is the driving force behind a feature-length documentary, entitled RENEWAL. Veteran film producers Marty Ostrow and Terry Kay Rockefeller have crisscrossed the country to capture these exciting stories of people whose passion and deep moral commitment are making a difference in a time of grave ecological threats.
The RENEWAL Project has been designed to make the documentary and its inspiring stories available to people and organizations who want to be a part of this growing movement to protect life on our planet and reverse the damage that humans have done to the environment". Click here to learn more about The RENEWAL Project.
Thank you to the The Environmental Action Club and The Interfaith Council for sponsoring this event!
Thursday, February 5th at 7pm in Gannett Auditorium:
Climate Change: Causes, Consequences and Policy Responses by President of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Dr. William Schlesinger
Dr. William H. Schlesinger is the President of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and is committed to bridging the divide between science and policy. He has testified before U.S. House and Senate Committees on a range of environmental issues, including desert habitat preservation, global climate change, and, most recently, carbon sequestration. Currently, he serves on the boards of The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and Terrapass LLC.
In his lecture, Dr. Schlesinger will review what is known about the scientific basis of climate change, what evidence exists that climate change is already with us, and what the impacts of global warming may be for the upstate-New York area during the remainder of this century. He will also discuss the relative merits of some of the proposed alternatives to fossil fuels as well as his thoughts on appropriate actions of the new administration in the first 100 days. Please click here to learn more about Dr. Schlesinger and The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
Thank you to the Biology Department, the Chemistry Department, the Dean of Faculty's Office, the Geosciences Department, the Government Department, the Environmental Studies Program, the Environmental Action Club, Speaker's Bureau for sponsoring this event!