SLCC GREEN ACADEMY PREPARES GREEN FUTURE Online “Pacific Rim” Review Djinni Yancey Globeslcc.Com Staff Writer
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Wednesday, February 13, 2013 The Independent Voice TofHE SaltGLOBE Lake Community College FREEA3 Wednesday july 17, 2013 THE Issue 4 / sUMMER '13 GLOBEVisit us online at globeslcc.com SLCC GREEN ACADEMY PREPARES GREEN FUTURE Online “Pacific Rim” Review Djinni Yancey globeslcc.com Staff Writer Salt Lake Community College’s Campus Green Academy offers many choices for students aspiring to careers Former student now in energy management through Crossfit gym owner Continuing Education Units and pg. 4 courses. Photos by James Nguyen The Green Academy assists Yellow Pig’s individuals who have a desire to Day increase skills and knowledge in a pg. 3 rapidly changing workforce toward a Above: Solar panels at career in green technology. Meadowbrook campus “We offer everything about alternative and renewable energy Utah Brewery from an Associate of Applied Left: Thaniel Bishop Review Science degree in Energy demonstrates solar panels pg. 5 Management to some large-scale Certificates of Proficiency that SLCC Green Academy. Programs and contemporary skill-training The SLCC Green Academy is have been approved by the Board courses offered through the SLCC workshops and programs in training students to fill the demand for Movies of Regents and all the way up to the Green Academy include Energy conjunction with regional education skilled technicians in the workforce. Board of Trustees to a one-hour course Management, Electric Sector Training centers in order to provide One of those areas at SLCC this that students can buy for themselves and Solar Photovoltaic Systems. qualified, work-ready employees to summer semester is the Solar “The Way, Way Back” if they need to re-license as either Photovoltaic Systems. “The state should ensure that fill the retirement gap,” says Utah Movie Review an electrician or contractor,” says industry is engaged in developing, Governor Gary Herbert, recently in pg. 6 Judy Fisher, Program Coordinator at promoting and assisting with his 10-year energy plan. ACADEMY see page A3 Student initiative drives Community garden Tips for energy SLCC’s recycling success unites SLCC conservation Reducing your carbon footprint and saving Aaron Clark Teamwork and generosity are staples of the money on your power bill starts at home. “We recycle here because our gardening activities. Staff Writer students demand it,” says Rand Web, Jessica Stewart head of Environmental Health and Andrea Day Contributing Writer In 2008 Salt Lake Community Safety at SLCC. “We thought that was Contributing Writer College students told the college important because we are here for the The Climate Theory suggests the earth will that they wanted to have a recycling students, and we look at their dollars With what started back in February 2009 by former experience extreme weather events, as levels program put into place and felt it as sacred dollars. Students are the Salt Lake Community College student Jason Thornton, of greenhouse gases increase. Hurricane Sandy was important enough that they were driving force behind this initiative.” SLCC Community Gardens has grown from what was pummeled the east coast, catapulting the Jet Star willing to put their money where their The recycling program at SLCC a single location at Miller campus to three locations that rollercoaster from Seaside Heights New Jersey, into mouths were. Students were willing focuses on reducing the amount of include Taylorsville-Redwood Garden, East Garden and the Atlantic Ocean. Venice Italy has been flooded for to give $1.50 per student from student waste that ends up at landfills. The the newest addition, the Jordan Garden. a third of the year, and here locally in Salt Lake City, fees to help pay for the recycling key to SLCC’s recycling program The vision of the community gardens began while June brought record breaking temperatures, hitting a initiative, and in the four years since has been landfill diversion, which Thornton was serving time in prison. Not only was it a high of 105 degrees, two days in a row. SLCC has made great strides in going means going through the different survival method while he was serving his time but a way If that’s not enough to shock you into reducing green. waste streams and seeing what can for him to give back to the community at large once he was your carbon footprint, maybe saving money on your be prevented from ending up in released. power bill will. a landfill. For example, when the The idea was to create a garden on campus, where the You can take a few simple steps to reduce your college replaces a computer, it is students, faculty and staff could work together to grow carbon footprint, by limiting the amount of carbon not just thrown out; the computer fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers and donate all the food dioxide everyday activities produce. The easiest way 687,466 352,023 352,023 653,685 is broken down piece by piece and to non-profit organizations, or they could keep the food is to start at home. recycled by whatever parts are still for themselves. Thornton’s goal was to “advocate for Electronics 159,152 usable. sustainable food systems primarily through volunteerism, Turning off your electronics instead of leaving Recycled waste, in pounds “We figure we used to have 60 to lectures [and] to fill the need of food production in our them on standby mode saves energy, but electronics 70 percent of our waste that used to economy,” he quoted to The Globe in February 2009. still use power, when they’re plugged in. You can go to our landfill but now goes into The three community gardens have between 11 and 15 2009 2010 2011 2012 unplug them after each use, or use a surge protector. garden boxes that have a wood perimeter of an approximate Surge protectors can be used for multiple devices Pounds of recycling at SLCC RECYCLING see page A3 4’x 6’ each. in the same area. When your electronics aren’t in “Most of the time it is a department or a group that has a use, turning off the surge protector will save energy. box as opposed to an individual,” said Paula Michniewicz, Smart power strips are available, for as low as $30. SLCC Instructional Designer who also volunteers and Smart Strips automatically cut off power, when you Something stirring in the valley oversees the community gardens. turn off your devices. Organizations strive to help clean up the air in Utah. Many of the boxes have handmade signs that label the Leaving electronics on is similar to leaving a sponsor’s name. faucet running. You won’t hear the rushing water, but Christel Ward conflict when you’re involved with “We gather here Thursday mornings at 9 a.m. We weed you’ll be wasting the same amount of energy. Contributing Writer something that is a political effort that and water each other’s gardens. We take care of each The use of televisions accounts for four percent of clearly has an agenda on one side,” other,” said Michniewicz. the energy consumed in America, according to the Yellow, gray, dirty air. That is says VanDerslice. It is necessary to There are about 17 different school departments/ Environmental Protection Agency. You can still reduce what is commonly found outside on choose carefully one’s involvements, student groups along with about 30 to 35 individuals who the amount of energy you use, while watching TV. the coldest days of winter and on and for him, continued research will seed and maintain the different garden boxes, according The light output of TV’s, are responsible for the hottest days of summer in the make the biggest difference. to Michniewicz. The gardens consist mostly of vegetables most of their energy use. You can dim the picture by Wasatch Valley. Nobody likes it, but Environmental and political such as tomatoes, squash and beans. There are herb boxes turning down the backlight, or activating the power- many believe there isn’t that much groups have been popping up over the as well as flower boxes to attract bees to help with the saving setting. Watching a dimmer picture will that can be done. last few years pollination process. conserve energy. The health concerned Beyond food production, the gardens create a great Furnaces and lighting effects of pollution, about the segue for faculty and staff to get out of the office to water When furnace filters get clogged with dirt and especially during an health effects and weed during a therapeutic break-time. People from all grime, they don’t work efficiently. Dirty filters wreak inversion, are well- of Utah’s smog. havoc on your health, the environment and the cash in documented and They believe your wallet. Changing or washing filters every thirty -studied according something can to sixty days, allow you to get the most efficiency to Professor Jim be done. from your furnace. As far as air quality being a public VanDerslice, Ph.D. Salt Lake Replacement filters are often sold in health problem, I certainly agree with it.” of the Department of C o m m u n i t y discounted quantity packs, but washable filters are – Professor Jim VanDerslice, Family & Preventive College has a environmentally friendly, because they last longer. Ph.D. Medicine at the sustainability The initial cost of a washable filter is more than a University of Utah group that replacement filter, but the savings add up. School of Medicine. focuses on the community garden According to energy.gov, fifteen percent of your “As far as air quality being a public and recycling. household energy use is consumed by lighting. You health problem, I certainly agree with Utah Physicians for Healthy can reduce that amount of energy by using compact it,” says VanDerslice.