2009-2010
Sustainability Grant Recipients
We are pleased to announce the Sustainability Grant Recipients for 2009-2010. Our community looks forward to seeing these projects implemented and we hope to offer these grants again next year. We would also like to thank everyone for their applications and participation and we look forward to seeing the results.
Cold Frames at the Kaneko Community Garden
Katy Giombolini
As we enter into the fall months and the leaves begin to drop to the ground and students stumble to their classes bundled in many layers, we must be reminded that life and growth are still possible. Our project is to build four cold frames: two for the Kaneko community garden and two for the Zena Farm Kitchen GardenCold frames are like mini greenhouses and are used in small gardens to prolong the growing season for cold weather crops. They shield plants from the colder winter weather conditions while trapping heat from the sun. They are not only used to grow plants during the winter months; they are also used to start plants in the spring because they protect the little seedlings from the capricious nature of spring weather.
Additional Bicycle Parking
Ross Stout
We have added bike racks each year for several years, but the demand is greater than the supply. This year has been a particular problem. It’s a good problem to have, in most respects, because more people are riding bicycles rather than driving cars to campus, but the lack of adequate bike racks is a deterrent to increasing the number of people using alternative modes of transportation. Funding for from this grant will be used to purchase and install an additional bicycle rack.
River Crossing Environmental Justice Equity Project
Alycia Edgeworth Kennedy
Our goal is to bring unbiased, agenda-free information about the proposed Columbia River Crossing project to to affected communities. To achieve this goal, we must do extensive research and understand every aspect of: the CRC's draft environmental impact statement, the National Environmental Policy Act, the regulations of the Federal Highway Administration and the US Department of Transportation, the regulations and statutes that control the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Washington Department of Transportation, and countless other statutes and regulations. In addition, we have (and will) prepared a number of memorandum regarding the following topics: (1) Scientific Methodologies used by the CRC in preparing the Draft EIS, (2) a NEPA Alternatives Analysis, (3) The Definition of Meaningful Involvement and Public Participation as defined by NEPA, Title VI, and Executive Order 12898, and (4) FHWA Standards vs. Oregon and Washington Standards. This research is all free, because as law students we have access to resources via Westlaw and Lexis Nexus (both are legal information websites that are usually very very expensive, but are free to law students).
Law Paper Management
Jeff Dobbins and Wendy Johnson
The purpose of this project is to decrease the amount of paper used by law faculty, staff, law students, and law library patrons. How? Provide means of scanning and sending to email copied documents via the Xerox machines instead of creating paper copies. The installation of software onto these machines is generally all that is required. Some machines also need to have internet cables installed in the rooms where they are located.
Spring Planting Community Celebration
Jennifer Johns, on behalf of Zena Farm and the Alternative Agriculture Community
The goal of this event is to increase awareness and understanding about local foodsheds, alternative methods of organic farming, and the events happening at Zena Farm. We envision a spring planting festival that would include students, staff and faculty and their families, neighbors of Zena Farm, and local people from the community. While we would have had several months of hard work behind us by then, we see this event as a ground breaking ceremony. We plan to have local food and drink to serve, bands playing all afternoon culminating with a square dance, a demonstration of plowing with draft horses, information booths about various types of sustainable agriculture (for example permaculture, organic, no till, four season gardening, backyard orchards), and, of course, seeds and starts available for our guests to plant in our fields.
The Grateful Head: Increasing Helmet Use in the Willamette Community
Geneva Hooten
The purpose of this project is to raise bike safety awareness (with an emphasis on helmet use) to help prepare Willamette community members for accidents. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, wearing helmets “has been estimated to reduce head injury risk by 85 percent,” although “95% of bicyclists killed in 2006” reportedly weren't wearing any. According a survey, 76% of WU community members own helmets but only 45.3% always wear them. To teach people about the importance of helmets, I plan to create posters that use the Grateful Head Project logo as a cheeky and recognizable graphic in conjunction with serious statistics and facts about helmet use. These posters will serve as a reminder to students, faculty, and staff to wear their helmets and protect their heads.