Roslynn Brain

EnvS 4700

Spring 2014

Communicating Sustainability

The CourseENVS 4700 was designed as a service learning class. Service learning allows students to foster real-world change via applica-tion of course content. In this course students worked in groups to 1) identify a local community partner, 2) determine key stake-holders involved, 3) design an effective educational communica-tion campaign, and 4) craft a strategic plan for future sustainabil-ity efforts in collaboration with their community partners.

Identify definitions of sustainability, common misconceptions of sustainabili-ty, and key principles of sustainability.

Think critically about sustainable behav-ior, including sustain what? For whom? For how long? At what cost?

Explain models or theoretical frame-works that can be used for analyzing the questions: Why do people act the way they do? What are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? What are the similarities and differences among the models?

Use theoretical frameworks and market-ing techniques to design comprehensive communication strategies to change behavior.

Identify and apply effective facilitation, conflict management, messaging, and negotiation strategies.

Consult with a community partner to de-velop and implement of a comprehensive sustainability strategic, communication and outreach plan.

Course Objectives

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Course goal: Develop and apply skills via effective com-munication techniques to foster sustainable behavior.

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Natural Philosophy Reusable Bag StationLeland Bennion

Natural Philosophy is a small organic food mar-ket and yoga studio in Logan, UT. The owners are Josh and Amy Choate. They built the busi-ness around certain core values of providing healthy food alternatives, practicing sustainable business ethics, creating a place for community learning, nutrition and holistic education, and Permaculture consulting and design. Currently the business is primarily a health food market. Plans for the future include a café and expan-sion of yoga and educational-courses offered. This puts Natural Philosophy in a human activi-ty system while incorporating elements of natu-ral, designed biological, and physical systems.

The scope of our service learning project goals have evolved over the course of the semester. Due to time constraints and the feasibility of

12 students. 9 partners. Students located in Logan, Beaver, Brigham City, and Ephraim

The Projects

Fizz n’ Fryz A new diner in Logan, UT. Oil Recycling/ReuseKelsey Ballard

Washakie Renewable Energy will be taking the used oil from Fizz N’ Fryz and turning it into biodiesel. By recycling the oil in this way we will be saving waste from the landfill as well as saving fossil fuels from being burnt. Also, by making biodiesel from used cooking oil we will be able cut down on the amount of crops that need to be diverted from stores to make bio-diesel.

I am not saying that Fizz N’ Fryz alone will be able to supply the amount needed, but every little bit helps. There is also the added benefit that they will be paid for their used cooking oil. Here is my estimation for amount of Car-bon saved. Given 250 lb (31.25 gal) a week of cooking oil a conversion plant would be able to save .2983 tons (596.25 lb) of carbon from

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Project summaries from the student's perspectives:

implementing the desired changes many of the initial plans have been set aside for the future. Currently the primary goal of the project is the elimination of disposable type plastic grocery bags from the business entirely. This is to be accomplished through the substitution of re-usable canvas bags. A stock of bags is avail-able for distribution to customers and a “take a bag, leave a bag” station is set up near the cash register at the front of the store. The end goal is the businesses customers will create a self-sustaining system of bag exchange and donation that will allow the complete elimina-tion of plastic bags from the market.

In order to quantify the effect of the program so far I will use the twenty(20) as the num-ber of new bags in use at Natural Philosophy. The business owner stated customers typi-cally shop there 2-3 times a week. Over one year (52 weeks) these customers are saving

between 2080-3120 total plastic bags from being used and entering our landfill. I would expect this final number to be a low end esti-mate of potential impact because I am using a sample of only twenty people and accounting for only using one plastic bag per visit. If the exchange system grows the number of poten-tial plastics in use will increase dramatically.

I conducted an on-line survey using social media asking the general public their opinions about re-usable bags. I was not able to survey Natural Philosophy customers directly but I did focus the survey on a group of individuals I felt could accurately represent the customer base at Natural Philosophy. The results can be found below in the section titled Sample Survey. This data could give me some indication of people’s ideas regarding re-usable shopping bags in the general public and among my target business customer base.

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transporting the materials out of the canyon to a recycle bin in Logan. In addition to implementing recycling, I am also working with executive chef of the market café, John Simpson, to promote their support of local businesses. I am also working to pair the café to local farmers such as First Frost Farms and other small-scale family gardens.

By creating more connections to these local suppliers, Beaver will decrease their carbon footprint and help boost the local economy.

Because the bins have not been in place yet, the following evaluation is my own prediction.If Beaver’s employees/customers use the re-cycling bins so that only 2 ½ bins are full at the end of each week, based on a 15-week ski season (from Dec 23rd – April 6th) that would result in the equivalent of 37 ½ full bins of recy-clable materials to be collected during the winter season.

Now what’s 37 ½ bins worth? Let’s break it down into 1 bin.

Each bin has the carrying capacity for 60 Gal-lons. Because 1 Gal equals about 3.8 L, one bin has a carrying capacity of 228 Liters. If one bin were to be filled (to the brim) with solely alumi-num cans(usually 355mL or 12 fluid ounces) then one Beaver bin would theoretically hold 642 aluminum cans(1 bin per 228L Capacity divided by 0.355L per aluminum can).

According to an online recycling calculator

Beaver MountainOutdoor recyclingHolly Dryer

The service learning portion of Communicating Sustainability ENVS 4700 is providing some hands-on experience of working one-on-one with managers to foster behavior growth. As I conduct this project I have gained a greater understanding of how much work it takes to establish a relationship with businesses; every-thing from introducing myself to professionals to diligently carrying out tedious details neces-sary to put changes into effect.

One key to it all is respectfully suggesting what changes could be made while emphasizing the benefit(s) to be gained for the business, community, and envi-ronment.

My service learning project with Beaver Moun-tain is first and foremost to establish a formal recycling program at the resort. Currently, the shop manager, David Eames, has taken it upon himself to load the daily 100+ cardboard boxes into his truck and dispose them into a blue dumpster at Beaver’s office building in Logan. This leadership from a loyal employee is the only form of recycling already in place. Using this as a starting point, I will work along-side Beaver Mountain Management and David Eames to have 5 recycling bins strategically located around the resort. Each bin will be clearly marked for recycling of either aluminum, plastic, and glass or mixed paper materials.

In order to make sure the project gains atten-tion and people change behavior to recycling, we will design fliers and posters to further promote the change. The later steps of this recycling project consist of integrating the staff schedule to include the added responsibility of

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(www.gogreen.coop ), recycling 170 cans/week results in the following quarterly savings:(since the ski season lasts about 3 solid months or ¼ of the calendar year) 1,885 lbs (almost 1 ton) of coal being burned- Decreases use of 4.9 barrels of oil (or driving a car for about 2,565 miles)-

Saves 1.13 yd3 of landfill space- Puts $144.20 back into economy (revenue based on current prices for used aluminum)- Saves water, CO2 emissions, and electricity that would otherwise be used in production of more aluminum cans.These measurements are not taking into ac-count the paper and plastic materials that are also included in our bins. Had we analyzed the collections in terms of paper/plastic the figures change to favor saving trees, oil, CO2 emis-sions, and electric kilowatts.

Overall, if only half of the bins are filled each week, the resulting 37.5 bins collected through-

out the season would result in:- 70,687.5 lbs (35 tons) of coal burned- 183.78 barrels of oil (or driving a car for about 96,202.86 miles- going around the Earth 4 times!)- 42.41 yd3 of landfill space- Generates $5,406 for the economy

True Blue Reuse SaleImproving SaleJulie Koldewyn & Justin Hanton

The True Blue Reuse Collection and Sale works to reduce the amount of material sent to the landfill at the end of the semester as a result of students throwing away usable items instead of storing or reusing them. It encour-ages students to donate their items to the program, which then in turn sells them back to students at reduced prices to get the items back in the hands of people who can use them while providing funding support for the reuse sale program.

The reuse sale works with Utah State Univer-sity to coordinate these efforts by allowing the collection bins to be placed in the dorms. While the reuse sale may compete with other thrift stores in town that might otherwise receive the donations, the goal is to reduce the amount of items being sent to the landfill as students might not even take the effort to donate them to community thrift stores.

Compared to other universities that run this kind of program, the True Blue Reuse Sale does not appear to have maximized its po-tential in preventing usable items from being thrown in the trash. We are hoping to help the True Blue Reuse Sale to become more utilized and help maximize the amount of items being diverted from the landfill. This would in turn allow us to prevent the landfill from being filled as quickly, prevents contamination of the land-fill from chemicals that might otherwise con-taminate the landfill, and reduces the environ-

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mental impact from the manufacturing of items that would otherwise replace the ones that were thrown away. This project will also pro-mote sustainability at USU and help students become more conscious about the waste they generate. Ideally, this will help students to think and act more environmentally-friendly.

Logan, Utah, which houses Utah State Uni-versity, is a relatively small college town facing many environmental issues with its quickly growing population. In addition to population levels, Logan’s bowl-like valley and the tall surrounding mountains create the perfect en-vironment for the accumulation of particulate matter (PM), often creating some of the worst air in the nation. In addition to air quality, the city also faces environmental issues pertaining to land preservation, energy needs, and water conservation that will also be intensified with an increased population. Therefore, the implemen-tation of any kind of sustainability measure, the collection included, is and will be beneficial to

residents of Logan. The collection will reduce the pressure on the city landfill by preventing reusable items from being thrown away, which helps the landfill both by reducing the total mass of items and also by reducing the chem-icals put in it from partially used cleaning sup-plies that would otherwise be thrown away.

Last year’s collection diverted 2,840 lbs from the local landfill and we hope to divert just as much, if not more.

The collection will also provide students with needed items at discounted prices, giving students another option besides buying brand new items. The program also helps reduce the garbage collection and disposal costs incurred by the university, allowing more money to be spent more meaningfully on other programs. The sale also has the potential to become a community sale, rather than just a student sale. For example, Indiana University has a reuse sale called “Hoosier to Hoosier” which has extended from the university to become

“ “The implementation of any kind of sustainability measure,

the collection included, is and will be beneficial to residents of Logan.

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a big community event, bringing in more than $32,000 at their sale in 2013.

The main community partner is Gary Phillips, the housing and sustainability coordinator at USU Student Housing. Gary was involved in the collection and sale last year, so he’s al-ready been a big help and is eager to see the project become even more successful. There has been one official meeting with Gary and a few emails and phone calls throughout the semester, all of which have gone smoothly. In addition, Kate Stephens, an assistant director in the Student Sustainability Office at USU, has been a big proponent of the sale and has been meeting weekly with Julie as part of her grad-uate assistantship to discuss the progress of this project. Both partners have been invested in the project and have been very easy to work with.

The Italian PlaceConnected First frost farms to the Italian place Gaia Nafziger and Samantha LeBaron

The intentions of this project were to evaluate the current practices of the Italian Place sand-wich shop, and to decide on the most impactful way to increase sustainability within the busi-ness. After several trips to the business, we had a list of practices that were sustainable for the business, and ones that needed im-provement. After debating several options we decided that the most important focus would be to increase the amount of local products being used by the Italian Place. Because it is a restaurant, the place with the greatest impact is their food sourcing. For this reason, our project focused on trying to implement the purchase of local produce to be used on Italian Place sandwiches.

On a larger scale, we hoped to encourage social change within Logan. By making small changes within the community, you can

slowly build a more environmentally responsi-ble system of businesses. While directly de-creasing CO2 emissions, we have a hope that advertising these changes the Italian Place has made will encourage others to evaluate their own impacts on their environmental system, as well as helping establish a better connection between local businesses. This will also act as a small advertisement for the businesses in Cache Valley that are engaging in activities that are positive for the community and the environ-ment.

The main focus of our project this semester is two pronged. First, we would like the IP to engage in more locally oriented behaviors. To start of small, we managed to reach a cooper-ative agreement between the Italian Place and a local Organic producer named First Frost Farm to get the business to start purchasing lettuce and onions locally. They are also open to increasing the seasonality of their menu which may include more purchases like arugula throughout the summer. Additional produce will also be purchased from First Frost Farm. This is important because buying local is a mutual-istic relationship between customer, buyer, and seller of produce.

Not only does local organic produce provide more healthy and satisfying options for the customer, but by purchasing local produce, it stimulates local economy, and shows a commit-ment to the community.

For the IP it can also mean increased business because the biggest trend within the restaurant industry is buying locally. This shows how the Italian Place’s public image and customer base could be supported or even increased by of-fering more local options. Another reason why our project focus is replacing imported produce

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with local, is that it will greatly decrease the amount of fossil fuels that were burned in the process of getting the food to the consumer. In addition, the farm we are working with is First Frost farm, which is certified Organic, and does almost all of its work with manual labor, and so having much smaller C02 emissions than conventional large scale farms.

The second prong in our project plan, is to advertise the IP’s sustainable developments. Although they are a business that are in many ways already committed to sustainable behav-iors, there is no indication of their efforts unless you ask the owner directly. By making signage for the business advertising their recycling, composting, and local purchasing, we can edu-cate and encourage the customers in their own sustainable developments, while improving public image for the Italian Place. Advertising is a way to really show the customer base the ways in which the Italian Place cares for their community and the environment.

The most important thing was to establish a good working relationship between the Ital-ian Place and First Frost Farm so that they will have an increasingly positive perception of buying locally, as well as having the ability to increase the variety and amounts of pro-duce in the future. Another way that our goals changed was when we realized how important advertising their sustainable developments is, rather than only the importance of making a change. By increasing focus on advertising it is creating a really prolonged impact on the customers and their relationship with the Italian Place, rather than only making environmental improvements.

The importance of our project will be seen in carbon reduction in the atmosphere, but also we really hope this will establish the Italian Place as a role model for sustainable devel-opment within the community. By beginning a partnership between them and First Frost Farm, we have not only given customers of the Italian Place a more positive connection to buy-ing locally, but also the Italian Place as a busi-ness. This project will hopefully be a stepping stone to inform them on ways in which they can continue to grow as a business in a socially and environmentally responsible way.Others:

Cell Phone RecyclingUSU Brigham CityHeather Winegar

The RECYCLE RARE EARTH project has been launched to create awareness about the importance of recycling electronics (or e-waste), with a specific focus on cell phones. Many people are unaware that almost all of our electronics are made from rare earth elements (metals) that aren’t so much rare (they are found everywhere) but are rare in large mineral deposits. The largest mines are outside of the U.S, mostly in China, which supplies 97 per-cent of the world’s rare earth materials. Given that our high-tech devices all depend on these rare earth elements, we ought to, as individuals and a nation, pay attention to this commodity. By 2015, it is forecasted that the world’s indus-tries will consume about 185,000 tons of this stuff. (NGM, 2011)

I presented this project to Jill Rasmussen, Director of Student Services, on March 7, 2014 for approval of project. Together, we discussed the “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats” (SWOT) analysis of this project (results found in the “SWOT” section, page 11). We further discussed options for Student Gov-ernment involvement, ideas to present informa-

Hopefully by completing this project we will decrease the Italian Place’s carbon footprint, stimulate local economy, and increase awareness and product satisfaction for the customer.

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“ “Recycling e-waste keeps toxins out of our landfill,

reduces our dependence on foreign countries, is economi-cally viable, and supports campaigns for social justice.”

ent marketing strategies. This is a fine example of creative sustainability; “the local” aspect of “local…to… global” ideal. The boxes are an integral part of this project so I have purchased several of these beautifully designed boxes for future community outreach programs.Paige Gardner designed box labels to provide a professional look.

USU, as a community partner, is the perfect environment to pro-vide education about the impor-tance of e-waste recycling.

Education is a key modality to encourage stu-dents to take actions that support sustainable solutions and inspire other members in their community to contribute. Recycling e-waste keeps toxins out of our landfill, reduces our dependence on foreign countries, is economi-cally viable, and supports campaigns for social justice.

In alignment with the mission statement of

tion to students via: social media, video clips, information displays on campus and newspa-per articles. We decided where the most effec-tive areas on campus to place the drop boxes for recycling.

On March 24, 2014, I met with Melissa Pot-ter, member of the Brigham City Sustainability Club, to discuss possible barriers and benefits of this project. Further details of this meeting are found in the “Barriers and Benefits” section, page 12.

On April 4, I met with Susan Williams, Academ-ic Advisor and Instructor, to discuss this proj-ect. Susan teaches Psychology 1220: Career Development. We discussed options for me to give a presentation to this class about the “Re-cycle Rare Earth” project on April 15, 2014.The drop-off boxes are locally made by Row-land Williams, Staff Member, USU—BC. Row-land used scrap wood he had readily available. The boxes are custom made for this project with one-way only drop entry and secured with locks. The boxes are ideal for marketing campaigns as they can be easily altered for any changes in advertising themes. The box-es are beautiful in their raw form, but can be painted, stained and otherwise enhanced to provide an individualized look to cater to differ-

USU, this project is about “fostering the prin-ciple that academics come first, by cultivating diversity of thought and culture, and by serv-ing the public through learning, discovery, and engagement.”

Horseshoe Irrigation Education Program Project/Water ManualJosh Vern Jensen

I was pleased to work with the Horseshoe Irri-gation Company with their water education pro-gram. As the demand of the resource continues to grow, the resource continues to decline. The company has recognized the importance of wa-ter education and using water- wise initiatives. We have also recognized the importance of environmental, social, and economical aspects in regards to implementing a successful water education campaign. The company has also made it clear that they would like to utilize bet-ter educational measures. The company has, but with very limited success, held water- ed-ucation meetings, special information mailings and other items as well. I think that the Horse-shoe Irrigation is missing out on a big opportu-nity to promote their water conservation simply because of ignoring the social norms aspect. I have remade the company’s water manual. The old water manual was strictly information based.

My goal was to alter the percep-tion of water use by including in the manual the importance of water conservation, and why we need to respect our water re-sources.

After meeting with the Watermaster, we want to extend our water education outside of the Irri-gation Company to the community as a whole, and the school as well. We have talked about making signs to put into schools and we also

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have talked about doing “use water wise” sem-inars as well. We have realized the importance of educating our younger generations about water conservation.

I have attended and taken notes at water board meetings held by the Horseshoe Irrigation Company. As mentioned before, I was able to really see how these meetings are presented. I have also met with the President of the Horse-shoe Irrigation Company and conducted a SWOT analysis and also talking about our “use water wise” campaign. I have also met with the Water- master of Spring City as well. I have discussed with the Watermaster my thoughts for the new information to be presented in the Spring City manual. I also met with him, talking about how to involve the community as a whole in our efforts to changing the perceptions of water use. A big accomplishment that we made was the creation of the new Spring City water manual. With the help from Paige Gardner, we were able to finalize a good- looking manual for the shareholders of Spring City. My goal was to take the old manual and expand it by includ-ing water conservation materials. I felt that the company was missing out on a great opportu-nity to alter the perceptions of water and also increasing their bottom line by not including some important information in regards to water conservation in their manuals.

Worm composting Migrant Head Start Ivy Harvey

This project is meant to enable Migrant Head Start with the tools and resources they need to inspire their students and their families to become more self- reliant by growing vegeta-ble gardens. This fosters sustainable living through increasing local food production and thus decreasing carbon dioxide emissions.

I was introduced to the Migrant Head Start program in Providence, Utah, and worked with them to initiate a plant propagation pro-gram best suited to their needs. I was the sole member of my group, and was responsible for coordinating meetings between myself and Head Start staff, for the creation of the Plant Start how- to guide, and facilitating staff training in its use.

This project empowered me. I realized I am capable of recog-nizing needs and creating solu-tions, and adapting solutions to the needs of the situation.

It has been a privilege to work with Head Start, and to help them accomplish their vision of uti-lizing nature and her processes to inspire and educate children. This project has helped me see how working with like- minded individuals promotes change quickly, and that by seeking to understand different perspectives, change becomes long- lasting instead of short- lived.

A year ago, Migrant Head Start acquired a large plant propagation grow light, a tumbler composter, and a vermicomposter through a grant. While teachers have been excited to use the equipment, they have sat in storage unused because no one is trained in their use. I worked with Shareesa McMurdie to produce

a how- to guide that will enable teachers and assistants to use the light throughout the year to produce vegetable starts for their outdoor gardens, flowers for their center’s entrance way, and vegetable starts and flowers for the children to take home. This utilizes equipment that has idled, engages the children in actively learning about and caring for the environment, and equips Head Start with another education-al tool to teach and inspire the children in their care. The guide also includes information that will enable the staff to use their composters.

This program integrates sustainable living principles because local food production de-creases food miles, which are a calculation of the energy costs of producing and transporting food from its origin to consumption. Decreased food miles mean fewer CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, which helps mitigate global climate change, benefiting the community and environment.

I expect that using the grow light in the Head Start education program will inspire the chil-dren to love learning about the environment and caring for its needs. I believe that caring for plants from seed through harvest will urge the children to share the adventure with their parents, and that families will begin to tend their own family gardens together.

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“ “Children learn to care for nature and the environment. They learn how to and harvest produce, as

well as consistent work ethic and re-sponsibility nurture through keeping the plants alive.”

Student Impacts

“Ros took the time to travel across the state to personally meet all of her students. That, to me, is so big. It shows depth of character, per-sonal investment and dedication to her students. She is the kind of person that makes me want to do even better than my best. I thrive in this kind of atmosphere.

“Ros has been attentive, support-ive and genuine in her contact with me, with offering advice, assisting me in whatever way she could and grading my coursework. I espe-cially liked all the guest speakers, the online videos and the Foster-ing Sustainability Behavior book. I liked that she engaged all of the students, even when that can be awkward for distance sites.”

“Ros is one of the most motivated and motivation professors I’ve had. She is a mover and a shaker, and builder of programs on USU campus, and it has been a privilege to learn from her how to identify a problem, propose a solu-tion, and plan, design and implement the solution. Working with community partners on our projects has made this course the most productive and inspir-ing I’ve had during my time at USU. The guest lecturers were enlightening and empowering.”

End of semester selected student course reflections:

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Student Impacts

“All the guest lecturers were really well picked and relevant to course material.”

“Ros’s dedication to the students and the course was always eminent as well as her pas-sion for sustainability”

“I liked being able to read others thoughts and opinions about things we had read. It made me look at some of the ideas, concepts and topics differently.”

“As I conduct this project I have gained a great-er understanding of how much work it takes to establish a relationship with businesses; every-thing from introducing myself to professionals to diligently carrying out tedious details neces-sary to put changes into effect.”- Holly Dryer

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“I really enjoyed how Ros took the time to personal-ly get to know each one of us in her class. I felt she was truly vested into each of us and wanted us to have a successful project even when overcoming ob-stacles and barriers when dealing with community partners.”

“ “I am honored to have had the opportunity to learn from Ros. She

is one of those teachers that I will always remember as having a big impact on my experience at USU. It is teachers like her that got me through school this semester.”