North Central College, Sustainably

Yesterday, six NCC faculty and staff members attended the Illinois Sustainable University Symposium, hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Will Barnett, Martha Bohrer, Don Koletsos, Beth Laken, Joseph Wilmarth Tyna, and Matt Zanon, who are all members of the NCC Sustainability Committee, participated in the event to learn about the latest environmental efforts at nearby colleges and universities.  The event was organized by Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois Green Governments Coordinating Council, and the NCC representatives participated in workshops on recycling programs, campus transportation, preparing students for careers in sustainability, and financing new energy projects.  They heard presentations by speakers from the Illinois EPA, the National Wildlife Federation, the Clinton Climate Initiative, and by sustainability leaders at colleges and universities around the state.  North Central College is proud to be one of over 40 members of the Illinois Sustainable University Compact.

Old McDonald had a farm and for a few hours North Central College freshmen worked on it. Premier Scholars, a group of incoming first-year students, got down-and-dirty at a 60-acre Naperville farm this June. Adamant that her Naperville farm not be replaced by subdivisions, Mrs. Lenore McDonald bequethed her property to the Conservation Foundation, a local not-for-profit committed to watershed protection. Mrs. McDonald’s decision provided the perfect opportunity for participants to learn about sustainable, organic food production and the social justice issues facing farmers.

Green Earth Institute, a non-profit committed to environmental and nutritional health, hosted our Premier service project. Founder, Steve Tiwald, spoke with students and staff about the farm’s operations before setting us to work on weeds. Steve challenged students to identify the 40 varieties of vegetables and herbs being grown for the CSA (community supported agriculture) shareholders. While extolling the virtues of organic farming on plants and people, Steve also let Premier students try some of the food produced here.

North Central’s mission of producing informed and involved citizens, and the college’s commitment to sustainability were perfectly blended in this experience.

For more information about Premier Scholars, please contact director of the program, Viviana Kabbabe, at vkabbabe@noctrl.edu.