The Environmental Concerns Committee (ECC) is a subcommittee of the Peace and Justice Education Program at Iona, in recognition of the fact that understanding of and respect for the environment has great relevance to issues of peace and justice around the world.

The mandate of the Environmental Concerns Committee is to raise awareness of the Iona Community with respect to the state of the environment, primarily through sponsorship of educational programs and activities, promotion of recycling and conservation, and acquisition of educational resource materials. All members of the Iona community are welcome to join ECC – faculty, staff, administration and students.

2010-11

Efforts to create a culture of sustainability continue. Facilities has a nifty new solar powered van.

There is new signage in classrooms reminding people to turn off lights and A/V equipment. Iona became the first college in Westchester to adopt Con Edison's Energy Saving and Rebate Program.

And in the area of green curriculum, Brian Brown and Sr. Kathleen Deignan (RST) are hosting a series of conversations for interested faculty, focusing on the essays of Thomas Berry in The Great Work.

Fredrica Rudell and Meryl Nadel attended the Environmental Consortium
Annual Meeting and Conference on October 15-16 at Rockland Community College. The theme was "Advancing Our Regional Foodshed: The Role of Higher Education." The 2010 Consortium meeting and conference brought together small-scale family farms; chefs/restaurant owners; agriculture policy experts; farm-to-table non-profits; researchers and others to foster a collaborative, interdisciplinary dialogue about our foodshed.

In November, a few Week of the Peacemaker (Advocacy: Speaking Out for Justice) events highlighted environmental issues, most notably a program on Earth Advocacy sponsored by the Berry Forum of the Iona Spirituality Institute: "Go Tell It on the Mountains." Special Guest Jaculyn Hanrahan, CND, Founder and Director of the Appalachian Center for Faith and Ecology, spoke about the troubling intersections of electrical energy use, the devastating practice of mountain-top removal, and the environmental justice issues which are the special burden of miners and residents of our coal regions who risk their lives and health to deliver our energy. The discussion was facilitated by Dr. Daniel Martin.

New Recycling System for Iona
On Thursday, March 10, Jim Albers and Keith Lebron from Waste Management presented information about the new "Single Stream Recycling" system to members of ECC, IC Green, Dining Services and the Facilities Department who gathered in Burke Lounge, Spellman Hall at noon. All agreed that an assessment of current trash and recycling bin deployment would be useful to make sure that Iona faculty, staff and students can comply with the new rules.

Here are some informational resources from Waste Management:

• An information sheet about Single Stream Recycling
• A poster of "Acceptable" vs. "Unacceptable" materials

Environmental Talks in New Rochelle
Iona College has partnered with Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library and the New Rochelle Downtown Business Improvement District to sponsor a free series of Science & Society Dialogs for Scientists and Non-Scientists. In spring 2011, three of the "Science Cafe" conversations focused on environmental issues.

Suburban Ecosystems; Soil and Climate Change (March 8)
7:00 pm, Coromandel Restaurant 30 Divison Street, New Rochelle
Dr. William Schlesinger will discuss the fascinating activities of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and his groundbreaking work in linking environmental chemistry and global climate change. How does suburban life impact the ecosystem? What small measures can add up to big changes? These and other timely questions will spark the conversation.

Ocean Depths - Changing Tides (Apr. 12)
7:00 pm, Linda Kelly Theater New Rochelle High School
Dr. Carl Safine will share his explorations of how the ocean is changing, and what those changes mean for wildlife and for people. Looking at the scientific dimensions as well as moral and social implications of our relationship with nature, he will describe his campaigns to ban high-seas driftnets, re-write U.S. federal fisheries law, work toward international conservation of tunas, sharks, and other fishes, and achieve passage of a United Nations global fisheries treaty. Participants will also learn about the Blue Ocean Institute, which uniquely works through science, art, and literature to inspire solutions and a deeper connection with nature. A book signing of Dr. Safina's latest book, The View from Lazy Point, will follow the discussion.

The Vertical Farm (May 10)
7 PM, Rangoli, 615 Main Street
Dickson Despommier, Ph.D. In the emerging field of medical ecology, Dickson Despommier is a trailblazer, devising solutions to problems in agriculture and public health that likely will be magnified by climate change. A microbiologist, he is a Professor of Public Health at Columbia University's Mailman School, where he developed the idea of growing food in urban farm skyscrapers. He will sign copies of his new book, The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century.

ECC activities and events before 2010!