By Maren Stumme-Diers

Originally published in the April/May 2010 Inspire(d) Magazine, updated for 2011

Can you believe it? 2010 marked the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (so 2011 is the 41st anniversary!)! April 22 has been one of my favorite days since I was a little girl so it seems perfect that part of my job as the college’s Assistant Sustainability Coordinator is to help Luther celebrate Earth Day…every day. Here are some things we’ve been doing:

This winter more than 10,000 worms inched their way into seven of the college’s student housing locations – and it wasn’t an accident! When students wanted a way to compost fruit and vegetable peelings, and dispose of newspapers and coffee grounds in the residence halls, we responded with a bin and some Redworms. Students are proud to say worms eat their garbage.

Luther plans to cut its carbon footprint 50 percent in the next few years and recently developed an Energy Conservation Program, which sets out the goal of reducing energy consumption 2 percent through behavioral changes and another 3 percent through energy efficiency. And plans are still in the works for a wind turbine!

Starting this fall, 10 students will live together in Luther’s Environmentally, Fiscally and Socially Responsible Edifice (LEFSE) where they will explore community and find ways to live more sustainably. Follow the house on their blog (available Fall 2010).

Nearly 100 percent of beef and pork served on campus is local (thank you Grass Run Farm), and we are working toward a goal of sourcing 35 percent of campus food locally. Plus, this year 110,000 seeds were purchased for use in Luther’s production, heirloom and edible landscaping gardens. Lettuce and tomatoes and basil, oh my!

For more information about Luther’s Sustainability initiatives visit sustainability.luther.edu

So in honor of Earth Day’s 40^th 41st Birthday, here are 40 ways YOU can show a little Earth love too!

1. Bury your car in your backyard (or at least pretend you did). Don’t drive for a day. A week. A month?

2. Stick Around! Rather than packing up the car and heading to New York or San Francisco, kick it local. You’ll save money AND have fun. Bike the Elroy-Sparta Trail, canoe the Turkey River or take a trip to Effigy Mounds.

3. Play disc golf. Disc golf courses typically use natural surroundings and obstacles to create fairways and holes, which connects players to the natural environment. As local disc golf guru Dan Bellrichard says, “Playing is like a walk in the park…only so much better!” You can find courses at Luther College, Waukon City Park, Upper Iowa University, Cresco, New Hampton, Hokah, Sparta, La Crosse and Lanesboro.  (For more information visit discgolfdan.com)

4. Check out a new trail. For ideas on where to go, visit exploredecorah.com or read past Inspire(d) trail reviews in the “Read: Driftless Trails” section.

5. Sign the kids up for Summer Discovery Camps at Luther. Campers will learn about woodland, wetland and prairie ecology, wilderness camping and survival, alternative energy, and more. (environment.luther.edu/discovery)

6. Let the worms eat your garbage. If vermicomposting can be successful in the Luther Residence Halls (yes, it’s true), then it can definitely work in your home, office space or classroom. Worms enjoy a vegan diet and love to crawl around in your shredded up newspaper or confidential documents. If you are a teacher, make a worm bin for your classroom and nominate a student to be the official “wormkeeper.” All you need are worms (can be purchased online at happydranch.com), a Rubbermaid container with holes drilled around the top, newspaper and food scraps. Population will double in three to six months, so you will get to share the worm love with favorite friends and colleagues. For an entertaining video on Luther’s vermicomposting initiative, visit luther.edu/sustainability. Reducing waste has never been so fun.

7. Throw your television out the window (or pretend you did) and spend time reading, writing, drawing, telling stories making music or (insert favorite activity here).

8. Pick up a copy of the “Better World Handbook” co-authored by Luther College Environmental Sociology Professor Brett Johnson. In this easy-to-use book you will find tips on responsible shopping and investing, as well as resources that will help you make the world, fittingly, a better place. Find copies in the Luther bookstore or online at betterworldhandbook.com.

9. Use your dollars as votes for a better world. Explore opportunities for socially and environmentally responsible investing, support entrepreneurs in developing countries by providing microloans through organizations like KIVA (kiva.org) and pay attention to the practices, people and businesses you are supporting when you spend your money.

10. Live like we’re in an “ession” (depr- or rec-…you choose). Er…wait…that’s now.

11. Pay your bills online. If every house in the United States did this we would save 18 million trees every year

12. Buy used. You will be amazed at what you can find at places like the Depot, Goodwill, DecorahNow.com, Rien de Nouveau and Toys Go Round and more. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming months on Luther’s reuse store, which will be housed in our iconic red barn and check out the Second Hand Shopping story in this Inspire(d).

13. Ask your utilities providers for an energy audit. You may be surprised at the rebates and incentives available for making your home more energy efficient.

14. Switch out incandescent light bulbs for their more energy efficient counterpart: the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). This small, inexpensive action can have quite an impact on your electricity bill.

15. Wash your laundry in cold water and ditch the dryer – use a clothesline or drying rack.

16. Replace your showerhead with a low flow model.  Or…shower with a buddy (it’s more fun and it saves H20)!

17. If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down. If it’s green…you may be taking this whole “loving the earth” thing a little too far.

18. Un-load (the “phantom load,” that is). Did you know that cell phone and computer chargers always use energy when plugged into the wall – even if nothing is attached to them? To save energy unplug chargers when not in use.

19. Switch to cloth napkins.

20. Conduct a waste audit of your home/office/classroom/church. If recyclables are ending up in the trash, perhaps you need a more convenient recycling system. If compostables are in the trash, it sounds like you may just need a worm bin (see a theme here?). If there are large quantities of items that can’t be recycled, composted, or reused in your trash, you may need to reevaluate what you are purchasing. Seek out products with less associated waste or talk to companies and let them know that you want less packaging. They will listen.

21. Visit Terry at the Winneshiek County Recycling Center (or at least become a friend of the Winneshiek County Recycling Center on Facebook). His passion for recycling is contagious and I assure you that he will be able to answer any questions you have about recycling in this area.

22. Slow down! Don’t drive so fast.

23. Help to eradicate invasive species like Garlic Mustard and Buckthorn!
Garlic Mustard: This invasive species crowds out woodland plants, prevents tree seedlings from growing, and can spread at a prodigious rate. Learn how to identify and weed this destructive plant at local events.

24. While doing small things, think big. Think about redesigning cities, restructuring the economy and reconnecting humanity with the natural world.

25. Help promote Sustainable Decorah!  Join the online network at www.sustainabledecorah.ning.com.

26. Reuse containers before you recycle them. Remember this order: reduse (buy less packaging and stuff), reuse (that pickle jar can hold chicken stock too!), recycle (don’t throw away what can be made new again!).

27. Expand your knowledge of gardening by attending Seed Savers Garden Workshops (www.seedsavers.org)

28. Plant a Garden! This could be as simple as a container garden on your patio. Or if you just want to take a field trip, come visit the Luther Gardens (I may even give you a personal tour). While in Decorah you should also visit the Winneshiek Medical Center’s garden (Learn more at the Pepperfield Project).

29. Collect rainwater and use it in those gardens.

30. Head to Lanesboro for the Root River Valley Earth Day Celebration, April 30 from 10 am to 2 pm at Sylvan Park. This free, fun event features kids activities, informational booths, farmers market, plant sale, and more!

31. Go the the Oneota Co-op’s Earth Day Celebration and CSA Fair April 21, 2011, 5-7 pm!

32. Eat your Earth Day Dinner on the Bluff. April 30, 5:30 pm at Eagle Bluff. Mike Link and Kate Crowley as they discuss their findings and share their photos of their 5 month expedition circumnavigating Lake Superior on foot. Gourmet dinner of locally grown foods to follow at 6:45. Cost is $20 and reservations are required.

33. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. (Thanks, Michael Pollan). And when you aren’t in the mood to eat mostly plants, be sure to support local meat producers.

34. Visit your local farmers market to meet the faces behind your food. Decorah Farmers Market opens on Saturday, May 1 (barring weather constraints) and runs through October. The market is open on Wednesday from 3-6 pm and Saturdays from 8-11 am. Goodbye snow, hello fresh veggies! Or find a market near you at www.localharvest.org.

35. Give your palate many reasons to celebrate the seasons. I recommend picking up two cookbooks:
-From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce by the Madison Area Community Support Agriculture Coalition. Recipes are presented according to ingredient.
-Simply In Season not only provides delicious recipes, but also explores how the food we put on our tables affects our global and local neighbors.
**Once you find your favorite recipes, host a local foods potluck or dinner party.

36. Get locally buzzed. Forget about Belgian beer, Argentine wine and Irish whiskey. Visit Toppling Goliath, the new microbrewery in Decorah, and taste what they have brewing (I love the Naughty 90). Winneshiek Wildberry Winery is located outside of Decorah and offers a wide variety of local wines. A newfound personal favorite is Templeton Rye, which is delicious whiskey that is produced in Iowa.

37. Check out the Seed Savers Bird and Wildflower Walk Saturday, April 30, 2011. Walks begin at 8 am and  11 am. Bonus: a pancake breakfast with local maple syrup  – $5/person.

38. Mark your calendar: July 30, the 8th Annual Kickapoo Country Fair. Food, music, bike and farm tours, cooking demonstrations, theater, kids’ activities, dancing, author readings, and speakers. Held at the Organic Valley Headquarters in LaFarge, Wisconsin, this is the Midwest’s Largest Organic and Sustainable Foods Festival. www.organicvalley.coop/kickapoo

39. And again: In big, bold, green letters write, “Put the ECO in d-ECO-rah” across September 16-18, 2011. You won’t want to accidentally miss off the grid home and sustainable farm tours, local food samplings and the opportunity to be greenly inspire(d) at the 3rd annual Dig-IN (Decorah Iowa Green Initiative).

40. Like B Kind 2 Earth Day on Facebook and socially pledge how you’ll love the earth on earth day and beyond.

And one to grow on…

41. Learn more about the Winneshiek Energy District in the Inspire(d) Winter 2010-11 issue (pg.24), or on their website. And sign up for a Home Energy Check-Up! You can save money AND the earth!

When she’s not busy finding ways for Luther to love the Earth, Maren enjoys cooking, yoga, and moonlit morel hunts and welcomes any outdoor adventure that comes her way.