Greens Meeting
 
Date: 12-13-2012
Location: Gustie Den, Cozy Chairs
Meeting Called by:  Saskia Raether & Rebecca Hare
 
Attendees:
Ashley Hansen!
Rebecca Hare
Jennifer Steffen
Saskia Raether
Griffin Spier
Jessica Burgraff
Dan Ly
Katie Feterl

Agenda:  Divestment


Decisions Reached and Project Progress/ Updates:
--Divestment--
        ○ Meeting tomorrow at 11 to talk about PAX
        ○ Meeting at 11:30 in 49er lounge downstairs of Student Center
        ○ Investment Club - Bruce Johnson
        ○ Tabling
        ○ Movies
        ○ Board of Trustee meeting dates
       
• Kyle Haiman
        ○ Crossroads group will partner with us
       
• Ashley Hansen came to visit us!
        ○ RECYCLEMANIA
                § Dorm competitions, pizza parties, gift cards to co-op
                § Or campus wide!
                § Coupons for good recycling (Steve Kjellgren)
                § Pledges with tabling
        ○ Paper to LJP
                § LJP gets a premium on our paper, they take time to sort color vs. white paper and get a better product
                        □ LJP works with different companies, one an international and one in the cities..
        ○ Waste to Mankato
        ○ Commingling to waste management in Mankato
                § We no longer have to sort recyclables
        ○ Record composting with Recyclemania
        ○ Garbage is burned at MWPC, electricity used to power homes
                § 91% of waste doesn't go to land fills
        ○ Katherine Barta ES senior will be holding Garage Sale, maybe working with Goodwill, to get stuff reused on campus
                § Kurrb.com
        ○ Recycling - unrinsed things get trashed

       
       
Committee on Divestment: create a committee campus wide for Gustavus Divestment. Create email alias...
-Communicators
-Coalitions - Jennifer
-Research - Jessica
-Logistics
-Awareness
-Funding
-Alumni Relations (all)



Discussion:
• Lots of discussion about recycling
               
Agenda for next meeting:  Last meeting of the Semester



Meeting with Paul Thompson
• Update on Divestment campaign
        ○ We are leading the way for the state right now
                § Contact people at carleton and St. Olaf
                § Meet in Feb.
                        □ What do you love about winter? Contest Gustavus could enter
        ○ Legislature
        ○ Coolplanetmn.org
        ○ People who have done the least to cause climate change are going to suffer the most
        ○ Cloud Cult concert in the cities
                § Art, music, dance are a good part to include, different skills
• Obstacles
        ○ Priority
        ○ How to present climate urgency as opportunity, rather than challenge
        ○ How to give students a role
        ○ Feeling of Helplessness/Hopeless. Concerned about other issues, don't see connection to Climate Change
        ○ How to connect administration /divestment/students
        ○ Businesses that our mutual funds support might have political ties?
                § Not just quick investments
        ○ Hard to get people to change their habits
                § Convenience
        ○ How to grow the momentum on campus
                § Do that around spring board of divestment
• Divestment
        ○ Gustavus has history with divestment, partly because of Lutheran ties - more resonance
        ○ Work with papers, big media, businesses
        ○ Bring in celebration aspect
        ○ As we communicate to students, there are many avenues - you can be successful even without changing our investments
        ○ Work with student senate, raise awareness
        ○ Work with MN government - Eric Paulson (congressman for Edina - mod repulblican)
        ○ Conference call
                § Faceto face
                § Talk to TIM WALZ (Congressmen) - Fee and dividend… Fee and bonus
                § Jim Hansen article
                § Set price on Carbon
                § John Larson - Connecticut
                § Going to Rochester to visit with Tim Walz  (also wind)
                        □ Tell him what we are doing at Gustavus, that he should support the Carbon tax
                        □ Having Gustavus Students generate meeting
        ○ Get faculty involved
        ○ Get weekly table - visible
        ○ Get wind energy legislature approved
        ○ Terry Morrow-  specific on goals we have
                § Discovering and digging deeper on investment
                § How do we build partnerships
                § Easy access to a victory
                § Sign petitions
                § Come to event, that is uplifting
                        □ Dance, concert,
                        □ Chasing Ice movie
                                ® CAB event

Nicole Rom at Will Steger foundation