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environment

Augie Thrift takes aim at dorm move-out waste

Augie Thrift takes aim at dorm move-out waste

As students pack up all their belongings and many memories from the year, the campus dumpsters too often begin to resemble a junkyard full of recyclable and functional items: discarded clothes, abandoned dorm décor and neglected furniture. Two years ago, co-founders of Augie Thrift Grace Lenning and Libby Breckon witnessed

The Princeton Review’s 2025 Guide to Green Colleges lists Augustana University

The Princeton Review’s 2025 Guide to Green Colleges lists Augustana University

It’s a warm and sunny August morning on campus. Senior Andrew Berntson gears up in his protective full-body suit to check the two hives on campus. At this time, the bees are out foraging for resources–pollen, nectar and water. They call the two wooden boxes behind the Moses

Colleges should use sustainable lawn practices

Colleges should use sustainable lawn practices

The bed of green that spans across Augustana emanates warmth and welcomes current and future students heading to class or touring campus. Although the aesthetically uniform expanses of green that shape yards today date back to 17th century England, the negative environmental impacts from the upkeep of lawns need to

Students' efforts can help reduce campus food waste

Students' efforts can help reduce campus food waste

Food waste is an ever growing topic of concern as the effects of climate change are increasingly felt in today’s society. According to Feeding America, 80 million tons of food are thrown away in the United States each year. WWF states, “the production of lost or wasted food generates

Beekeepers abuzz with sustainability project

Beekeepers abuzz with sustainability project

As part of a sustainability grant, students and faculty have taken on the role of on-campus beekeepers with the goal of leaving an environmental impact on their community. In this episode of Viking Reflections, senior Janae Becher and professor David O'Hara, director of environmental studies and sustainability, sit

Replace lawns with grass alternatives

Replace lawns with grass alternatives

Most homeowners in the United States have yards that require constant maintenance. If people do not mow their grass every week, it grows tall and thick over sidewalks and driveways. If it isn't watered every morning, it turns brown, and neighbors are quick to complain about the eyesore.

Students construct homes for bats

Students construct homes for bats

Lumber lined the tables as the overhead lights dimmed in the recesses of the Back Alley. Armed with power tools in hand, members of a campus environmental club embarked on a new sustainability effort: building bat houses. On Sept. 28, Augie Green held a bat house building event to benefit