Spring is in the air, and it's time to start sweeping out the winter BLUES....As you start to prepare to move out of the dorms or (in the case of staff and faculty) spring clean your offices in the next month or so, the OCE invites you to use the list below to help reduce your carbon footprint and leave our campus and community sparkling clean and better than we found it!
The Office of Community Engagement Presents:
Don't Dump It, Donate It: A Spring Clean-Up Series
Dates of Note:
Earth Day is Sunday, April 22
Arbor Day is Friday, April 27
May Day is Tuesday, May 1
Ripon College Steps Up (Sponsored by the OCE)
Tuesday, May 1 (12:00pm-1:00pm)
If you have participated in one of the activities listed below, you've taken steps to reduce your carbon foot print! Join us in front of the Commons at 12:00pm with bare feet and a willingness to get a little messy--to leave your "green" footprint in place of your "carbon" footprint!
Earth Day is Sunday, April 22
Arbor Day is Friday, April 27
May Day is Tuesday, May 1
Ripon College Steps Up (Sponsored by the OCE)
Tuesday, May 1 (12:00pm-1:00pm)
If you have participated in one of the activities listed below, you've taken steps to reduce your carbon foot print! Join us in front of the Commons at 12:00pm with bare feet and a willingness to get a little messy--to leave your "green" footprint in place of your "carbon" footprint!
PLANTING FLOWERS/TREES
Need a gift for Mothers Day? A goodbye present for a favorite professor? A thank you gift for a staff member who has gone above and beyond? A memorial for a friend or relative who will be missed? Just want to help out the planet? Check out the Arbor Day Foundation's website to see what they're all about and check out some sweet deals. Did you know that a membership is only $10.00 and you get 10 free trees to plant in your own backyard or to be planted in a national forest for you? You get to choose where your impact is made!
TRASH PICK UP/WINTER DEBRIS CLEAN-UP
Bowen's Woods Clean Up (Sponsored by EGOR)
Sunday, April 22 (Time TBD)
Join EGOR for an Earth Day treat: Assist in cleaning up the trash that collects in Bowen's Woods (the wooded area that runs between Thorne Street and Linley Lane) over the winter. Many interesting treasures have been found over the years! Trash bags and gloves will be provided; all you have to bring is yourself. Please contact Ariel Beres-Green at BeresgreenA@ripon.edu if you are interested in participating!
FUN FACT: Did you know that Bowen's Woods were named for Jehdeiah Bowen, a founder of the college and member of the Board of Trustees from 1851-1882? His home was located on the western edge of the woods, on the present site of Scott Hall. Today the woods are enjoyed by campus and community members, as well as a host of area wildlife, and Biology professor Bob Wallace is fond of taking students to Bowen's Woods to use as a living laboratory. As campus residents know, it is not uncommon to see a deer run across the path from one section of woods to another, or to other spot interesting wildlife flitting among the tree branches overhead.
Day of Good Deeds-Helping Hands-Giving Hearts-Ripon 2012 (Sponsored by the Volunteer Center of FDL Co. & Ripon Roteract Club)
Saturday, April 21, 2012 (8:45am-noon)
Meet at the Band Stand on the Village Green across from the Ripon Drug Store by 8:45am to help rake and clean up yards for seniors and disabled citizens of Ripon! It's fun, a great way to spend time with your family and friends, and lunch is provided! If you have a rake, bring it along, but rakes will also be available for use at the event. To volunteer to clean up winter debris or to have your yard cleared of winter debris (for the elderly and disabled) call 926-1414 or email volunteer center@fdlvolunteer.com.
Sunday, April 22 (Time TBD)
Join EGOR for an Earth Day treat: Assist in cleaning up the trash that collects in Bowen's Woods (the wooded area that runs between Thorne Street and Linley Lane) over the winter. Many interesting treasures have been found over the years! Trash bags and gloves will be provided; all you have to bring is yourself. Please contact Ariel Beres-Green at BeresgreenA@ripon.edu if you are interested in participating!
FUN FACT: Did you know that Bowen's Woods were named for Jehdeiah Bowen, a founder of the college and member of the Board of Trustees from 1851-1882? His home was located on the western edge of the woods, on the present site of Scott Hall. Today the woods are enjoyed by campus and community members, as well as a host of area wildlife, and Biology professor Bob Wallace is fond of taking students to Bowen's Woods to use as a living laboratory. As campus residents know, it is not uncommon to see a deer run across the path from one section of woods to another, or to other spot interesting wildlife flitting among the tree branches overhead.
Day of Good Deeds-Helping Hands-Giving Hearts-Ripon 2012 (Sponsored by the Volunteer Center of FDL Co. & Ripon Roteract Club)
Saturday, April 21, 2012 (8:45am-noon)
Meet at the Band Stand on the Village Green across from the Ripon Drug Store by 8:45am to help rake and clean up yards for seniors and disabled citizens of Ripon! It's fun, a great way to spend time with your family and friends, and lunch is provided! If you have a rake, bring it along, but rakes will also be available for use at the event. To volunteer to clean up winter debris or to have your yard cleared of winter debris (for the elderly and disabled) call 926-1414 or email volunteer center@fdlvolunteer.com.
CLOTHING DONATION
The NEARLY Naked Mile (Sponsored by Sigma Chi)
Friday, April 27 (7:30pm)
Join the brothers of Sigma Chi for the Nearly Naked Mile, a fun alternative to traditional clothing drives, set up to benefit the Ripon Community Thrift Store. Description: Donors pile on layers of clothing to be donated (over a swimsuit or other appropriate layer of clothing which will stay ON during the entire run: underwear is not acceptable if visible) and head down to the start line in Storzer's back lot to put their clothes in the donation boxes. The clothing donations will be followed by a run/walk through the Ceresco Prairie. APPROPRIATE attire is required underneath the donated clothes. All donated clothing will go to the local thrift store. For more information contact philanthropy chair and event organizer James DeCleene at DeCleeneJ@ripon.edu.
Prom Dress Recycle (Sponsored by the Miss Ripon College Charity Pageant)
April 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 (5pm-7pm, Pickard Commons)
Allow another girl to feel like a princess! Donate your old formal or prom dresses and accessories! The Miss Ripon College Charity Pageant Committee is collecting gently used, clean dresses, accessories and shoes of all sizes and styles for Ripon High School's upcoming prom. Dress collections include Thursday and Friday (April 5-6) as well as next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (April 9-11) during dinner at the Pickard Commons. Contact Pageant Director Chelsea Gawlik at GawlikC@ripon.edu or Amanda Mueller at MullerA@ripon.edu if you have any questions or would like to schedule an alternative dress collection time.
Join the brothers of Sigma Chi for the Nearly Naked Mile, a fun alternative to traditional clothing drives, set up to benefit the Ripon Community Thrift Store. Description: Donors pile on layers of clothing to be donated (over a swimsuit or other appropriate layer of clothing which will stay ON during the entire run: underwear is not acceptable if visible) and head down to the start line in Storzer's back lot to put their clothes in the donation boxes. The clothing donations will be followed by a run/walk through the Ceresco Prairie. APPROPRIATE attire is required underneath the donated clothes. All donated clothing will go to the local thrift store. For more information contact philanthropy chair and event organizer James DeCleene at DeCleeneJ@ripon.edu.
Prom Dress Recycle (Sponsored by the Miss Ripon College Charity Pageant)
April 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 (5pm-7pm, Pickard Commons)
Allow another girl to feel like a princess! Donate your old formal or prom dresses and accessories! The Miss Ripon College Charity Pageant Committee is collecting gently used, clean dresses, accessories and shoes of all sizes and styles for Ripon High School's upcoming prom. Dress collections include Thursday and Friday (April 5-6) as well as next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (April 9-11) during dinner at the Pickard Commons. Contact Pageant Director Chelsea Gawlik at GawlikC@ripon.edu or Amanda Mueller at MullerA@ripon.edu if you have any questions or would like to schedule an alternative dress collection time.
Business/Professional Clothing Drive (Sponsored by the Ripon Girl Scout Troop 6170)
April (Dates unspecified. See below)
If you've got business casual or professional clothing hanging out in your closet looking for a good home, put to good use by donating it to the Ripon Girl Scout Troup 6170! Please donate only gently used, professional clothing. Women's and Men's Clothing accepted. "The Ripon Girl Scout Troop 6170 will be collecting business attire to be donated to the Ripon Thrift Store. It will then sell the clothes at a discounted rate or give them away to those in the community going to job interviews to try to better themselves. The scouts wrapped boxes and have placed them for one month at Alliance Laundry Systems, Immanuel United Methodist Church, Ripon Printers and Ripon Medical Center."-Ripon Commonwealth (Thursday, March 29, 2012)
HOUSEWARES
Ripon Community Thrift Store
Do you have high quality, gently used home good items laying around that you never use anymore? The Ripon Community Thrift Store would be happy to take them off your hands between the hours of 10am-5pm Thursday through Friday and between 10am-3pm on Saturdays! How? It's easy! Just gather up your gently used clothing, housewares and artwork and walk it down to the thrift store, newly re-located to the old Tracy Porter building beside the Police Station at the end of Watson Street. The proceeds from the thrift store go towards making sure that the Ripon Community Food Pantry is always stocked and running smoothly. The Food Pantry serves hundreds of individuals every month, and no person in need of food is ever turned away. Check out their website at http://www.communitythriftstoreandfoodpantry.com/ for more information.Large Furniture/Home Fittings and Appliances
The Oshkosh Habitat for Humanity ReStore would be happy to accept your unwanted large furniture, household appliances and household fittings such as toilets, bathroom and kitchen cabinets and sinks, doors, windows, flooring, hardware, lighting fixture and ceiling fans, and much more. To check out a complete list of accepted donations and guidelines on what is NOT accepted, go to http://www.habitatoshkosh.org/ReStore.php.
FUN FACT: Ripon Alumna Katie LaViolette ('11) currently serves as Volunteer Coordinator at the Oshkosh Habitat for Humanity ReStore. If you're interested in volunteering at the Oshkosh ReStore, shoot her an email at klaviolette@habitatoshkosh.org!
BOOKS
Do you have a pile of books that you're dreading packing up to take home at the end of the year? Instead of throwing them out, consider one of the following options:
- Donate them to people who desperately need them at the International Book Donations Program web site.
- Give them to the Lane Library book sale: The library's Annual Book Sale is coming up (April 10th) and we welcome your donations of unwanted books! Just drop them off at the circulation desk and specify that they are for the book sale. All proceeds go directly to funding the college library so that YOU have great reading and research material at your fingertips!
- Drop them off at the Public Library for the Ripon Public Library Friends of the Library semi-annual book sale. Donations for the Used Book Sales are accepted throughout the year and can be left in the book sale donation bin, just inside the library's front entrance. We cannot accept moldy/mildewed books, encyclopedias or textbooks. To find out more, check out the Ripon Public Library WEBSITE.
Clean Sweep 2012
Saturday, May 5 (9am-12pm)
The UW Extension will be collecting hazardous chemicals at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds. Businesses, Farms, and Schools need to pre-register. Visit www.fonddulac.uwex.edu/cleansweep for more information.
FUN FACT: Next time you need new batteries, consider getting some rechargeable ones. Two AA Ni-Cad rechargeable batteries can replace up to 600 single-use batteries!
ELECTRONICS
Cell Phones
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has teamed up with ReCellular, Inc. to collect and recycle old cell phones. A portion of the monies that come from the sale of these refurbished cell phones goes to the NCADV to support programming that helps stop violence in the home. Roughly 60 percent of cell phones will be refurbished and resold, and the remaining cell phones will be recycled to the highest environmental standards. To print off postage paid labels to ship your phones, visit the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence online.
Printer Ink Jet and Toner Cartridges for Homes
Don't pitch those old personal printer cartridges. Drop them off at the Habitat for Humanity office or ReStore and help the organization generate funds that help build homes. Find out more HERE.
MISCELLANEOUS
Cans for Homes
Don't just recycle your aluminum cans, donate them to Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity will exchange the cans for cash that helps fund building in our community. Find out more HERE.
Donate a car to Cars for Homes and help build houses!
Your vehicle donation can help a family build a home, and the hope of a better life! Car, truck, boat, and RV donations help Habitat for Humanity build houses in partnership with families in need of decent, affordable shelter. Donate a car, truck, boat, RV or other vehicle to Cars for Homes TM, Habitat for Humanity's official car donation program, by calling 1877-277-4344 toll free or click HERE to donate online.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has teamed up with ReCellular, Inc. to collect and recycle old cell phones. A portion of the monies that come from the sale of these refurbished cell phones goes to the NCADV to support programming that helps stop violence in the home. Roughly 60 percent of cell phones will be refurbished and resold, and the remaining cell phones will be recycled to the highest environmental standards. To print off postage paid labels to ship your phones, visit the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence online.
Printer Ink Jet and Toner Cartridges for Homes
Don't pitch those old personal printer cartridges. Drop them off at the Habitat for Humanity office or ReStore and help the organization generate funds that help build homes. Find out more HERE.
MISCELLANEOUS
Cans for Homes
Don't just recycle your aluminum cans, donate them to Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity will exchange the cans for cash that helps fund building in our community. Find out more HERE.
Donate a car to Cars for Homes and help build houses!
Your vehicle donation can help a family build a home, and the hope of a better life! Car, truck, boat, and RV donations help Habitat for Humanity build houses in partnership with families in need of decent, affordable shelter. Donate a car, truck, boat, RV or other vehicle to Cars for Homes TM, Habitat for Humanity's official car donation program, by calling 1877-277-4344 toll free or click HERE to donate online.
