AmeriCorps Team Continues Focus on Green Campus

The MIU Green Iowa AmeriCorps team, funded primarily by the state of Iowa, is being renewed for a second year, with a continued focus on promoting sustainability awareness, performing energy audits, and creating a greener community.

This past year’s achievements included conducting 90 energy audits and weatherizations, organizing dozens of educational events, installing over 1,000 LED bulbs, planting 200 trees, organizing a green graduation, and stimulating volunteers to work on green projects in the community.

The new team includes recent alumni Pia Fritsch, Monica Moscovici, Yancy Morgan, and Robert Lehn, and recent student Dustin Scott.

According to Ms. Fritsch, education coordinator, while the team will continue the core activity of energy audits and weatherizations, the AmeriCorps program is flexible and accommodates the volunteers’ unique passions and interests.

The new team’s outreach activities this year will therefore have a greater emphasis on workshops on topics such as composting and ecofeminism.

AmeriCorps volunteers serve for 11 months and receive a stipend during that time. While their mission is to serve all of Jefferson County, the University, as the team’s host site, is a special focus.

The volunteers are part of Green Iowa, a State and National AmeriCorps program that has existed since 2009. AmeriCorps is a division of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Jim Karpen is a writer by trade, with a special focus on technology. He has a Ph.D. in English and studied the impact of the computerization of language. In addition to writing for iPhone Life magazine, he has also been writing a column about the Internet for the Iowa Source since 1994. He also edits and publishes the MUM Review.