From a week-long scavenger hunt to a farmers market on Friday, St. Thomas used sUSTainability week to raise awareness about the collective effort to achieve a carbon-neutral campus by 2035 with the help of new solar panels installed in September.

“We’re doing it to raise awareness about sustainability and promote UST’s initiatives for sustainability. We have a couple different projects going on around campus,” Margaret Chelsvig, Undergraduate Student Government sustainability representative, said.

Since 2007, when the geography department went carbon neutral, the university’s Sustainability Working Group has completed greenhouse gas emission audits. These audits give valuable information concerning St. Thomas’ approximate energy consumption and greenhouse gas levels and determine how well the university is executing its plan each year.

St. Thomas is part of a coalition of 25 other Minnesota colleges striving for carbon neutrality but is unique, according to junior Sam Harvey, sustainability research assistant.

“Basically our whole project is about urban agriculture and efficiency, something everybody can take part in,” Harvey said. “I would say we’re different because we actually engage students in the sustainability efforts.”

Jacob Remes can be reached at reme7110@stthomas.edu.