Dimension of the Month
As we continue to foster a supportive community that prioritizes personal and collective well-being on our campus, Every Oredigger is excited to introduce a new monthly series for the entire Oredigger community.
Each month of the 2024-2025 academic year (September through April), we’ll be highlighting a different dimension of well-being, providing resources related to the month’s dimension, information on well-being activities that students and employees can facilitate during meetings and details on programming happening that month in support of the theme. We’re also challenging you – our awesome Mines students, faculty and staff – to engage in some simple, yet meaningful, work to enhance that area of your well-being over the course of the month.
April Dimension: Environmental Wellbeing
Ability to meet one’s basic needs and feel a sense of security. It is also an awareness of the Earth, and the impact of your daily choices on the physical environment. It includes taking steps to keep yourself safe and maintaining a way of life that maximizes harmony with our ecosystem and minimizes harm to the environment and all who exist in it.
Monthly Challenge
Challenge yourself to kick your single-use coffee cup habit by bringing a reusable mug the next time you stop by your favorite cafe.
Bring your own mug to Book & Brew in Arthur Lakes Library or Build & Brew in Labriola Innovation Hub on April 7 & April 21, and get a free small drip coffee or hot tea on us (limit first 50 people at each location on each day). Both locations also offer a 10-cent discount every day if you bring a reusable mug.
Monthly Activity
Green Office Certification Program
Help Mines reduce its environmental footprint, one office at a time. The Green Office Certification Program includes a point-based self-assessment checklist that offices can use to assess their current practices and set goals for improvement. Go through the Green Office checklist during a meeting this month and consider getting your department certified as a Green Office.
Carbon Footprint Calculator
Have you ever wondered about the environmental impact of daily activities like using electricity, driving a car or disposing of waste? Take a few minutes to calculate your household’s carbon footprint using the U.S. EPA Carbon Footprint Calculator.
Events on Campus
April 8: Parents Mines Community Alliance Gear Swap
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 8
Where: Friedhoff Hall, Green Center
Faculty and staff only: Clean out your closets and bring your used (but functional and clean please!) books, toys, clothes, sports gear and other miscellaneous items that your family no longer needs, so that another Mines family can enjoy them. Scope out the selection and get some new-to-you items to take home for your family. Even if you don’t bring something to the swap, you are still invited to come check out the goods and take some home.
April 16: Every Oredigger presents Lunch & Learn with Denver Urban Gardens: Building a Wellness Practice in Nature
When: 12 to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 16
Where: Virtual
Time in nature promotes mental health, reduces stress, and enhances well-being for individuals and communities. In this workshop, we explore how gardens amplify these benefits and provide practical guidance for creating a wellness practice in nature. Learn from an expert from Denver Urban Gardens how to use gardens to foster resilience and connection, whether for personal growth or as part of your workplace culture. Register to attend
April 17: Young Symposium: An Evening with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Braiding Sweetgrass”
When: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 17
Where: Bunker Auditorium, Green Center
Join the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department for an Evening with Robin Wall Kimmerer, a mother, scientist, decorated professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Kimmerer is the author of “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World,” “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” and “Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses.” She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.
The free event will include a lecture and discussion, “Justice for Land,” with a reading from “Braiding Sweetgrass.” Register to attend.
April 22: Mines Park Greenhouse Open House
When: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 22
Where: Mines Park
Drop by the Mines Park Greenhouse on Earth Day to find out more about the greenhouse, the new student-designed thermal management system that won second place at Capstone Design Showcase, and how you can get involved.
April 24: Every Oredigger presents Workshop with Denver Urban Gardens: Vermicomposting – Kitchen Scraps to Black Gold
When: 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 24
Where: Labriola Innovation Hub Open Build 2.0 (Room 228)
This workshop explores all the benefits and joys of composting with worms! Indoor worm bins allow us to divert organic waste from the landfill all year round and are a great way to convert kitchen waste into compost. Whether you want to start a worm bin in the office, a classroom, or in your own home, this workshop will review the basics of vermicomposting. Register to attend at https://forms.office.com/r/Q8C4g593Kt (limited to 30 in-person attendees)
April 26: Earth Day Fair
When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26
Where: Friedhoff Hall, Green Center
The Mines Green Team is hosting its annual Earth Day Fair at the Green Center on campus. Find out more about sustainable organizations and student groups while enjoying some free food, fun and plant giveaways.
Resource Profile
Did you know that all Mines students and employees are eligible to ride RTD for free all year long? The free RTD College Pass (students) and EcoPass (employees) provide unlimited rides on RTD buses and trains – including to and from Denver International Airport.
The Ore Cart – the free shuttle service connecting the Mines campus, downtown Golden and beyond – provides easy and frequent connections between campus and the RTD W Line light rail station at the Jeffco Government Center. Hop on the Tungsten Route (map) and try it out today!
How to get your free RTD pass
Faculty and staff (full and part-time)
Email the Parking Services office at parking@mines.edu to request an EcoPass. You will then receive an email from RTD with instructions to obtain the pass through the RTD mobile phone app.
Students
At the start of the semester, new students receive an e-mail from RTD with instructions on how to acquire your College Pass through the RTD mobile app. Current students can request a College Pass by emailing blastercard@mines.edu.
View past activities
Share Your Journey
We want to hear how you’re embracing the dimension of the month. Send your experiences and tips to the Every Oredigger Instagram (@everyoredigger) during the month and we’ll compile our favorites to share with campus.