Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/sustaining-the-sustainability-office Students from the Carleton College Sustainability Office bring you weekly conversations with folks from the Northfield area who dedicate their time to sustaining our environment. The Sustainability Office Carleton College 5caefa18-a831-54a5-a305-5e9a312d5aa9 no en Wed, 27 May 2026 16:24:10 -0500 Wed, 27 May 2026 16:25:09 -0500 https://www.carleton.edu/sustainability/ https://img.transistorcdn.com/Jr5DThv2-nz4k78Kv2qtsGzIwUi0Qf82YmUVA9YsXRM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xNTZj/MDgzNTQxZGJhZjIy/NzMyY2E1ODQxOTVm/OWJhMi5wbmc.jpg https://www.carleton.edu/sustainability/ episodic The Sustainability Office at Carleton College Students from the Carleton College Sustainability Office bring you weekly conversations with folks from the Northfield area who dedicate their time to sustaining our environment. Students from the Carleton College Sustainability Office bring you weekly conversations with folks from the Northfield area who dedicate their time to sustaining our environment. The Sustainability Office at Carleton College No No 17 17 Cowling Arboretum student naturalists Maxima Gomez-Palmer and Nico Bolling full 6760a75d-763e-4f9f-8f78-ba1f9893bf55 https://share.transistor.fm/s/07f33af0 Carleton's Cowling Arboretum turns 100 this year! Maxima Gomez-Palmer and Nico Bolling both have worked as Cole Student Naturalists for the arboretum for several years. Their job always involves learning and teaching others about this amazing wild space on Carleton's campus, and recently they've been diving deeper into the arb's history so they can help lead events for the arb's centennial celebration. They give us an overview of the past 100 years of the Cowling Arboretum, share why they love being student naturalists, and explain what being a naturalist means to them. 

]]> Carleton's Cowling Arboretum turns 100 this year! Maxima Gomez-Palmer and Nico Bolling both have worked as Cole Student Naturalists for the arboretum for several years. Their job always involves learning and teaching others about this amazing wild space on Carleton's campus, and recently they've been diving deeper into the arb's history so they can help lead events for the arb's centennial celebration. They give us an overview of the past 100 years of the Cowling Arboretum, share why they love being student naturalists, and explain what being a naturalist means to them. 

]]> Wed, 27 May 2026 16:24:07 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 1579 Carleton's Cowling Arboretum turns 100 this year! Maxima Gomez-Palmer and Nico Bolling both have worked as Cole Student Naturalists for the arboretum for several years. Their job always involves learning and teaching others about this amazing wild space on Carleton's campus, and recently they've been diving deeper into the arb's history so they can help lead events for the arb's centennial celebration. They give us an overview of the past 100 years of the Cowling Arboretum, share why they love being student naturalists, and explain what being a naturalist means to them. 

]]> naturalist, arboretum, centennial, natural history, community, tour, sustainability, Carleton, college No 16 16 U of M extension educator Natalie Hoidal on supporting local vegetable farmers full 7fcd5098-8a03-4100-a856-de2f9c82427e https://share.transistor.fm/s/7924fa80 Natalie Hoidal, a Local Food and Vegetable Production educator with the University of Minnesota Extension, talks us through what it means to be an extension educator and why she loves Minnesota's small vegetable farms. From researching ways that farms can manage insect infestations to connecting with farmers over how to cultivate resilience in the face of climate change, Natalie's work revolves around supporting our small-scale farmers so they can succeed in an agricultural system built for large, monocrop farms.

]]> Natalie Hoidal, a Local Food and Vegetable Production educator with the University of Minnesota Extension, talks us through what it means to be an extension educator and why she loves Minnesota's small vegetable farms. From researching ways that farms can manage insect infestations to connecting with farmers over how to cultivate resilience in the face of climate change, Natalie's work revolves around supporting our small-scale farmers so they can succeed in an agricultural system built for large, monocrop farms.

]]> Wed, 20 May 2026 16:14:58 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 1477 Natalie Hoidal, a Local Food and Vegetable Production educator with the University of Minnesota Extension, talks us through what it means to be an extension educator and why she loves Minnesota's small vegetable farms. From researching ways that farms can manage insect infestations to connecting with farmers over how to cultivate resilience in the face of climate change, Natalie's work revolves around supporting our small-scale farmers so they can succeed in an agricultural system built for large, monocrop farms.

]]> sustainability, agriculture, climate resilience, farm, vegetable farm, climate change, University of Minnesota, extension, U of M, education, environment No 15 15 Upcycling cloth into useable works of art with Kathy Ness full 8b6a55f9-9133-4a2a-a997-fd6c433fc97f https://share.transistor.fm/s/28e82e5d Kathy Ness is a Northfield, MN, based artist and crafter who turns discarded cloth and old clothes into beautiful new clothing, bags, and other useful items. She sells these through her buisness UpCycleMN and organizes volunteers to make 'boomerang bags' that are available at the public library. In this episode, Kathy talks us through her creative process, and explains why she chooses to combat fast fashion through making durable, practical, and aesthetic textile pieces. 

]]> Kathy Ness is a Northfield, MN, based artist and crafter who turns discarded cloth and old clothes into beautiful new clothing, bags, and other useful items. She sells these through her buisness UpCycleMN and organizes volunteers to make 'boomerang bags' that are available at the public library. In this episode, Kathy talks us through her creative process, and explains why she chooses to combat fast fashion through making durable, practical, and aesthetic textile pieces. 

]]> Wed, 13 May 2026 20:02:08 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 833 Kathy Ness is a Northfield, MN, based artist and crafter who turns discarded cloth and old clothes into beautiful new clothing, bags, and other useful items. She sells these through her buisness UpCycleMN and organizes volunteers to make 'boomerang bags' that are available at the public library. In this episode, Kathy talks us through her creative process, and explains why she chooses to combat fast fashion through making durable, practical, and aesthetic textile pieces. 

]]> upcycle, fast fashion, textile, craft, zero waste, clothing, cloth, bag, sewing, sustainability, local, art No 14 14 Resisting Hyperscale Data Centers with Aubree Derksen and Bill Saville full 4f42cf9e-fcfe-49fb-b788-d2fe6cc94b5e https://share.transistor.fm/s/fdd29da1 Aubree Derksen and Bill Saville are Minnesota locals who are active in opposing the construction of hyperscale data centers in their towns. They walk us through their perspectives on how data centers can be harmful to our area, environmental impacts of hyperscale data centers, the political activism they've been engaged in, and their opinions on the uses and harms of artificial intelligence. 

]]> Aubree Derksen and Bill Saville are Minnesota locals who are active in opposing the construction of hyperscale data centers in their towns. They walk us through their perspectives on how data centers can be harmful to our area, environmental impacts of hyperscale data centers, the political activism they've been engaged in, and their opinions on the uses and harms of artificial intelligence. 

]]> Thu, 07 May 2026 15:05:33 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 1577 Aubree Derksen and Bill Saville are Minnesota locals who are active in opposing the construction of hyperscale data centers in their towns. They walk us through their perspectives on how data centers can be harmful to our area, environmental impacts of hyperscale data centers, the political activism they've been engaged in, and their opinions on the uses and harms of artificial intelligence. 

]]> data center, AI, artificial intelligence, sustainability, Minnesota, Pine Island, Monticello, Northfield No 13 13 Hauberg Woods restoration work with Grace Clemens, CCCE fellow full a2c0818d-1583-4c27-9b4b-183d9e46b9a7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/119ab269 Grace Clemens, a Food and Environmental Justice fellow from the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) at Carleton College, talks us through her work collaboring with the Friends of Hauberg Woods. Hauberg Woods is a forested area in Northfield, MN where people have been working to restore the landscape for several years. Grace will talk about why restoring Hauberg Woods matters to her, and why we should all care about the health of our wild spaces. 

]]> Grace Clemens, a Food and Environmental Justice fellow from the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) at Carleton College, talks us through her work collaboring with the Friends of Hauberg Woods. Hauberg Woods is a forested area in Northfield, MN where people have been working to restore the landscape for several years. Grace will talk about why restoring Hauberg Woods matters to her, and why we should all care about the health of our wild spaces. 

]]> Mon, 04 May 2026 08:00:00 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 688 Grace Clemens, a Food and Environmental Justice fellow from the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) at Carleton College, talks us through her work collaboring with the Friends of Hauberg Woods. Hauberg Woods is a forested area in Northfield, MN where people have been working to restore the landscape for several years. Grace will talk about why restoring Hauberg Woods matters to her, and why we should all care about the health of our wild spaces. 

]]> restoration, ecology, community, volunteering, Carleton, college, sustainability, forest, environment, invasive species No 12 12 The importance of buying local with St. Olaf 'Common Good' fellow Lauren Williams full 515ba37c-de47-40d2-ab43-7d03ece58bc4 https://share.transistor.fm/s/11830938 Lauren Williams is a 2025-2026 Common Good fellow from St. Olaf college. During the past year she worked with the 'Be Local Buy Local' group of small buisness owners in Northfield to find ways to get St. Olaf students more engaged with shops in downtown Northfield. Here, Lauren walks us through the process of forming her fellowship project and talks about why it's important that each of us try to be more engaged with small buisnesses in our communities. 

]]> Lauren Williams is a 2025-2026 Common Good fellow from St. Olaf college. During the past year she worked with the 'Be Local Buy Local' group of small buisness owners in Northfield to find ways to get St. Olaf students more engaged with shops in downtown Northfield. Here, Lauren walks us through the process of forming her fellowship project and talks about why it's important that each of us try to be more engaged with small buisnesses in our communities. 

]]> Fri, 01 May 2026 09:31:58 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 747 Lauren Williams is a 2025-2026 Common Good fellow from St. Olaf college. During the past year she worked with the 'Be Local Buy Local' group of small buisness owners in Northfield to find ways to get St. Olaf students more engaged with shops in downtown Northfield. Here, Lauren walks us through the process of forming her fellowship project and talks about why it's important that each of us try to be more engaged with small buisnesses in our communities. 

]]> local, small buisness, sustainable buisness, engagement, community, college, common good, St. Olaf college No 11 11 Cannon River Community Science project explained full be6a11c4-8a74-43fa-b9a5-ef0ce2d10d5f https://share.transistor.fm/s/ae2d4d17 Our hosts Declan and Farren talk through the Cannon River Community Science project, which Carleton College's Office of Sustainability has been running for over two years. The episode starts out with describing what community science means. We then discuss what aspects of water quality we measure, why they matter to us, and how water quality in the Cannon River connects to the health of the broader Northfield community. 

]]> Our hosts Declan and Farren talk through the Cannon River Community Science project, which Carleton College's Office of Sustainability has been running for over two years. The episode starts out with describing what community science means. We then discuss what aspects of water quality we measure, why they matter to us, and how water quality in the Cannon River connects to the health of the broader Northfield community. 

]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 946 Our hosts Declan and Farren talk through the Cannon River Community Science project, which Carleton College's Office of Sustainability has been running for over two years. The episode starts out with describing what community science means. We then discuss what aspects of water quality we measure, why they matter to us, and how water quality in the Cannon River connects to the health of the broader Northfield community. 

]]> Carleton, college, community science, water quality, river, water, Cannon River, nitrates, fish, sustainability, research No 10 10 Janet Petri and Howard White from Citizens Climate Lobby full af774060-3449-43df-aa3a-e76f44141434 https://share.transistor.fm/s/c2e88cd4 Janet Petri and Howard White, from Northfield's chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby, volunteer their time to support bipartisan climate policy. Central to the CCL's work is getting people to talk about climate change and vote for climate-smart legislation. For Janet and Howard talking about climate is just the start. Listen to hear about their involvement in climate activism ranging from the Northfield to national level.

]]> Janet Petri and Howard White, from Northfield's chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby, volunteer their time to support bipartisan climate policy. Central to the CCL's work is getting people to talk about climate change and vote for climate-smart legislation. For Janet and Howard talking about climate is just the start. Listen to hear about their involvement in climate activism ranging from the Northfield to national level.

]]> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 1766 Janet Petri and Howard White, from Northfield's chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby, volunteer their time to support bipartisan climate policy. Central to the CCL's work is getting people to talk about climate change and vote for climate-smart legislation. For Janet and Howard talking about climate is just the start. Listen to hear about their involvement in climate activism ranging from the Northfield to national level.

]]> solar, clean energy, climate, legislation, policy, climate activism, community No 9 9 Northfield Rotary member David Wagman full 864b174d-ce97-4bd4-8eb1-b34704595a36 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e6fd7488 David Wakeman, a Northfield Rotary Club volunteer, has been interested in urban systems since college. He is active on the Rotary Climate Action Team, working on projects like local energy efficiency, youth climate engagement, food waste, and more! 

]]> David Wakeman, a Northfield Rotary Club volunteer, has been interested in urban systems since college. He is active on the Rotary Climate Action Team, working on projects like local energy efficiency, youth climate engagement, food waste, and more! 

]]> Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 1879 David Wakeman, a Northfield Rotary Club volunteer, has been interested in urban systems since college. He is active on the Rotary Climate Action Team, working on projects like local energy efficiency, youth climate engagement, food waste, and more! 

]]> rotary, climate, electrification, sustainability, food waste, compost No 8 8 Christy Marsden, Community Climate Leaders Program facilitator full e4be91d2-d624-4aee-9619-1b179a288ba7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b3ba5644 Christy Marsden, from the Univeristy of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, introduces us to the 'Community Climate Leaders' program that she has been helping build over the past few years. Marsden has been applying previous experience with the U of M extension service to bring community members together to learn about climate science and strategies to take action. 

]]> Christy Marsden, from the Univeristy of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, introduces us to the 'Community Climate Leaders' program that she has been helping build over the past few years. Marsden has been applying previous experience with the U of M extension service to bring community members together to learn about climate science and strategies to take action. 

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 1398 Christy Marsden, from the Univeristy of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, introduces us to the 'Community Climate Leaders' program that she has been helping build over the past few years. Marsden has been applying previous experience with the U of M extension service to bring community members together to learn about climate science and strategies to take action. 

]]> climate adaptation, education, University of Minnesota, climate, climate leadership, environmental advocacy No 7 7 Sarah Fortner, Carleton College Director of Sustainability full 588e6f25-7214-4236-b8a8-9e8d359403b5 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e3bd2f15 Sarah Fortner, the Director of Sustainability at Carleton College, shares with us her experiences with climate advocacy and sustainability in higher education. 

]]> Sarah Fortner, the Director of Sustainability at Carleton College, shares with us her experiences with climate advocacy and sustainability in higher education. 

]]> Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0500 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 846 Sarah Fortner, the Director of Sustainability at Carleton College, shares with us her experiences with climate advocacy and sustainability in higher education. 

]]> climate, sustainability No 6 6 St. Olaf ECOrganizers Sylvia Sandhorst and Ava Lindquist full ecc8e826-4156-4521-8723-e5f93038e7f6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/c8486d01 Ava and Sylvia are two leaders in the ECOrganizers group of Environmental Coalition student members at St. Olaf college. They walk us through why they joined ECOrgainizers, their experiences with collaboration with other groups at St. Olaf, and some of the successes and challenges they've had while part of the Environmental Coalition. 

]]> Ava and Sylvia are two leaders in the ECOrganizers group of Environmental Coalition student members at St. Olaf college. They walk us through why they joined ECOrgainizers, their experiences with collaboration with other groups at St. Olaf, and some of the successes and challenges they've had while part of the Environmental Coalition. 

]]> Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0600 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 951 Ava and Sylvia are two leaders in the ECOrganizers group of Environmental Coalition student members at St. Olaf college. They walk us through why they joined ECOrgainizers, their experiences with collaboration with other groups at St. Olaf, and some of the successes and challenges they've had while part of the Environmental Coalition. 

]]> college, activism, sustainability, Earth week, compost No 5 5 An overview of the updated Minnesota Climate Action Framework full 85f5080d-1e2f-45cb-bfc8-0302b45361db https://share.transistor.fm/s/1fc25d0b Join hosts Emilia Rodriguez, Declan Grubbs and Farren Groom as we talk though the highlights of the updated 2026 Minnesota Climate Action Framework. Learn what the framework is, how the climate emergency is impacting Minnesota, and the climate-action goals our state has set for itself in the coming decades. 

]]> Join hosts Emilia Rodriguez, Declan Grubbs and Farren Groom as we talk though the highlights of the updated 2026 Minnesota Climate Action Framework. Learn what the framework is, how the climate emergency is impacting Minnesota, and the climate-action goals our state has set for itself in the coming decades. 

]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0600 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 1671 Join hosts Emilia Rodriguez, Declan Grubbs and Farren Groom as we talk though the highlights of the updated 2026 Minnesota Climate Action Framework. Learn what the framework is, how the climate emergency is impacting Minnesota, and the climate-action goals our state has set for itself in the coming decades. 

]]> No 4 4 Forms of political engagement with CCCE fellow Suwannee Conroy-Baarsch full 2652ef51-5711-4e2a-a747-b214a466a411 https://share.transistor.fm/s/6ac0c1b4 In the fourth episode of this series we met up with Suwannee from Carleton's Center for Civic and Community Engagement's cohort of Peace, Conflict and Democracy fellows to talk about the importance of political engagement in and outside of voting. Suwannee tells us about the events she coordinates with her coworkers to help people bridge political divides and make sure their voices are heard in local government. She also walks us through ways that we can engage with our own communities on a local and state level. 

]]> In the fourth episode of this series we met up with Suwannee from Carleton's Center for Civic and Community Engagement's cohort of Peace, Conflict and Democracy fellows to talk about the importance of political engagement in and outside of voting. Suwannee tells us about the events she coordinates with her coworkers to help people bridge political divides and make sure their voices are heard in local government. She also walks us through ways that we can engage with our own communities on a local and state level. 

]]> Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0600 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 873 In the fourth episode of this series we met up with Suwannee from Carleton's Center for Civic and Community Engagement's cohort of Peace, Conflict and Democracy fellows to talk about the importance of political engagement in and outside of voting. Suwannee tells us about the events she coordinates with her coworkers to help people bridge political divides and make sure their voices are heard in local government. She also walks us through ways that we can engage with our own communities on a local and state level. 

]]> No 3 3 Heron Mahr, Community Engagement Manager at Clean River Partners full 5aa1084f-89fe-47f4-baed-23a6dc752bd0 https://share.transistor.fm/s/41984d2b Heron Mahn, Community Engagement Manager at Clean River Partners, chats about their experiences working for Clean River Partners, projects CRP is working on, and the impact of this organization. They do more than just river clean-ups, that's for sure!  

]]> Heron Mahn, Community Engagement Manager at Clean River Partners, chats about their experiences working for Clean River Partners, projects CRP is working on, and the impact of this organization. They do more than just river clean-ups, that's for sure!  

]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0600 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 1199 Heron Mahn, Community Engagement Manager at Clean River Partners, chats about their experiences working for Clean River Partners, projects CRP is working on, and the impact of this organization. They do more than just river clean-ups, that's for sure!  

]]> watershed, Cannon River, river, conservation, community, habitat No 2 2 Carleton College Farm composter project - experiences from student workers and farm manager Amanda Sames full ccd2b54e-3eaa-44c3-9406-f516b504ee8c https://share.transistor.fm/s/152acd71 Join us as we talk with Carleton College's student farm workers Maeve and Daniel, and the farm manager Amanda, about the new composter their farm is building. We chatted with them about about their experiences while working on the farm, the importance of on-site composting, challenges in getting a composter built, and which projects they're looking forward to tackle next. 

]]> Join us as we talk with Carleton College's student farm workers Maeve and Daniel, and the farm manager Amanda, about the new composter their farm is building. We chatted with them about about their experiences while working on the farm, the importance of on-site composting, challenges in getting a composter built, and which projects they're looking forward to tackle next. 

]]> Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:23:47 -0600 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 1647 Join us as we talk with Carleton College's student farm workers Maeve and Daniel, and the farm manager Amanda, about the new composter their farm is building. We chatted with them about about their experiences while working on the farm, the importance of on-site composting, challenges in getting a composter built, and which projects they're looking forward to tackle next. 

]]> college, farm, composting, sustainability, Carleton No 1 1 Michael Provancha Chair of the Northfield Environmental Quality Commission full 5070f5ba-d77c-4cb8-ad46-957341d4c396 https://share.transistor.fm/s/452a0d30 In the first interview of the series, we talk with the Chair of Northfield's Environmental Quality Commission. Topics include initiatives that the EQC is working on and how the local government process works. 

]]> In the first interview of the series, we talk with the Chair of Northfield's Environmental Quality Commission. Topics include initiatives that the EQC is working on and how the local government process works. 

]]> Fri, 07 Nov 2025 07:33:37 -0600 The Sustainability Office at Carleton College The Sustainability Office at Carleton College 731 In the first interview of the series, we talk with the Chair of Northfield's Environmental Quality Commission. Topics include initiatives that the EQC is working on and how the local government process works. 

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