Green Student Initiative Works to Eliminate UNH Trash

By Molly McCoy
Staff Columnist
DURHAM—
Moving in and out of college: parents and students know this ordeal very well. Lines of people and cars fill the streets outside dormitories and campus apartments in the spring and fall, everyone waiting for the next free elevator or someone to hold the door as they trudge out with boxes and bags of clothing, school supplies, furniture, and who knows what else. Trash and discarded belongings also fill the streets, as those multicolored halogen lamps lose their appeal and extra-long bedding becomes unnecessary. However at the University of New Hampshire, one student group is hoping to lighten the load.
The UNH Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) is the local chapter of a national nonprofit network of student- and youth-run organizations, all of which, according to the SEAC website, work to “uproot environmental injustices through action and education.” The UNH group sponsors a number of grassroots initiatives on campus, organizing sustainability outreach efforts like composting and the University use of recycled paper, along with educational events like guest speakers and movie series. This year, the UNH SEAC has taken on a new campaign called “Trash 2 Treasure.”
“Last year, I was looking at moving into an apartment and I drove around looking for free furniture on the street,” said Alex Freid, a sophomore at UNH and involved member of SEAC. “It was completely overwhelming. The amount of stuff leftover and thrown out was insane. We started having discussions about it.”
The rest of the group’s members, numbering around fifty, agreed with Freid’s concerns and brainstormed what they could do to help, ultimately resulting in the “Trash 2 Treasure” program (T2T). The group is organizing a collection of “stuff” throughout campus during the annual student move-out this spring. Items that can be donated include televisions, DVD players, desks, tables, lamps, microwaves, dorm-size refrigerators, floor rugs, printers, cleaning supplies and clothing, to name a few. In the fall, the group will hold a large, 3-day yard sale during move-in weekend to sell the items back to students at a reasonable price. Any leftover items will then be donated to local charities and thrift shops.
“UNH sees an average of 25 tons of trash a month during the regular school year,” said Freid, “and that number jumps to 105 tons of trash during move-out in May. And that’s just the on-campus stuff, not including all the other student housing.”
According to Freid, the UNH SEAC officially established the T2T program last year, making it the only student-led, student-run initiative of its kind in the country. The group has since organized and applied for seed-money grants, the payoff of which has included a $4,000 grant from the UNH Parents’ Association and other smaller donations.
The hope is that the program will essentially fund itself after this year with the profits from the fall sale, but how much startup cash does the group really need?
“We started with a basic, small scale proposal of the program estimated at about $6,000,” said Freid. “We’ve come much farther from that now. We’ve managed to get donated storage space from apartment owners in Durham and a rec. room in a dorm basement, but we’re still working on getting more space. If we collect as much as we possibly can, we’ll probably need twice as much storage as we’ve secured so far.”
The group is working hard to plan all aspects of the campaign, but they are constantly up against a Catch-22.
“The more storage we have, the more money we need for the trucks, the yard sale tent, and other things. It’s like a ripple effect,” said Freid. “If something expands, we have to spend more money on something else. We’re pretty much going for as much [stuff collected] as we can, which would hopefully turn into revenue for next year. We’ve been playing with these numbers for months and we just won’t know until we do it.”
In an effort to raise additional funds, the UNH SEAC is hosting a Banquet Fundraising Event on Sunday, April 10 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Granite State Room of the Memorial Union Building at UNH, located at 83 Main Street in Durham. The event includes hors d’oeuvres donated from a number of area restaurants, guest speakers, a 15-minute clip screening of Annie Leonard’s “The Story of Stuff,” and a silent auction of over $5,000 worth of donated goods from local environmentally friendly businesses.
“We don’t expect to make back the whole $5,000, but it’s definitely a start!” said Freid.
There is a suggested donation of $10 per person to attend, but the event is free to anyone who wishes to be a part of the evening’s festivities.
Oh, and all of this organizational time and effort is in addition to schoolwork, right?
“I’m very, very busy,” said Freid, “but I guess it’s just a matter of commitment. We really want to make this happen.”
To learn more about the Trash 2 Treasure campaign and the upcoming Banquet Fundraiser Event, visit www.unh.edu/trash2treasure or find the program on Facebook at www.facebook.com/unhtrash2treasure.
Photo caption: The UNH Student Environmental Action Coalition will host a Gala Fundraiser Event on Sunday, April 10 to benefit their Trash 2 Treasure program. (Courtesy image)

Woodman Institute Museum Opens for 95th Year

DOVER—
On April 1, the Woodman Institute Museum opens for the 95th season in Dover. Recognized as a traditional turn of century natural science, local history and art museum, the Woodman opened to the public in July, 1916 and today is often referred to as a “museum’s museum.” Displaying collections in old fashioned cabinets throughout four historic homes, a new adventure awaits around ever corner as visitors move from room to room.
This season, the museum opens with a special exhibit: “Toymaker - Collector - Naturalist” Henry Clinton Fall (1862-1939).
As a young school boy attending Belknap Grammar School, Henry was a collector and builder of model boats and trains, (influenced by vessels sailing into Dover on the Cochecho and steam trains passing through Dover several times a day), a collector of stamps/postmarks, and had a fascination with butterflies and beetles. He would graduate with the Dover High School class of 1880 and Dartmouth College in 1884 with a Bachelor of Science degree. While teaching at Pomona and Pasadena, California, Henry studied the beetles of Southern California and New Mexico. In 1917, he returned to Tyngsboro, Massachusetts where he continued to collect, curate, and write 133 scientific articles on beetles. At the time of his death in 1939, Henry had collected over 200,000 species of beetles, one of the largest private collections in North America, and been recognized as one of the country’s leading naturalists.
Now on display are some of the original model boats and several steam engine trains that have survived all these years and were recently returned to Dover for young and old to enjoy. The exhibit features an 1876 Belknap Grammar School spelling exam book where Henry misspelled just seven words out of a list of 1,161, an original hand bell and photos of the school located on the corner of Belknap and Silver Streets.
Visitors can also see Henry’s recently restored and framed original DHS 1880 diploma, the original hand school bell, front door key, 1880 graduation program, and photographs of the first high school that was located at the end of First Street and now Chestnut intersection. Graduation exercises were held at Dover’s second city hall building that was located in Central Square at the intersection of Central and Washington Streets. That building was destroyed by fire in 1889. The old high school was torn down when a new high school was built on Locust Street in 1904.
Museum visitors can view photographs, original period business advertising trade cards, invoices and items related to early Dover children’s clothing stores – soda and tonic bottling companies, the Middlebrook Dairy Farm and the B&M railroad – on display in the Woodman House gallery throughout the 2011 season.
Special thanks for making this exhibit possible goes to Lawrence David, Dover High Class of 1971, who contacted members of the Cate and Fall families and was responsible for acquiring most of the models, letters, photographs, and facilitated the restoration of the 1880 diploma. Also Art Evans, entomologist/naturalist, who is connected with the Smithsonian Institute, for the background information on Henry’s professional career. The exhibit underwriter/sponsor is Center for Assessment at One Washington Center in Dover.
The Woodman Institute Museum, located at 182 central Avenue in Dover, is open Wednesday-Sunday 12:30-4:30. Group tours welcome by reservation. Call 742-1038 or visit www.woodmaninstitutemuseum.org for additional information.
Photo caption: This toy B&M engine can be found in the Henry Clinton Fall exhibit at the Woodman Institute Museum. (Courtesy photo)

Volunteers Needed for Earth Day Cleanup at Strawbery Banke

PORTSMOUTH—
Spring is here and Strawbery Banke is inviting the community to come toil in the soil at the Museum in remembrance of Earth Day.
Strawbery Banke Museum’s volunteer garden and grounds clean up day will be held on Saturday, April 16 with a rain date of Sunday, April 17. Join an inspired community and help bring new life to the historic landscapes at Strawbery Banke Museum. New this year: the Piscataqua Garden Club - a member of the Garden Club of America - will be planting an October Glory Maple - Acer rubrum on the grounds of the museum to celebrate Earth Day.
“Tree planting has long been a significant part of the quality of life in the Strawbery Banke neighborhood...from the ancient larch trees by the community gardens, to the circular hemlock grove in the Aldrich Garden, and numerous other spots throughout the museum. Over the past few years, the museum has worked to re-introduce threatened tree species like American Elm and American Chestnut on the property to carry this important historic legacy into the 21st century and beyond,” notes John Forti, Curator of Historic Landscapes at Strawbery Banke Museum. By planting a beautiful native red maple at the museum, the Piscataqua Garden Club will also help insure that future generations will enjoy shade as well as the beautiful fall foliage that this region has long been known for.
Volunteers should arrive at the Tyco Visitors Center at Strawbery Banke Museum for work assignments and refreshments at 8:30 a.m. and are asked to bring along gardening tools and gloves. A potluck lunch will follow at 12:30. Please RSVP by April 13 to Jonathan Brown at volunteers@strawberybanke.org or 1-603-433-1110.
Photo caption: Volunteers help clean up the grounds at Strawbery Banke Museum during a past Earth Day. (Courtesy photo)

Presentation to Give Taxpayers a Closer Look at Dover Budget

DOVER—
Residents are invited to a special presentation on how the City’s budget is prepared and proposed during the “Budget Revealed” event on Thursday, March 31, 2011.
City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr., will lead the presentation, which will detail how the City’s budget is created, funded and managed. “Budget Revealed” is intended to provide residents and taxpayers with a deeper knowledge of the City’s budget process and how City services and programs are funded, including general government, public safety, culture and recreation, human services, public works and education. City department heads will also be on hand during the presentation.
The presentation will conclude with a question-and-answer session.
“Budget Revealed” will begin on March 31 at 6:30 p.m., at the Media Access Center, Room 306, the McConnell Center. The public is invited to attend. Please RSVP to Colleen Bessette in the City Manager’s office by calling 516-6023 or e-mailing c.bessette@dover.nh.gov.
The presentation will air later on Channel 22 and be available on the City’s website.
“Budget Revealed” is an outreach effort to engage the community in the budget process. In addition to the presentation, residents and taxpayers are encouraged to participate in an online survey that seeks input on budget priorities. The survey can be accessed at http://www.dover.nh.gov/doverdollars.
Residents and taxpayers can also offer input by contributing to the popular Dover Dollars ballot boxes. Taxpayers receive tokens in the amount of $100, which they can place in any of 46 boxes that represent City services and programs. The Dover Dollars tokens are available in the City Manager’s office at City Hall.
The Dover Dollars online survey and ballot boxes conclude on April 8.
The City Manager will present a proposed budget to the City Council in April.
For more information, contact the City Manager’s office at 603-516-6023.

Annual Caribbean Nights Dance Party to Benefit Haitian School

PORTSMOUTH—
One of Boston’s top Latin bands, Combo Sabroso, will return to the Seacoast for its second annual Caribbean Nights Dance Party on Saturday, April 2 at the VFW Hall in Portsmouth.
All proceeds from this year’s dance will help pay for hot meals for the growing student population at the Eben Ezer School in Milot, Haiti. Last year, the dance helped pay to fill and ship a container of desperately needed supplies to Haiti.
The 2010 Caribbean Nights party, held two months after Haiti’s earthquake, sold out. Band members said the benefit – combining great dancing, food and giving to a worthy cause - was one of the liveliest engagements they have played.
“The Caribbean Night dance had the best energy I have ever seen at one of our events,” said keyboard player Matt Jenson. “The combination of people feeling good and dancing up a storm with the sense of doing a good thing and helping others was a fantastic recipe.”
A slide show will begin at 7 p.m. Music, dancing, free snacks and a cash bar will begin at 8 p.m.
The slide presentation and talk will include pictures taken by Seacoast area teenagers, a teacher, a doctor and a York Rotarian who have gone down to help at the school in the last year. It will also show the amazing effort undertaken in the Seacoast to get a relief container sent out from Pease.
Hundreds of schools, Rotarians and residents of the Seacoast area have supported the Eben Ezer School since 2007. After the earthquake, many more schools, Rotary clubs and individuals got involved.
“For $10,000 a year we could feed all 200 students at the Eben Ezer School a hot lunch every day,” noted Leanne Stella. “In our country we have school lunch programs but in Haiti, children just go hungry.” Many parents send their kids to the Eben Ezer School in hopes of getting them some nourishment.
Tickets are being sold at Black Bean in Rollinsford, Ceres Bakery in Portsmouth, River Run in Portsmouth, Nature’s Way in South Berwick, Full Circle Community Thrift Store in Eliot and Fair Tide Thrift Store in Kittery. Only 200 people will be able to fit in the hall, so be sure to purchase your tickets early. More information is available from newslifeandhope@yahoo.com. For more information about this organization, go to www.lifeandhopehaiti.org.
Photo caption: Combo Sabroso will perform their second Caribbean Nights Dance Party on April 2 to benefit a school in Haiti. (Courtesy photo)

‘Marine Teen Program’ Expands

PORTSMOUTH/RYE—
The Seacoast Science Center’s Marine Teen program is a series of adventure learning experiences designed by teens, for teens. Over the course of the year, participants explore coastal waters by kayak and visit a variety of environmentally and historically important sites throughout the greater seacoast. According to the Center’s School Program Coordinator Henry Burke, the program “offers teens the opportunity to socialize with like-minded teens in a healthy environment: an environment that cultivates a passion for science and the ocean. The team activities and problem-solving skills attained over the course of the series inform the decisions teens make along their path to adulthood.” Burke notes that the program started in 2004, and, with support from Bank of America, has evolved significantly each year. This year, thanks to continued funding from Bank of America, young residents of the Portsmouth Housing Authority (PHA) communities will be joining the program.
According to PHA Resident Services Coordinator Emmanouella Vendouri, “The Marine Teen program is extremely important for the young people of the Gosling and Wamesit Place communities because it will provide them academic, social and recreational opportunities in safe, structured and fun ways. In addition, close observations of the personal, emotional and social development of our young participants have indicated that when we expose them to the natural world around them, they develop a sense of appreciation, self assurance and curiosity which leads each of them to continue the desire to grow in all personal and social levels. This self discovery plays a vital role in their personal growth and understanding her/his individual existence; the connections, similarities and differences as co-existing species on our planet.” Vendouri adds that this important “introduction to the natural world is only possible through meaningful collaborations, such as this one of the Seacoast Science Center.”
Both Burke and Vendouri recognize the importance of creating communities of teens through shared experiences. This year, the existing Marine Teen community will be extended to include youths who would not otherwise recreate together. Both educators are excited about the opportunities that will emerge as the young people gain perspectives from each other while share in the program’s activities.
Burke adds that the Foundation’s support also keeps the program affordable for all. The 2011 Marine Teen series starts with a trip to the New England Aquarium Saturday May 7. Find out more at the Center’s website (www.seacoastsciencecenter.org/programs/day_camp) or contact Henry Burke directly at 603-436-8043 ext. 16; h.burke@seacentr.org.
Photo caption: Seacoast Science Center Marine Teens explore tide pools at night to observe nocturnal creatures’ activity. (Courtesy photo)

The Music Hall’s Capital Campaign Enters ‘Community Phase’: Recent Major Gifts Bring Campaign Total to $11.4 Million

PORTSMOUTH—
As The Music Hall begins its countdown to the launch of The Music Hall Loft, its new Center for Performing Arts, Literature, and Education, its Treasure the Future capital campaign is stepping out into the community to advance its fundraising efforts.
Said Treasure the Future Campaign Co-Chair Jameson French, “Through its infancy back in the mid 1980s up until this day, The Music Hall has been a community project, supported and advanced by the generosity of all sorts of individuals – from business leaders who set up challenge gifts to individual patrons throwing money in the hat at end of a show. As we look to the success of this major campaign it is, again, all about the community and individuals’ support for bringing arts to the community.”
The move to a community phase comes with the announcement of several major advancements in fundraising. Chief among them is a $1,000,000 pledge to the Treasure the Future campaign from the Thomas W. Haas Foundation of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Additionally, the campaign has received several major six figure gifts and legacy pledges bringing the campaign total to $11.4 million in funds raised. In addition to the on-the-ground community effort, the Campaign Committee continues to pursue other major gifts with a number of key prospects.
“The Committee’s work on major gifts combined with our efforts in the community bring us within sight of our goal,” said Director of Institutional Advancement and Campaign lead, Laura Smith.
“To see the completion of the capital projects, we need to raise $1 million in new funds in the final phase of the campaign. On the way to the finish, we’ll see many intermediate steps. We’re on the road to meeting a mini-challenge set for our opera audience. Last week with the launch of our new website we now have the capacity to accept donations online at http://www.themusichall.org/support_us (click “Donate to the Campaign.”) We’re planning outreach to all Music Hall members and patrons. In the weeks ahead all our members and audiences will be invited to an open house in the new Music Hall Loft hosted by the Board of Trustees on Sunday, April 10. The open house will be a show-and-tell for the new space. It’s also where the campaign will truly be launched for the community,” added Smith.
“We’ve achieved this milestone of $11.4 million with major donors, board members, staff and a number of corporations and downtown businesses digging deep in support of The Music Hall. They have inspired and challenged us to step out further into the community and gather support from all our patrons and members. This is truly everyone’s Music Hall and every gift gets us closer to realizing our goal. We look forward to everyone joining in and to the fun of seeing donors recognized on our donor wall by generations to come,” said Campaign Co-Chair Gail VanHoy Carolan.
“Not since the historic theater was threatened by a wrecking ball in 1980s have we seen such a transformation in the scope of The Music Hall and its work in the community. With the Music Hall Loft space nearly complete, we are already seeing its powerful effect on the city and on the broader region. Shows are selling out before the paint is even dry! But, more importantly, more and more individuals are stepping forward to offer support. They know as we do this is a rare opportunity for any individuals who wants to make their mark and support the future of the arts and education as we experience and treasure them in this special community,” said Executive Director Patricia Lynch.
Photo caption: The Music Hall’s Loft design team pictured in June of last year, including Doug Nelson, Mary Jo Brown, Lee Frank, John Merkel, John DeStefano, Patricia Lynch, Jennifer Steffek, Diane Hart and John Lynch. Their efforts, along with the impressive and ongoing fundraising over the past year, will result in the opening of the new Loft performance space in April. (Courtesy photo)