“It’s a second home for students who want a place to go,” said Czuprynski.
The Green Mountain name honors Green Mountain College in Vermont, which closed during the pandemic. Some of its teachers, students and curriculum found their new home at Prescott College.
Eleanor Tyson taught at Green Mountain College and is now the director of the Sustainability Center. Zach Czuprynski, sustainability coordinator at the center, is starting his fifth year at the center. He was working toward his master’s degree in environmental management in Amsterdam when COVID-19 hit. When he saw the opening at the Sustainability Center, Czuprynski thought it was perfect for him.
“We’re part of the college, but we have our own mission,” he said. “The college is really good about saying: What do you want to do and how do we get there?”
During the past year, 2,300 people have been engaged at the center. There are two big events each year: Seed Mania in the spring and the Harvest Festival in the fall. But there are many smaller events like Taco Tuesdays where they make salsa from their own garden. Wellness Wednesdays give students a chance to just hang out and practice self-care. Some students come here after the library closes as they can make it their study hall.
“It’s a second home for students who want a place to go,” said Czuprynski.
The Sustainability Center is fully integrated into the Prescott College curriculum. It offers reading groups to discuss sustainability and environmental issues and teaches how to work with nature to grow food without using pesticides. Here, students learn that corn, beans and squash grow well together because corn and bean stalks grow upward creating a nice understory for the squash. Tomatoes, peppers, watermelons and cucumbers are growing here as well.
Composting is a joy, Czuprynski says, because students learn how to use their food scraps
to restore soil. Meanwhile, water from the eight rain barrels spread throughout campus is used to wash their clothes.
The Sustainability Center also has a free store that includes clothes and other items that have either been donated or left behind when students leave. “Half my wardrobe comes from here,” he said.
Reaching people with lessons in sustainability is Czuprynski’s main goal. Students from Northpoint Academy and The Launch Pad have come out to learn. Recently, a high school from Phoenix came up to see conservation in action. “I love working with kids 5 years old and up. We can always gear the lesson to their age level.”
Czuprynski says the Center faces two challenges. The first is helping people understand what sustainability is. “Some people think it’s about recycling and it’s much more than that. It’s about using what you need in the present without jeopardizing the future or like some tribes say, it’s about looking how you impact seven generations down the road.”
The second challenge is demonstrating how to tackle larger issues with limited space and funding. “We have to be creative about what we do. Rainwater harvesting is a good example of that.” QCBN
By Stan Bindell, QCBN
For more information, email sustainability@prescott.edu.
Photo by Stan Bindell: Zach Czuprynski, sustainability coordinator at the Green Mountain Center for Sustainability at Prescott College, shares earth-friendly practices like composting, gardening and rainwater harvesting.
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