Day: February 4, 2009

MIIS Community Discusses Russian Georgian Conflict

On December the 3rd about 40 Monterey Institute community members were given a chance to inform themselves more thoroughly and discuss the ongoing conflict in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The two-hour event hosted by the MIIS Conflict Resolution Association featured in addition to speakers from our own university also a foreign guest- Mr. Andrey I. Belousov from the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in San Francisco.

He was supported by Mr. Alexander Melikishvili from James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and Professor Gordon M. Hahn. Speakers introduced their viewpoints about the conflict and discussed the possibilities of its peaceful resolution.

Gordon Hahn argued that there is plenty of blame to go around in the making of this small war. Georgia, Russia, the U.S., and Georgia’s breakaway republics Abkhazia and especially South Ossetia all bear approximately an equal share of responsibility. (more…)

Green Milestones

Dear Monterey Institute Community,

Congratulations! Due to your outstanding efforts, both our Battery Recycling Program and Rideshare Program have produced amazing results.  Since the Battery Recycling program began in early 2008, we have recycled an estimated 310 lbs. of batteries in a responsible and environmentally friendly way! Our 50 dedicated Rideshare members have walked, biked, bussed or carpooled 2,287 days, and counting.  Way to go, Monterey Institute!

As a continued effort toward a “green” campus, we would like to remind the community that there are fourteen convenient battery recycling containers on campus.  The containers are small, white, and marked USED BATTERIES. You may dispose of your old alkaline, rechargeable or cell phone batteries at any of the following locations:

The GSIPS Dean’s Office
The William Tell Coleman Library
Kade – near the front desk
Holland Center – inside next to the book shelf
Student Affairs – near the reception desk
Samson Reading Room
Office Services
Casa Fuente Second Floor – IAO office
The GSLEL Dean’s Office
The GSTI Dean’s Office
McGowan 1st floor – inside the door on the right
McGowan 2nd floor – in room 210
McGowan 3rd floor – FGSIB reception desk in the Dean’s Office
CNS Building –upstairs in the mailroom

To see a map of these locations please click here.

Our on-the-go, portable lifestyles require that we use a significant amount of battery power.  If disposed of improperly, these batteries may end up in landfills and incinerators allowing the toxic chemicals to leak
into the environment and eventually end up in the food chain, causing serious health risks to humans and animals.  We encourage all to use the battery recycling containers to dispose of your dead batteries.

Please note that the recycling facility does not accept the following items: computer batteries, battery chargers, car batteries, and small electronics.

Thank you in advance for your effort to keep our environment safe for future generations! Please, feel free to contact me with any questions regarding our Battery Recycling or Rideshare Rewards Programs.

Sincerely,
~ Maggie Peters

Join the Rideshare Rewards Program for a Chance to win $1000!

MIIS has been a registered member of this government sponsored program since the fall of 2007. Joining the program is easy! All you have to do is drop your membership application off at the President’s Office and hand your monthly logs in at the President’s Office at the end of each month.  For every day you carpool, vanpool, bicycle, walk, or ride the bus your name will be entered into a monthly drawing to win $1000!

So far, our 50 Rideshare members logged a total of 2,287 days of alternate transportation use, two MIIS students have won $1000 each, and other students have won prizes such as an iPod and an eco-tour vacation!

Here is how you can become a member:

Step 1: Download a membership application

Step 2: Drop your application off at the Reception Desk in the President’s Office.

Step 3: Keep monthly commute logs tracking the number of days you use alternative transportation. Then turn them in to Barbara Burke by the 26th of each month for signature. Logs will be faxed to Commute Alternatives for the drawing. The drawing winner will be announced by the 5th of the following month.

Drawings will occur each month throughout the academic year.

Remember, each day counts as an entry in to the drawing!

The Rideshare Rewards Program is offered by AMBAG, a governmental organization, to registered members throughout the region. The mission of AMBAG’s Commute Alternatives program is to “reduce traffic congestion and automobile emissions while optimizing the use of existing transportation infrastructure in the Monterey Bay region.” You can help fufill this mission. Join the program today!