Class Notes
Giving List

Spring 2013

Dear 1990 Classmates,

"It's Easy Being Green."  This was one of the songs my third-grade son recently sang during a school concert. The theme this year was sustainability and how we all can make small changes in our lifestyles, which add up to preserve the environment. The small city I live in has acquired national attention with our Platinum LEED Certified middle school project.  Similarly, Luther has received high marks and accolades for their efforts in creating a green campus. In 2012 Luther received the Climate Leadership Award from Second Nature and also earned a silver rating from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System.  After completing Iowa's largest solar field, also in 2012, Luther received local and national praise for its achievement. Luther was ranked in the top 8 of 322 in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges.  Awesome.

Not too long after we graduated (1999), geothermal energy systems were installed at Baker Village and also the Center for the Arts in 2003. And, you already know about the wind turbine installed in 2011, which generates 5.2 million kilowatt hours of net electricity per year, enough to power more than 500 homes in Decorah and it represents approximately one-third of Luther’s annual consumption.  Incredible.

So, what's next?  There is a strategic plan in place by Luther College to become carbon neutral by 2030. In order to achieve this, the college has set a goal for a 50 percent carbon emission reduction by 2015, and a 70 percent reduction by 2020.  And they are well on their way.  So cool.

It's an exciting time to be associated with Luther―as a current student, staff member, faculty, alumnus, or even a Decorah community member.  Did you know that the college has community outreach programs for area youth and also is involved in the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative?  Exploring Luther's web pages dedicated to sustainability is incredibly inspiring.  I am proud to be associated with Luther and hope you are too. 

Please consider showing your pride by making a contribution. Whether it's the sustainable efforts, the future of the student body, the faculty/staff, the new aquatic center, the music/choral programs, or something else that resonates strongest with you, know that your gift will be appreciated and put to resourceful use.  Join me.

Soli Deo Gloria

Ann (Edwards) Lee
ann.lee.wi@gmail.com

Sarah (Peterson) Thomson
jsathomson@yahoo.com

Class Notes
TAMMY (ZENK) and ROB FAUX ’88 and their certified organic vegetable farm, Genuine Faux Farm, near Tripoli, Iowa, were featured in the September/October issue of The Iowan magazine. Tammy holds the Tomson Family Distinguished Chair in Social Work at Wartburg College.

VANESSA (GRIMA BALDACCHINO) FRAZIER of Brussels, Belgium, is the Maltese candidate for a European project, Women Inspiring Europe. She was nominated by the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality and was chosen as one of 12 women to be featured in the Women Inspiring Europe Calendar for 2013.        

ANN ELISE (MONSON) SCHOENECKER is assistant professor of music at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. She teaches diction, song and opera literature, and voice.

Don't forget your Annual Fund giving! 
Each year nearly 9,000 alumni, parents, and friends support the Annual Fund with gifts from $5 to $50,000. Strong support from alumni helps Luther secure additional funds from foundations and corporations, and your gift each year helps us reach our goal of 27% alumni giving.  Here’s how your class—and surrounding classes—did in 2012: