This past week, the Students for Sustainability (SFS) organization at UW-La Crosse hosted their third-annual fundraiser by selling their “Green is Sexy” calendars. This is the only fundraiser that SFS has for their organization, and all of the proceeds go directly towards funding and promoting projects and events to raise awareness for sustainability and educating students on how to make more sustainable choices in their daily lives.

“This idea for this project was developed in 2007 when our group was called Environmental Council, and the students that year started making the calendar and continued until 2012. There was a year after that without a calendar until two years ago when we discovered the previous project and wanted to bring it back and make it much more popular and send a stronger message,” said Natalie Newcomer, Head Coordinator for SFS.

What exactly does the calendar entail? The calendar is a compilation of photographs taken of SFS students (who volunteered to participate of course), one per each month, and each month features a photo of students demonstrating some type of sustainable concept or activity, all while they are completely nude.

“Certain ‘parts’ are covered so there is nothing graphic or sexual about the pictures, and it solely focuses on the green ideas and portraying these simple ideas as being sexy, hence the nudity,” said Newcomer.

The photos featured in the calendar were taken in a wide variety of locations around the La Crosse area, ranging from the bluffs to the top of the Pearl Street Brewery.

SFS Outreach Coordinator Shelby Jacobson also had some interesting things to say about the purpose and objectives of the calendar.

“The calendar is a tastefully nude calendar that has a few main objectives. Some of these objectives include supporting local businesses, highlighting environmental issues as well as informing people about the environment! The models are nude because it shows the models doing natural tasks, in our natural bodies, in our natural environment,” said Jacobson.

Many people when asked what they think about the concept of the calendar, many agree that it is for a wonderful cause; however, many seemed to be apprehensive about whether or not they would participate in an event such as this. Many said they would be uncomfortable posing nude with their peers for a cause such as this.

“Although some people dislike the calendar because of the nudity, I personally feel that being in our natural bodies in our natural environment is the most liberating thing I have ever done. I am a self-conscious person, but being able to connect with the earth in that way with likeminded individuals makes you forget about the nudity and focus on the reason we posed for the calendar in the first place,” said Jacobson.

The calendars are $12 each, and they were sold at the beginning of finals week, and will continue to be sold throughout the remainder of finals week in both Cartwright and Murphy Library.  

If you have any questions or comments regarding the fundraiser, contact Natalie Newcomer at [email protected] or Shelby Jacobson at [email protected]. They encourage everyone to like UW-L’s Students for Sustainability Facebook page as well!