sustainability

The College of the Environment hosted its 13th Annual Pumpkin Festival Oct. 14 at Wesleyan's Long Lane Farm to celebrate the fall harvest. The Pumpkin Festival provides an opportunity for the Wesleyan and local communities to learn about local organic farming and the politics of food. The event included farm tours, a farmer's market, a bake sale, live music, face and pumpkin painting, free veggie burgers, arts and crafts, bulb planting, and more. Pumpkin Fest was held in conjunction with Campus Sustainability Week. Photos of the event are below: (Photos by Caroline Kravitz '19 and Will Barr '18) (more…)

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The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (STARS) recently awarded Wesleyan with a Silver rating for its 2016 sustainability performance. Wesleyan completed its first STARS report in 2013 and earned a Silver rating with a score of 53.06. Over the past three years, Wesleyan developed a Sustainability Action Plan to address many of the areas of improvement found in the 2013 report, and has increased its score to 58.11. Sixty-five points are needed to obtain the Gold rating, and 85 points are needed to obtain the Platinum rating. Wesleyan’s commitment to sustainability began in the 1980s with…

In recent weeks, Wesleyan has been taking a public stand to fight climate change. President Michael Roth was one of more than 80 university presidents who, together with mayors, governors and business leaders, are preparing to submit a plan to the United Nations pledging to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets outlined in the Paris climate accord, according to The New York Times. This came after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the international agreement. Roth told The Chronicle of Higher Education: "I think it’s quite extraordinary that supporting a basic commitment to lessen a source of pollution…

The Food Recovery Network recently named Wesleyan's Dining Services "Food Recovery Verified" for donating unsold surplus food to a local charity. The Food Recovery Verified (FRV) program recognizes and rewards food businesses of any type that are working to fight waste and feed people through food recovery. Now in its sixth year, Wesleyan's student-run Food Rescue organization donates its unsold food from Usdan's Marketplace, Summerfields and Pi Cafe to the Eddy Shelter in Middletown, which provides emergency shelter and meals for single adults. Food Rescue is an Office of Community Service program under the supervision the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships.…

In a letter released May 8, President Michael Roth joined 29 other college and university presidents from across the country in endorsing carbon pricing for its economy-wide approach to reducing greenhouse emissions that cause climate change. The letter calls on state and federal lawmakers to proactively work to enact a carbon price at the state and federal level. Roth was one of three leaders, together with the presidents of Swarthmore and Dickinson colleges, to first sign the letter back in February. “As leaders of higher education institutions, we call upon our elected representatives to act collectively on behalf of current…

Alok Appadurai ’00, co-founder of Fed by Threads, the first sustainable, sweatshop-free, multi-brand, American-made organic vegan clothing store in the United States that has used a portion of its profits to feed over half a million meals to Americans in need, offered the keynote speech on "Food Justice and Sustainability" at the 2017 Americas Forum, held at the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall on April 28. He has recently founded GoodElephant.org, designed to create a global "herd" that will work on changing the world by nurturing compassion and empathy to promote social and environmental reform—and his book, Good Elephant, will…

On April 28, the Center for the Americas will host its 2017 Americas Forum on “Food Justice and Sustainability” at the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall at 2:30 p.m. The keynote address will be given by Alok Appadurai ’00. Appadurai is the the founder of Fed by Threads, a sustainable, sweatshop-free, multi-brand, American-made organic vegan clothing store that has fed over half a million meals to Americans in need. He also recently founded GoodElephant.org, a global network that aims to promote social and environmental reform by nurturing compassion and empathy. His time at Wesleyan helped to inform his current projects. As a…

The Wesleyan Green Team hosted a mini-trash bin workshop and discussion for faculty and staff on March 20. Dawn Alger, Theater Department administrative assistant and Green Team member, and Jen Kleindienst, sustainability director, led the workshop. Mini-bins are small containers that are used in place of standard waste receptacles. They encourage recycling and reduce the number of trash can liners used on campus. The Green Team provided craft supplies including cleaned coffee containers, colored paper, stickers, yarn, magazines, glue and scissors. Participants also discussed campus recycling efforts while designing their mini-bin. “We’d love to see all staff and faculty members at…

On April 22, the Wesleyan Climate Ambassadors will host the 5th Annual Earth Fest at the base of Foss Hill from 1 to 4 p.m. This celebration of Earth Day is aimed at bringing the sustainability community and campus together to honor Mother Earth. Participants will enjoy student bands, free vegan and veggie burgers, a clothing swap and a pin-the-solar-panel-on-the-building game. Participants also will learn more about what the sustainability community is working on at Wesleyan.

Throughout the month of April, Wesleyan is celebrating Earth Month with an array of activities. Events include film screenings, lectures, concerts, a festival on Foss Hill and more. For a full list of on-and-off campus events, visit the editable Earth Month 2017 calendar. For more information email sustianability@wesleyan.edu. Featured events are below:

Fall Harvest Celebrated at Pumpkin Festival

WILD Wes Celebrates 5 Years of West College Courtyard Growth

Farmers’ Market Opens at Long Lane Farm

Wesleyan Earns Silver Rating for 2016 Sustainability Performance

Wesleyan Takes Action on Climate Change

Wesleyan Dining ‘Food Recovery Verified’ for Donating Excess Food to Shelter

Roth Calls on Government Leaders to Enact a Carbon Price as Climate Change Solution

Appadurai ’00 Speaks on Food Justice and Sustainability at 2017 Americas Forum

Center for the Americas Hosts its 2017 Americas Forum on “Food Justice and Sustainability”

Green Team Encourages Campus Community to Use Mini-Bin Waste Receptacles

Celebrate Earth Fest April 22

Celebrate Earth Month at Wesleyan