Olivia Drake(more…)
Since 2006, the Wesleyan Freecycle program has facilitated the opportunity for one person’s trash to become another person’s treasure. Through its own electronic mailing listserv, Freecycle encourages students, staff and faculty to exchange unwanted items, rather than throwing them away. Wesleyan’s program is part of the national Freecycle movement, where people give away things that they don’t need, or ask for items they do need. These items are free and recycled, hence the name Freecycle. Jen Kleindienst, sustainability coordinator, has given and received dozens of items on Freecycle. “Freecycle has definitely helped to build a culture of waste reduction on…
Natalie Robichaud ’14Throughout April, Wesleyan is hosting its second annual Earth Month. On April 12, Wesleyan is hosting a "Climate Justice Conference of Solutions" event. Participants will lay out the organizing, technological, and policy solutions to the climate crisis and explore how taking action on climate can improve social justice, create jobs, grow businesses, and enhance national security. Register for the event here. Other Earth Month events include a Sustainability Career Panel on April 8, Long Lane Farm grand workdays, WILDWes workdays, a Wesleyan Joulebug Competition, an Earth Week Rant with Professor of Physics Brian Stewart, a Mama Earth Fest, a film screening of Victoria Mamas…
Lauren RubensteinGov. Dannel Malloy, Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew, and other state and local officials were on hand March 6 to help Wesleyan celebrate and power up its new microgrid project, the first project to come online under the inaugural round of Connecticut’s first-in-the-nation statewide microgrid pilot program. The group gathered in the lobby of the Freeman Athletic Center, near the site of Wesleyan’s 676 kW natural gas Combined Heat and Power (CHP) reciprocating engines. Using oversized shears, they cut a red ribbon, and Malloy used a computer to start the engines. The generator package will deliver 4,700 mWh annually. In the…
By 2050, the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment is requiring that Wesleyan become carbon neutral. To meet this goal, the university needs to reduce its emissions 1,000 tons annually for the next 36 years — the equivalent of the carbon sequestered by 860 trees each year. To help the university meet this goal, Wesleyan's Sustainability Office and the Sustainability Advisory Group for Environmental Stewardship (SAGES) hosted a Sustainability Action Planning Workshop on Feb. 21. More than 50 faculty, administrators, staff and students gathered to brainstorm and develop creative new ideas for Wesleyan’s next Sustainability Action Plan. "In order…
Wesleyan received a grant from the State of Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection to support a new electric vehicle charging station installation on campus. Wesleyan is one of 42 to receive the award in the state. The new station will be placed adjacent to an existing station located in the Freeman Athletic Center parking lot. It will service two vehicles. “Our goal is a network of charging stations that allows anyone driving an electric vehicle to travel anywhere in our state with total confidence that they will be able to recharge their car battery when necessary,” said Connecticut Governor Dannel…
For demonstrating sustainability commitments and sustainable leadership, Wesleyan received a silver rating by STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System), a program of The Association of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Wesleyan received the honor on Oct. 14 after successfully completing the institution's STARS Report, which includes all of the data submitted during the reporting process. See the full report online here. In November 2012, Wesleyan became a member of AASHE to recognize the importance of sustainability and commitments set forth in the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. AASHE is a national organization that enables higher education institutions to meet…
Wesleyan University continues to go green. Campus is now equipped with four solar-powered waste compactors and single-stream recycling stations which may reduce collection frequency by up to 80 percent. Wesleyan’s Sustainability Office and Physical Plant have been working since last fall to bring the stations, designed by BigBelly Solar, to campus. The four new campus stations are located at Memorial Chapel, Usdan University Center, Olin Library and the Office of Admissions. Single-stream recycling reduces the number of bins necessary to collect recyclable goods and waste compactors reduce the number of times Wesleyan's custodial division needs to pick up trash. The BigBellys also are expected…
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While their classmates spend the summer growing business contacts at off-campus internships, 10 Wesleyan students hope to cultivate something equally lucrative – sustainable agriculture. The “dirt in the nails” days are long but satisfying at Wesleyan's Long Lane Organic Farm, a student-run organic farm that gives students a place to experiment and learn about sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals - environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. This summer, the students are cultivating two acres of land, the biggest plot they've ever farmed. They're growing cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, tomatillos, squash, asparagus, basil, broccoli, lettuce, blueberries…
As a part of its commitment to be a bottled water-free campus, Wesleyan is continually seeking alternatives to hydrate the campus community. During Reunion & Commencement, May 23-26, a group of students will debut their sustainable solution, "The Wishing Well," a custom-built mobile water station. The two-piece water tank, constructed by Wesleyan's Scientific Support Services, features eight water filtration dispensers. On May 25, the stations will be positioned on Andrus Field, and on May 26, near North College. The stations will dispense filtered water from the public water supply. The students, Nina Gerona '15; Tavo True-Alcalá '15; Brent Packer '15; and…