Hannah Norman '16It’s that time of year: crunchy fall leaves and the long awaited end to the summer harvesting season. Long Lane Farm’s ninth annual Pumpkin Fest, held on Oct. 6, celebrated this culmination with free vegetarian food, face painting, live music from student bands, farm tours, yoga, and more. Middletown residents and Wesleyan students and faculty alike came together in what farm enthusiast Josh Krugman '14 called “a celebration of the farm as a student-run project that makes amazing things happen, and also the farm as a community and the possibility the farm has of creating community even outside of the…
Olivia DrakeThirsty for money? Build a Wesleyan water station and win a $1,000 cash prize! As a part of its commitment to becoming a bottled water-free campus, Wesleyan is seeking alternatives to hydrate the campus community at outdoor events. The Sustainability Office, Center for the Arts, The Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship, and the College of the Environment are co-sponsoring a student competition to design a mobile water station, which will be used at Reunion & Commencement, Homecoming/Family Weekend, and other outdoor events. (more…)
Got milk? All-natural dairy products, farmed and distributed by two Wesleyan alumni, are MOOving into the university's Dining Services this semester. Rick Osofsky ’66 and his daughter Kate ’94 are owners and operators of Ronnybrook Farm Dairy in Ancramdale, N.Y. As second and third generation dairy farmers, the Osofskys pride themselves on their natural farming methods using a small herd of Holstein cows. "Our dairy products are bottled on site in the morning, and since we're located less than two hours from Wesleyan, they arrive fresh," Rick explains. "We're both so pleased to bring a bit of our farm back…
(more…)
Q: Jennifer, you started working as Wesleyan's sustainability coordinator on July 2. Please define "sustainability" and explain the purpose of this new position. A: I think of sustainability as people living such that current and future generations of humans and animals, as well as the Earth itself, can thrive. Sustainability doesn’t just have to do with the environment; it’s about people, too. As the sustainability coordinator, my job is to turn these ideas into tangible actions that help the campus to operate more sustainably and show how others how to change behaviors to live in a way that’s in harmony…
The GOVT/EAST/ENVS 304 “Environmental Politics and Democratization” class is presenting its eco-art project in Usdan University Center’s Huss Courtyard this month. The class is taught by Mary Alice Haddad, associate professor of government, environmental studies and East Asian studies.
The City of Middletown, Conn. named Wesleyan University a "2011 Green Business Recycling Hero." According to the recycling heros list, "Wesleyan recycles a variety of materials beyond what is mandated. These include office furniture, clothing and mattresses. They also compost, purchase materials made from recycled components, and have initiated many green initiatives revolving around green building, transportation and energy conservation." The City applauds Wesleyan and other local organizations and businesses who are reducing, reusing and recycling to protect the environment.
(more…)
On Nov. 5, two energy experts will speak during the annual "Where On Earth Are We Going?" symposium. The event is sponsored by the Robert Schumann Lecture Series in the Environmental Studies Program. At 9 a.m., Lisa Margonelli, director of the Energy Policy Initiative at the New America Foundation in Washington D.C., will speak on "The Energy Revolution Will not be Tweetable: the Energy Puzzle in More than 140 Characters." Margonelli is the publisher of The Energy Trap and blogs frequently at The Atlantic web site. Her book Oil On the Brain: Petroleum’s Long, Strange Trip to Your Tank follows the oil supply chain…
Wesleyan faculty and staff are growing a community. This summer, up to 50 employees have the opportunity to maintain their own plot in a Wesleyan Community Garden at Long Lane Farm. "We hope that the community garden will promote local growing and give people the space to grow their own produce," says Bill Nelligan, director of environmental health, safety and sustainability. "We will be planting alongside the student garden which will facilitate a growing atmosphere." Each plot measures 10 by 15 feet. Plot fees are $50 and include fence upkeep, annual soil amendments and community tools. Each gardener is responsible for…
Peter Staye, associate director of utilities for Physical Plant-Facilities, was featured in the May 16 edition of The Hartford Business Journal. In the article, titled "Energy Saving Projects Focus on Measurable Results," Staye explained how Wesleyan has invested more than $6.5 million into a variety of innovative, energy-saving measures. Wesleyan has reduced energy about 22 percent since 2005, but the focus is now shifting to a more challenging initiative - changing the culture of energy use on campus. "Not that long ago, energy was abundant and cheap. Now it's neither, but there is still the feeling that everyone should have…
The newly-established Wesleyan Green Fund Committee is supporting initiatives that move the university forward in sustainability and environmental stewardship. On Dec. 3, the student-managed committee will finance projects that will decrease the carbon footprint of the university, decrease waste, increase Wesleyan's use of energy from renewable resources, or increase visibility of environmentally responsible practices on campus. The committee will select projects proposed by Wesleyan students, faculty and staff. Through a $15 fee, collected voluntarily from students during the Fall 2010 semester, the committee raised about $40,000. These “green funds” will be applied to several sustainability-focused projects at Wesleyan that otherwise would not…