Being Green

World Water Day: Freshwater Celebration at Earth House 3/31

by

Since 1992, when the UN designated March 22 as World Water Day, there have been celebrations around the world every year as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. This year, Wesleyan will be a part of this worldwide movement, so please join us.

THURSDAY, MARCH 31 at 6 p.m., EARTH HOUSE (corner of High and Lawn)

BE INFORMED by E&ES Professor Peter Patton about the unsustainability of irrigation systems for agriculture and Government Professor Michael Nelson about international water politics.

Learn how to TAKE ACTION from student group, Brighter Dawns, which works on water purification in Bangladesh, and from Carina Kurban `14, whose organization sells stainless steel bottles to raise money for clean water in developing countries.

VEGETARIAN MEAL WILL BE SERVED FOR THOSE WHO ARRIVE AT SIX O’CLOCK. 

Co-sponsored by Earth House and Outhouse

COE Internships!! Apps due 2/21

by


COLLEGE OF THE ENVIRONMENT INTERNSHIPS ANNOUNCED
The College of the Environment internships allow students to undertake research on environmental topics under the guidance of a faculty mentor during the Summer or Fall, 2011.  The scope of environmental topics is meant in the broad sense and the research may be undertaken using techniques, approaches and paradigms from all majors or major programs.  Internships are available to Wesleyan Students across the entire University.

The summer internship will run from May 25, 2011 – July 29, 2011, while the Fall 2011 internship would run the term of the semester. Internships carry a stipend of $4,000.

The deadline for applications is due on or before Monday, February 21, 2011, allowing us to announce internship candidates by Friday, March 4th, prior to spring break. Student applications are to be delivered to Ms. Valerie Marinelli, Administrative Assistant, College of the Environment, 284 High Street.

The student application also requires two short letters of recommendation from Wesleyan faculty.  In addition to recommending the student, the faculty mentor must briefly (1-2 paragraphs) explain the project, its importance and relevance to her/his research program.  Letters of recommendation may either be sent to Ms. Marinelli through campus mail or by email (pdf preferred) to vmarinelli@wesleyan.edu.

To get the application, please stop by the College of the Environment, 284 High Street or check with any Administrative Assistant on campus who has received the email.

The applications, including statements by faculty, will be judged by the oversight and awards committee.

For further information, please contact Valerie Marinelli at (860) 685-3733.

Get Your Bucket for the Composting Initiative

by

The WSA is pleased to support the creation of a new student group to help us address the reduction of our waste in a reinvigorated composting program. This new Composting Committee will be holding information sessions this Wednesday (11/11) and Thursday (11/12) at 8 p.m. in Usdan 110. We encourage all students who live in a residence with a kitchen to attend the meeting and engage in this new composting program. Diverting one pound of waste to a composting process can prevent six pounds of CO2 emissions. And, composting is just as easy as taking out the trash!

The only thing you need is a 5-gallon bucket to collect food waste and some basic information about what can be composted. The best part is that these resources are free through the Composting Committee with the help of Physical Plant and the Green Fund. Once you have everything, you simply need to take the food waste out and put it into a nearby composting container when your bucket fills up. The container (with a little help form the Composting Committee) will do all of the work for you!

Again, please join us this Wednesday and Thursday at 8:00 p.m. in Usdan 110. Free apple crisp will be provided for those students who attend the information sessions. If you have any questions, please e-mail wesleyancompost@gmail.com or visit the website at https://sites.google.com/a/wesleyan.edu/wescompost/

Thank you, Melody Oliphant ’13, WSA Representative and Josh Levine ’12, Sustainability Coordinator

The Green Fund Committee — Apply!

by

Dear Students,

Last year, students, the WSA, and the administration teamed up to create the Wesleyan Green Fund: a student-elected, student-financed, and student-managed pool of money which will sponsor sustainability initiatives on campus.

Critical to the Green Fund’s success is the Green Fund Committee, a group of five students who will seek out, review and approve project ideas. This is the first year of the Green Fund and the Green Fund Committee, and joining the committee is a great opportunity to engage with environmental issues and shape the future of Wesleyan.

We are now seeking applicants for the committee, and we encourage students in all class years with an interest in sustainability to apply. Attached is the full application. Applications should be emailed to Josh Levine at jslevine@wesleyan.edu by no later than Sunday October 3rd.

If you have any further questions about the application process or the green fund, feel free to contact us. We look forward to reading your applications.

 Cheers, Josh Levine,WSA Sustainability Coordinator & Zachary Malter, WSA Finance and Facilities Chair

Waste Not’s Campus Tag Sale — 9/4 & 9/5

by

Waste Not! is an EON (Environmental Organizers Network)-sponsored effort run by the Sustainability Interns to reduce unnecessary waste during move-out and encourage items to be recycled from year to year.  At the end of the spring semester, EON collects unwanted items and then, in the fall, we hold a HUGE tag sale to sell those items back to the community, thereby keeping valuable items out of the landfill and in circulation. Proceeds from the sale will go to local charities and Sustainability at Wesleyan.  We’ll be holding the sale September  4 and 5 from 1-5 p.m. each day at the Spurrier-Synder Hockey Rink in the Freeman Athletic Center. It’s always an amazing event and everything goes quickly, so arrive as early as possible!

If you have any questions regarding the tag sale or sustainability at Wesleyan, feel free to shoot us an email at WESustainability@gmail.com.  We look forward to seeing you all there!! 

Miles Bukiet ’11, Francesca Jones ’12, Sustainability Interns

Donate Your Stuff to Waste Not!

by

Donate to Waste Not!
Waste Not is Wesleyan’s student-organized collection of unwanted items at the end of the Spring semester. Don’t throw away your stuff at the end of the year, give it a new home!
In the fall 2010, we’ll have a huge tag sale in an effort to keep our stuff in circulation and out of the dumpster. Money from the sale and leftover items will go to charity. All food and laundry detergent is also donated to charity!

How to help!
If you live in a residence hall: Look out for the taped off “Waste Not Collection Zones” on your dorm’s entrance or a stairwell landing. You can leave any items there or, if your item is too large, give the Waste Not Coordinators a call or email and we will pick it up for you!

If you live in a program house: Let your house manager know you want to participate in Waste Not and/or send a quick email out to wesustainability@wesleyan.edu. We’re taping off collection zones in any houses that want to participate! You can leave any unwanted items there and they will be collected by volunteers later in the week!

If you live in a senior wood frame: To let us know when your items are ready to donate to Waste Not, just put an official Waste Not hanger on your door (you should have received this over the weekend). All the necessary information is on this hanger. During senior week we will be coming around to pick up items from the wood frames.

You can also drop off items directly at the Waste Not collection center in Zion Church, a few doors down from Neon Deli and across from the Freeman Athletic Center, starting Saturday, May 15th!

 

Items you can donate:

clothing, furniture, chests of drawers, shelves, refrigerators, microwaves, rugs, lamps, electronics, printers, alarm clocks, phones, textbooks, course packs, books for classes, other books, posters, dorm decorations in general, bedding, dishes/kitchen ware, hangers, mirrors, food (will be donated upon collection in the Spring), cleaning supplies, laundry detergent (also will be donated), brooms, household chemicals

Symposium: Green Energy and Biofuel Technology — May 7

by

The 35th Peter A. Leermakers’ Symposium will be held on May 7, 2010 at Wesleyan University.  This years’ symposium, entitled Green Energy and Biofuel Technology, will feature an outstanding program of talks from leaders in government, industry and academia.   For more information, refer to the symposium web page.

 http://www.wesleyan.edu/chem/Leermakers/index.htt

Earth Day Celebration! Keeping Our Feet to the Fire Thurs., 4/22–8 p.m., CFA Hall

by

It is our pleasure to invite you to this year’s Earth Day Celebration:  

KEEPING OUR FEET TO THE FIRE:

JOINING ART AND SCIENCE TO ENGAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

 Thursday, April 22   8 p.m.  CFA Hall

The event will feature a world premier screening of Paul Horton’s film:  

CONNECTIONS WITHIN A FRAGILE WORLD
 
There will also be a panel discussion asking the question:  Are art and science natural allies in communicating environmental issues to the public?  

Mmoderator Jeremy Isard ‘11, with panelists:
Godfrey Bourne, University Missouri St. Louis
Marda Kirn, EcoArts Connections, Colorado
Cassie Meador, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Washington, D.C.
Barry Chernoff, Wesleyan University
 
We will award the Schumann Prize for Distinguished Environmental Stewardship to a member of the class of 2010.
 
An open  reception will follow the event.  So, please join us for EARTH DAY CELEBRATION 2010
 
This event is Free and Open to the Public  

2010 EARTH DAY CELEBRATION: Thursday, April 22 8 p.m.

by

It is our pleasure to invite you to this year’s Earth Day Celebration:  

KEEPING OUR FEET TO THE FIRE:

JOINING ART AND SCIENCE TO ENGAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

 Thursday, April 22   8 p.m.  CFA Hall

The event will feature a world premier screening of Paul Horton’s film:  

CONNECTIONS WITHIN A FRAGILE WORLD
 
There will also be a panel discussion asking the question:  Are art and science natural allies in communicating environmental issues to the public?  This will be moderated by Jeremy Isard ’11, with panelists:
Godfrey Bourne, University Missouri St. Louis
Marda Kirn, EcoArts Connections, Colorado
Cassie Meador, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Washington, D.C.
Barry Chernoff, Wesleyan University
 
We will award the Schumann Prize for Distinguished Environmental Stewardship to a member of the class of 2010.
 
An open  reception will follow the event.  So, please join us for EARTH DAY CELEBRATION 2010
 
This event is Free and Open to the Public