Sustainability

Green Fund Proposals — Due April 9

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Dear students,

If you have an idea to improve sustainability in the campus community but need funding, write a proposal to the Green Fund today. This semester, proposals to the Green Fund are due by Monday, April 9th. The proposal page can be found here: https://greenfund.wsa.wesleyan.edu/applying-for-funding. It is helpful to be as detailed as possible but we understand that you may not initially know all of the exact details. We will work with you to refine the proposal if necessary. The 2012 Spring Semester promises to be an exciting one, with several large sustainable projects in play, and all kinds of small scale projects as well. 

Here are projects that we have funded so far this year: installation of water bottle refilling stations around campus (should be in place soon) as part of an effort to remove bottle water from campus; a biochar landscape experiment at the College of the Environment; signs above laundry machines that provide instructions of how to do your laundry in an environmentally friendly way; assistance for the food salvage program; a hydroponic system in Earth House; a “real” food calculator program that audits all food purchases made by Bon Appetit qualitatively addressing ecological, local, and humane requirements, and we have also agreed to help finance a new sustainability fellowship position at Wesleyan.  

Projects potentially in play include: a bike share program in Middletown, a permeable pavement parking lot, bicycle-powered battery generators, and a photovoltaic powered performance stage.

Exciting stuff. Think you can do better?  Send us your proposals!

The Green Fund Committee:  Evan Weber, chair; Julia Jonas-Day, Adam Brudnick, Delphine Starr, & Zander Nassikas

Where On Earth Are We Going? Symposium

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Where on Earth are We Going?

Saturday, November 5, 2011
Two Presentations: 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Exley Science Center, Tishler Lecture Hall 150

The Energy Puzzle Will Not Be Tweetable: the energy puzzle in more than 140 characters

  Lisa Margonelli directs the Energy Policy Intiative at the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. She is the publisher of The Energy Trap (http://energytrap.org) 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 from the gas station to oil fields around the world.

The Future of Nuclear Power: following the fukushima disaster

  Paul Gunter is a lead spokesperson in nuclear reactor hazards and security concerns. He acts as the regulatory watchdog over the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the nuclear power industry. He is a 2008 recipient of the Jane Bagley Lehman Award from the Tides Foundation for environmental activism for his work on the nuclear power and climate change issue. Mr. Gunter was a cofounder of the antinuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976 to oppose the construction of the Seabrook (NH) nuclear power plant through nonviolent direct action that launched the U.S. antinuclear movement. An environmental activist and energy policy analyst, he has been an ardent critic of atomic power development for more than 30 years.

Free and open to the public.

Two WSA Comms. — Join!! App Deadlines 9/23 and 9/26

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Spring Fling is an all-campus outdoor concert that happens on Foss Hill every May. In the past, artists like The Dirty Projectors, Big Boi, and TV on the Radio have come to rock out Wesleyan’s student body. Social Committee works throughout the year to put together a multiple-act show that brings the most current and enjoyable bands to campus in an effort to please the entire student body.

If you would like to become a member of the Social Committee in the 2011-2012 school year, please answer the questions in the attached application (either in an email or an attached word document) and send them to mpiderit@wesleyan.edu by Friday, September 23rd. We will review the applications and contact applicants for interviews. The committee meets once a week according to member availability.

The Social Committee

The Green Fund Committee is now accepting committee member applications for the year. The Green Fund Committee is responsible for allocating the funds raised from the Green Fund Fee: an opt-out $15 fee charged to each undergraduate each semester. Any student, faculty, or staffperson can submit a proposal to the Green Fund to improve the Wesleyan Community’s environmental footprint. The fund is intended for projects that the University might not pursue on their own means. If you feel like you would be a good candidate for this committee, fill out the application at:

The application is due on Monday, September 26th at 5pm. For more info, visit: greenfund.WSA.Wesleyan.edu.  You can also contact: greenfund@wesleyan.edu with any questions or comments

– Evan Weber, Chair of the Green Fund Committee

Volunteer Waste Not! during senior week

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Volunteer with Waste Not! during Senior Week
Want to help with one of the most exciting sustainable events on campus? Want to volunteer with the Waste Not! Tag Sale this spring? Housing during Senior Week and the two days following Senior Class Move-Out is guaranteed in exchange for volunteers’ commitment to working with Waste Not! during this time. The volunteer team will be collecting and organizing donated items in preparation for the huge move-in sale we hold in September. All proceeds go to local charities and sustainability projects at Wesleyan. Please fill out this form by April 21st if interested. If chosen, you will be notified by email by April 30th.
Contact wesustainability@gmail.com with questions.