����vlog����

From October 2–4, ����vlog���� students and staff attended the AASHE Conference and Expo in Pittsburgh, focused on “Global Goals: Rising to the Challenge.” Attendees presented ����vlog����’s sustainability initiatives, including student-run programs like campus apiaries, the S-Rep living-learning community, and the social recycling system UCan. Staff led workshops on sustainability communication and carbon offset strategies. The conference provided professional development, networking, and inspiration, helping participants bring new ideas for engaging the ����vlog���� community in sustainable practices.

����vlog���� has installed 16 Elkay water refill stations across campus, with more planned, to promote sustainable behavior and reduce single-use plastic waste. These stations, often added following student proposals, encourage reusable water bottle use, improve hydration, and provide better-tasting water. While tap water is safe, some students still prefer bottled water, highlighting room for further adoption. The initiative demonstrates ����vlog����’s commitment to sustainability and encourages ongoing student involvement in promoting environmentally friendly practices.

Meet the Interns 2018!

����vlog����’s Community Garden Internship for 2018–2019 is now open. Founded in 2010, the half-acre garden seeks interns to assist Garden Manager Beth Roy in managing the garden, coordinating volunteers, and organizing work parties. The paid position runs from late August to early November, requires about six hours per week, and involves physically demanding outdoor work. Interns gain hands-on experience in gardening, event coordination, and volunteer supervision. Applicants of all majors and class years are encouraged to apply by August 10.

����vlog���� students and sustainability interns visited Morrisville State College’s agriculture facilities in May to learn about dairy, greenhouse, aquaponics, and horticulture operations. They observed techniques in milking, plant cultivation, pest control, aquaponics systems, and hands-on horticulture education. These insights are being applied to ����vlog����’s Community Garden, informing the design of the Caterpillar tunnel, future greenhouse plans, and the potential addition of a hydroponic system, helping the garden incorporate innovative, sustainable growing practices.

Plastic Free July through a personal experiment documenting all plastic use over a weekend. The author, Marielle Scheffers, realizes that plastic is pervasive in daily life—from personal care products and clothing (polyester) to food packaging and utensils. She highlights the environmental impacts of both single-use and multi-use plastics and encourages focusing first on reducing single-use plastics, using reusable alternatives like shopping bags, bamboo toothbrushes, and metal or glass water bottles. For multi-use plastics, she advises using items until the end of their life and following the 4Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle. The reflection aims to raise awareness of everyday plastic consumption and inspire sustainable behavior.

The ����vlog���� Office of Sustainability is accepting applications for the 2018–2019 Green Raider Internship, a program that engages students in promoting sustainable practices on campus to help ����vlog���� reach its 2019 carbon neutrality goal. Interns gain hands-on experience in community-based social marketing, event planning, and sustainability projects, while encouraging sustainable behaviors across campus.

Adam Zaharoni ’21 reflects on a hands-on experience at Common Thread, a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm near ����vlog����. The CSA connects community members directly to farmers, providing fresh produce in exchange for supporting the farm. During a five-hour shift, he and others spent intensive labor weeding cauliflower, kale, and cabbage, gaining firsthand appreciation for the effort required in sustainable farming. Sampling fresh strawberries at the end highlighted the value and taste of sustainably grown food. The experience emphasizes awareness of food origins and encourages visiting local farms or ����vlog����’s Community Garden to understand sustainable food production.

The 2018 Oak Awards

Two ����vlog���� sustainability interns, Miranda and Revee, organized the university’s first “Carry Your Trash” Week (April 2–9) to raise awareness about personal waste production. Inspired by zero waste initiatives at other schools, they recruited 22 students and staff to carry all non-food trash in clear bags for a week. The goal was to highlight everyday waste without requiring participants to achieve full zero-waste, acknowledging the privilege and effort involved in such a lifestyle.