SU and Le Moyne come together to host first Green Campus Challenge Gathering

On Friday, Nov. 6, Le Moyne College and Syracuse University hosted the first annual Green Campus Challenge Gathering (GCCG) on the Le Moyne campus. The event was designed as a micro-conference for regional higher education sustainability professionals. Participants from 28 colleges and universities within a 100-mile radius of Syracuse came to share their experiences, successes, concerns and ideas in a selection of facilitated discussion sessions.

The GCCG was distinctive in its regional nature and dialogue-based format. Attendees living and working within the same relatively small geographic area shared similar challenges and opportunities in matters such as weather, vendors and transportation options. This similarity fostered detailed and practical discussion at sessions designed around information exchange, rather than expert presentations.

Session topics included recycling; composting; transportation; green purchasing and computing; green offices and libraries; food service; awareness campaigns; and student organizations. Each session opened with a brief overview of activities at the facilitator’s school and continued with an hour and a half of open discussion on the topic. Participants asked questions and shared stories about efforts on their campuses.

The GCCG was co-organized by Le Moyne College’s Center for Urban & Regional Applied Research, the Le Moyne College Committee for Environmental Sustainability and SU’s Sustainability Division. To learn more about the conference, contact Melissa Cadwell at macadwel@syr.edu.