As autumn rolls in and temperatures begin to cool off, Sustainability Management has several events and activities planned throughout Campus Sustainability Month, some of which are already underway.
On Oct. 1, Sustainability Coordinator Meg Lowe, teamed up with Director of Engagement Programs Syeisha Byrd to offer a virtual cooking class, which used ingredients from the food pantry and Pete’s Giving Garden to create a simple, yet delicious Taco Bowl. The pair is hosting two more virtual Pantry Cookin’ classes on Oct. 22 and on Nov. 12. Sign up on Pete’s Giving Garden website to claim a spot today.
Additionally, the honey from the honeybee hives on South Campus was harvested on Oct. 3 by Associate Professor of Public Health Lisa Olson-Gugerty, a Campus as a Lab for Sustainability grant recipient. She harvested 15 gallons of honey, all of which will be jarred, but will be missing a label as Sustainability Management is hosting a competition for students to design the label for the honey jars. Members of the Syracuse University Bee Campus USA Committee will pick the top five, and then the campus community will vote for the winning design. Learn more about the honey label competition by visiting the Bee Campus USA website on the Sustainability page. Once the winning design is decided, the honey jars will be labeled and placed in the bookstore and café stores on campus for sale.
Sustainability Management is also working with the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) on hosting “PolliNation,” a virtual showcase of the talent and collaborations within the Orange community pertaining to pollinators. Assistant Professor of Environmental and Interior Design Zeke Leonard collaborated with Olson-Gugerty to have his students create brood boxes that differ from the typical hive standard, which will be showcased at the event. Associate Professor of Museum Studies Andrew Saluti is curating the showing, which starts in mid-October. Other pollinator projects, such as the designs for the South Campus Pollinator Gardens and information about Bee Campus USA, will also be showcased at “PolliNation.”
Students from the School of Design will help the members of Pete’s Giving Garden to winterize the garden on Oct. 16. While participation in this event is limited, students are welcome to help plan the next garden over the winter for the spring planting. If you are interested helping please email Meg Lowe mclowe@syr.edu or sustain@syr.edu. Students who live on South Campus are still eligible to participate in the South Campus Composting Program, which continues year round. Those who wish to participate in either program or volunteer with Sustainability Management can reach out to Meg Lowe at mclowe@syr.edu or sustain@syr.edu.
Teaming up with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Sustainability Management will sponsor a virtual screening and discussion panel of “Chasing Coral” on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.; visit the calendar of events for access to the showing. Professors Linda Ivany and Tripti Bhattacharya and graduate student Jessie McCraw from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences will be on the panel. Professor Ivany is an evolutionary paleobiologist interested in relationships among ecology, evolution and environment over time in marine systems. Professor Bhattacharya is a climate scientist who uses past instances of climate change as “natural experiments” to understand the response of the atmosphere-ocean system to external forcing. McCraw is a paleontologist currently researching coral responses to climate change using geochemistry and numerical models.
If you are unable to attend the screening, Sustainability Management is also hosting virtual Netflix Party on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. of “David Attenborough: Life on Our Planet.”
On Oct. 31, the Campus as a Lab for Sustainability (CALS) Grant is scheduled to be released for the 2021-2022 academic year. Each year, $75,000 is awarded to students and faculty who apply for projects that help to support the Climate Action Plan. Learn more about past projects and how to apply by visiting the Campus as a Lab webpage.
Visit the Sustainability website to learn more about sustainability at Syracuse University.
