Here's the latest in news, events, and announcements from WCU's Office of Sustainability!
Climate and Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP) Open House
Members of WCU’s Sustainability Council have been working on a draft update of 2013’s Climate Action Plan and next week is your chance to learn about the process and the status of proposed goals and objectives for sustainability efforts at WCU in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Please stop by Sykes Student Union Room 115 (behind Chick-fil-a) on Tuesday, May 10, 2022,any time between noon and 2 pm to meet with authors of the updated CSAP.
Learn about proposed target years and strategies for achieving carbon neutrality.
Consider draft goals for sustainable zero waste policies, food systems, green spaces, transportation, and more.
Offer your own ideas and suggestions to improve current proposals.
Sign up to stay engaged in the process that should culminate with a final WCU Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, Version 2 by the end of Calendar Year 2022.
If you have questions or want to know more about this event, contact the Office of Sustainability atsustainability@wcupa.eduor call Amy Maxcy at 610-436-2736.
Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar "Thank You!"
As the semester winds down and we’re looking back on another successful Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar series, a big thank you goes out to all of the presenters for sharing their work and creativity with the WCU community. Each presentation gave us new ways of thinking about sustainability and drew in diverse perspectives on understanding and creating more equitable, healthy, vibrant communities and worlds.
The Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar will be back for the Fall 2022 semester. Keep checking back for the release of the schedule of speakers as we get closer to the start of classes.
Thank you Spring 2022 presenters!
Professor Jasmin Tahmaseb McConatha with Georgina Hanna, Katherine Ford, Carolyn Cusmano, and Nicole Lyman
Professor Megan Fork
Professor Christina Rosan and Professor Megan Heckert
Professor tonya thames-taylor
Professor Heather Wholey
Professor Tabassum Ruby with Madeline Mulcahey and Christine Recchi
Professor Alex Cohen
Professor Jason A. Bartles
Dr. Seth Jacobson
Professor Michelle O’Connor Kensey
Professor Lauri Hyers
Professor Rodney Mader with Kayla Connors, Tyler Corbin, Samantha Jeronis, and Katie Kramer
Volunteers Needed to Plant New Pollinator Garden
Thanks in large part to the West Chester Green Team, a new pollinator garden is in the works by the Chestnut Street Garage! There's already been good work done clearing out the old to make way for the new, and now it's time to finish planting. Volunteers are needed to help finish installing the garden on Saturday, May 14th from 9am to 1pm. The goal of the garden is both ecological in incorporating more pollinator friendly vegetation in the borough of West Chester, and aesthetic, increasing the beauty of the downtown environs for residents and visitors alike. If you're interested in volunteering and being part of the project, sign up using the link below!
The Healing Power of Green Spaces in Our Local Communities
Join AARP PA and the West Chester University in a virtual conversation about the healing power of green spaces in our local communities. Every person on the planet has experienced an increase in loneliness and isolation, loss of support, finances, and freedom of activity. This Webinar focuses on the ways that access to green spaces in communities can help promote physical and psychological well-being, increase self-awareness, and boost self-confidence. This virtual event will be hosted on Thursday, May 12th from 4pm to 5pm on Zoom. Registration can be found below.
Governance & the Environment: how can we get more involved?
Learn the basic structure of local government in PA, how local decisions affect the environmental work we do, and how you can more meaningfully engage with them!
On May 16 from 7 - 8:30 pm, Sue Myerov with Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and Tali MacArthur with Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) will present:
Local government structures in PA, their authorities, and their limitations
How and why local government land use and planning decisions have immediate and critical impacts on water resources
Tools, policies, and processes used to guide development
The roles, perspectives, and priorities of key local officials, boards, commissions, and departments, and
Local government priorities and how to align them with conservation values
This week in the Gordon Natural Area, Eastern Blacknose Dace(Rhinichthys atratulus) were spotted in Gordon Run, a tributary that flows into Plum Run, pictured above, making this our first fish to make it in to the Spotted in the GNA feature. See what Science and Health Librarian, Dr. Walt Cressler has to say about these aquatic creatures.
"The most common fish in Plum Run are three members of the minnow family, namely, Creek Chubs, Blacknose Dace, and Rosyside Dace. They are most abundant in the upper reaches of Plum Run, such as the east branch. They are joined in the warmer months by migratory White Suckers, which then mostly leave Plum Run in winter." (Cressler 2015, p. 20)
Taken from "The Flow of History along Plum Run" (link below).
The Gordon Natural Area is home to 1,930 known species, with the list growing longer every day. These are just a small sampling of the amazing organisms you can find while visiting the GNA. Find more information, directions, and visitor etiquette on theGordon Natural Area webpage.
Faculty members, if you're interested in incorporating a tour of the GNA into your courses, reach out to GNA Stewardship Manager Dr. Nur Ritter.
Remember, you can find a whole host of images and information about the hundreds of species found in the Gordon Natural Area by accessing the GNA'sBiotapage.
Philadelphia Flower Show Zero Waste Volunteers The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is hosting the Philadelphia Flower Show outdoors for the second year in a row, and they're looking for volunteers to help them achieve their zero waste event goals! More information can be found by following the link below. All volunteers will receive 1 General Admission Ticket to the Flower Show and all guest facing volunteers will receive a t-shirt to take home.
We'd love to help you spread the word! If you would like to have an announcement included in the weekly Office of Sustainability Bulletin, please send the details to sustainability@wcupa.eduby 8am Monday, the week it should go out.
Did someone forward this edition of the bulletin to you? You can subscribe yourself through the link below!
