Summer 2022 News
We've made it to June, when daylight lingers, slowing its formerly hurried pace to listen in on the splashing of James River swimmers, the ice cream truck's siren call, and the rhythm of feet flip-flopping their way across town. Across the country, young students are breathing a collective sigh of relief as the final school bell denotes the start of warm-weather adventure. As journalist and chronicler of the American Southwest Charles Bowden put it, “Summertime is always the best of what might be.” But it's not all ripe tomatoes and napping in the hammock. Evidence of our climate emergency is also easier to see this time of year. Bowden's New Mexico has been trying to contain the largest wildfire in the state's history, made worse by climatic conditions. The return of summer to Richmond has already brought with it extreme heat and strong storms. During heat waves, the more developed parts of our region are up to 15 degrees hotter than those areas covered by green spaces, exacerbating health risks. While there remains much to savor on these sultry summer days - please take your vacations, explore the best of what Richmond has to offer, and take care of yourselves - there are reminders all around us of the work to do to care for our community and the systems that support our well being. To that end, we hope you can join us this week to discuss RVAgreen 2050, the City of Richmond's equity-based Climate Action and Resilience Plan. You can meet the newest member of the Office for Sustainability staff, Daniel Hart, there. We'll be offering tours of the Eco-Corridor and Abby's Garden this summer, too. Below you can read about some of our recent accomplishments and join in our gratitude for our recent graduates and alumni. We also invite your ideas and contributions for how we care for creation and one another. Send your ideas to sustainability@richmond.edu. We all have a role to play!
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Equitable Climate Action in Richmond:
Your Input is Needed!
Join us for snacks and conversation this Friday, June 17 from 11:00-12:00 in the University of Richmond International Center Commons
You’re invited to a conversation about RVAgreen 2050, the City of Richmond’s equity-based climate action and resilience plan. Climate change is making Richmond hotter and stormier, but the impacts are hitting our historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities the hardest. RVAgreen 2050 is working with communities throughout Richmond to find solutions that will make us all climate-ready and resilient. City staff are seeking your input to make sure they put out the most effective and fair plan possible. Help us brainstorm how UR can support the City's efforts.
Come for the snacks. Stay for the inspiration to create change in your community.
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Introducing UR's New Associate Director of Sustainability & Environmental Justice
Daniel Hart has joined the Office for Sustainability as the new Associate Director of Sustainability & Environmental Justice. In this role, Daniel will lead the integration of sustainability and environmental justice in the curriculum and in student programs. Daniel’s work lies at the intersection of social change, sustainability, and regenerative design. He holds a Master’s in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, a Minor in Geography, and a Certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies and a Permaculture Design Certificate from the University of Colorado. He’s worked at the University of Colorado Environmental Center, Environmental Stewardships Concepts, and spent a summer doing a work exchange at Dancing Rabbit EcoVillage. Before coming to the University of Richmond, Daniel worked as Sustainability Coordinator and Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati, served on the Environmental Advisory Council for the City of Cincinnati, and was the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute.
Please join us in welcoming Daniel back to the Richmond region, where he grew up. You can reach him at dhart@richmond.edu to collaborate or just to say hello.
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Assessing Sustainability: University of Richmond is Awarded STARS Gold - for the 2nd time
Every three years, the University of Richmond participates in a campus-wide assessment of our sustainability performance. In 2022, we earned a STARS Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, helps us measure our progress on goals in the Sustainability Plan, allows us to benchmark with other schools, and makes it easier to share data with the growing number of people who seek information on sustainability at UR. Earning a Gold rating recognizes the investment and efforts we have made as a campus to be good stewards, including the creation of the Eco-Corridor, rollout of composting, and reductions in carbon emissions. A special thank you to the wonderful partners across campus who shared the information we needed for us to complete the assessment. And thanks to all of you for making sustainability happen on campus.
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Green Roofs For the Win
Every year since 2019, a team led by Joyce van der Laan Smith at the Robins School of Business invites undergraduate students across all majors to solve a sustainability challenge. The 2022 Sustainable Solutions Challenge departed from previous iterations in that it did not ask for submissions around a specific issue. Rather, the case written by Suraya Souidi, '22 invited students to develop proposals centered on the campus sustainability challenge most important to them.
The review panel received an exciting variety of proposed solutions, including keycard-activated residence hall lighting and an electric-assist bike share program. The panel winnowed the twenty-plus teams down to three finalists. The final teams presented their ideas just prior to the end of the academic year. Judges awarded Phil O'Connor, T Ridgway, and Chris Tigani the ultimate prize for "Green Roofs at UR." The team proposed implementing green roof spaces on campus to increase energy efficiency, stormwater management, and improve air quality. We hope to see their idea enacted in a building project in the near future.
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UR ranks #1 in Virginia and tops the A10
in Campus Race to Zero Waste
Thanks to the Rethink Waste team's ambitious efforts, University of Richmond came in first place in the state and in our Athletic Conference in this year's Campus Race to Zero Waste (CR2ZW) competition! CR2ZW is nationwide eight-week competition between colleges and universities to see who can divert the most waste from the landfill. While CR2ZW is set up as a competition, it is the power of the collective that truly impresses. A total of 27.9 million pounds of waste was diverted from the landfill at institutions across the country this year!
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A Whale of a Year for Compost!
University of Richmond diverted 86 tons of organic waste from the landfill during the 2021-22 school year, equal to weight of a pair of majestic gray whales. The rollout of post-consumer composting across campus dining facilities, an increase in pre-consumer (kitchen scraps) collection, and education from the Rethink Waste Reps helped us achieve this milestone. "We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far," said Rethink Waste Manager David Donaldson, "but we are just getting started."
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Abundance in Abby's Garden
A trip to Abby's Garden will reveal a bounty of leafy greens, young peppers just appearing, and dozens of squash blossoms waving their cheery yellow flags, all under the watchful eye of tall zinnias, butterfly bush, and sunflowers. You will also find more community gardeners than ever. Demand for Abby's Garden plots was at a record high this spring, so the largest units were subdivided into three plots. This allowed for an additional 16 gardeners to claim a space, giving us more than 50 gardener's for the first time. Along with the return of flowers and veggies, student employee Anna Haight has come home from studying abroad in Chile to resume her role as Garden Manager this summer. Come on down to the northern end of the Eco-Corridor to peep the beauty, chat with a gardener, welcome Anna back to UR, or simply slow down in nature. As historian and author Jenny Uglow reminds us, "We might think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it’s our garden that is really nurturing us."
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Alumna Spotlight:
Emily George, '20
University of Richmond students go on to do great things after graduation! Former Office for Sustainability intern Emily George, '20, is continuing to tap into her passion for sustainability with TerraCycle, a company that diverts hard-to-recycle items like contact lenses, toothpaste tubes, and soft plastics from the landfill. We're so proud of you, Emily!
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On to the Next Adventure
Congratulations to the Class of 2022! We already miss our graduating seniors, Maddie and Eliza. Maddie played a critical role in completing our STARS assessment by tracking academic courses and research. Using skills she learned as a farm assistant at Shalom Farms, Eliza prepared Abby's Garden for this year's gardeners and organize the lottery for the 2022 growing season. We can't wait to see what they do next!
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Maddie Adkison
Sustainability Assessment Intern
Biology and English Major
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Eliza Herrenkohl
Community Garden Intern
Geography and Healthcare Studies Major
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Spiders in Sustainability News
University of Richmond Receives STARS Gold Rating for Sustainability Achievements - Its Second
Read the full article
This Amazonian Indigenous Group Has Lessons in Sustainable Living for All of Us
Read the full article
Sea change: Music helps students grasp climate risk facing island nations
Read the full article
University of Richmond Dining Services Receives National Award for Organic Krush, Newest Retail Location on Campus
Read the full article
Major grid dilemma: Treat fossil fuels like renewables?
Read the full article
Outdated zoning laws are holding renewable energy back
Read the full article
Students learn about the importance of trees while laying roots in Richmond
Read the full article
North Carolina among 16 states in lawsuits against USPS over plan to buy non-electric vehicles
Read the full article
16 states that want to electrify USPS fleet file lawsuits
Read the full article
Black, Latino communities have a higher level of oil drilling and pollution
Read the full article
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