Here's the latest in news, events, and announcements from WCU's Office of Sustainability!
Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!
As summer draws to a close, we look forward to next week, which kicks off the Fall '22 semester, welcoming the largest class of first year students in West Chester University history!
We here at the Office of Sustainability have prepared a great lineup of events, workshops, and the launch of a new sustainable initiative on campus. Check back next week when we'll share all the details in our first Bulletin of the Fall semester. Here's a quick preview of what you can look forward to.
Weekly from September through November
Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar, Wednesdays at noon
September
Launch of WCU's new Bicycle Lending Library
Zero Waste Summit
Chester County Climate: Plans and Progress
October
Climate and Sustainability Action Plan Open Houses
Brandywine Project Staff Sustainability Workshop
Drew Anderson, WCU Professor and Fox News meteorologist, Discussion On Plastics
November
Water in our Town -- Prof Megan Fork and student researchers
December
Celebrating a Green Holiday -- Prof. Ashlie Delshad and Prof. Megan Schraedley
Photo by Kathryn Krueger, GNA Intern
Spotted in the GNA
For this, our last Spotted in the GNA of the summer, we're sharing a gorgeous photograph of a true symbol of the season, the dragonfly; more specifically, a Blue Dasher(Pachydiplax longipennis). This common and widely dispersed species is easily spotted, displaying a vibrant blue color and yellow-striped thorax, hence the name. The male Blue Dashers are surprisingly territorial, especially when it comes to breeding. The larger males tend to push the smaller males out of the breeding grounds to other areas. With age, all Blue Dashers will fade in color to a frost-like shade.
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 ManagerDr. 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's Biotapage.
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.
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