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March 2021
Spring is around the corner, Green Reps! With the new season comes warmer weather, making it the perfect time to start planning your gardens. So this month let’s talk about all things gardening, including local gardening efforts as well as the importance of bees and other pollinators. Plus, read on for a recap of last month’s cooking class.
Pollinators Are the Bee’s Knees When It Comes to Gardening and Farming
(Photo: Caitlin Olfano)
Bees and Other Pollinators
Bees are a vital part of our ecosystem. They make honey as well as beeswax, but they also serve humans and the environment in other ways. There are some people who incorporate small amounts of bee pollen into their diet for its health benefits, such as boosting energy. Bees help contribute to the planet’s biodiversity, too. Like us, bees eat a varied diet. As they visit flowers to drink nectar or feed on pollen, they move pollen from flower to flower, which helps plants reproduce and our crops to bear fruit, thereby contributing to our food security. Bees are one of the prime pollinators in our ecosystem, but others include birds, bats, butterflies, moths, wasps, and small mammals.
How Rochester Institute of Technology and Seneca Park Zoo Support Local Pollinators
RIT partnered with Seneca Park Zoo to plant a pollinator seed mix along several sections of the roadways on campus. These plantings provide habitats for pollinators as well as unique research opportunities. RIT also has a beekeeping club that maintains beehives next to the university’s community garden, which supports pollination of plants in the garden and around campus.
Check Out Community Gardens
(Photo: Brandon Vick)
If you don’t have space in your backyard for a garden, consider getting a plot at a community garden. Community gardens help address food insecurity, give community members an opportunity to get out of the house, and bring people together. There are several community gardens throughout Monroe County, and the City of Rochester offers assistance with community gardening.
The Benefits of Farmers’ Markets
Farmers’ markets let customers support local farmers and what they’ve grown. On average, food in the US travels 1,500 miles to get to our plates. By supporting local farmers, not only are we eating food that is in season, but we’re also cutting down on the pollution that occurs when food travels long distances. Farmers’ markets let you know exactly where your food is coming from by giving you a chance to speak with the farmers about their practices. You may even get some tasty samples or recipes!
There are several local farmers’ markets in Rochester that connect you to our community. The Rochester Public Market also lets you pick up plant pots and containers that have been donated by other community members. This low-impact resource is ideal if you’re looking to start growing plants from seeds. The pots are located in a bin outside of the Market Office (the two-story brick house located in the center of the market).
Green Reads from around the Web
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Events & Announcements
Eyeglass Recycling 👓
(Photo: Unsplash/@felipepelaquim)
In the competitive spirit of the Campus Race to Zero Waste (formerly known as RecycleMania), University Facilities and Services is holding a collection for eyeglasses with a departmental competition. The collection runs throughout the month of March, and glasses will be donated to the Lions Club. Since the University first began participating, 7,427 pairs of glasses have been collected!
Two winners will be recognized in the departmental competition. One award will be given to the department that collects the most pairs of glasses, and another award will go to the department that creates the most “eye-catching” collection box. Winning departments will be given an award by our representative from the Lions Eye Bank at Rochester. Last year, Patient Financial Services collected the most glasses (75 pairs), and Social Work and Patient and Family Services displayed the most creatively designed collection box.
Campus Race to Zero Waste 2021 ♻️
The University of Rochester is taking part in Campus Race to Zero Waste (formerly Recyclemania), an eight-week recycling and waste-reduction challenge. Each year, colleges and universities across the United States and Canada compete to minimize and eliminate waste by recycling paper, plastic, metal, and organics.
Throughout the competition, participating colleges collect data to tally the amount of recyclables and trash collected campus-wide. The data is then reported weekly and posted to the Campus Race to Zero Waste website. This year’s categories include diversion, zero waste, per capita, and food organics.
Here’s how you can help promote the Campus Race to Zero Waste in your department:
Be sure to follow UR Sustainable on Facebook for updates, pictures, weekly trivia contests, and more.
Virtual Cooking Class Recap 🍲
Last month, Harvest Table Chef Eric Merklein led a sustainable cooking class and taught us how to make carrot ginger soup. Chef Eric also discussed how you can eat the things that you grow yourself at home, as well as the importance of getting your produce locally. Check out the video on UR Sustainibble’s Facebook page. |
Sustainability Shoutout 📣
 Kudos to a recent community collaboration between the University’s Barbara J. Burger iZone, 540WMain, and the 19th Ward Community Association, which was selected as a #PlayEverywhere Design Challenge grantee by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and Kaboom.
The funds will be used to build ROCket to Imagination, an equitable play space to help kids imagine pathways to opportunities through play, their own curiosity, and accessible design. Environmental justice includes making safe, inclusive space for all in the outdoors, and public parks in the US have a troubling history of racial exclusion. Until we confront this reality, we must ask ourselves: Are public lands truly public?
Preserving and activating the green spaces in our community also provide our local pollinators with the habitat they need to survive and thrive.
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Your Green Reps Challenge for March
(Photo: Rani Bhagwat)
Try to implement one or more of the following activities this month:
- Participate in the Eyeglass Competition or Campus Race to Zero Waste with your colleagues.
- Have we piqued your interest in beekeeping? Reach out to the RIT Beekeepers Club to get involved or start your own hive.
- Do you have sustainable gardening tips? Email us so we can share with your fellow Green Reps!
- Bring the farm to table concept to your kitchen. Warm up with a bowl of Harvest Table Chef Eric Merklein’s carrot ginger soup.
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