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Plus, a special welcome to our newest Green Reps!

May 2021

Happy May, Green Reps! Spring has officially sprung. With our next quarterly event, a Virtual Book Club, right around the corner, this month we will be highlighting a few local bookstores. Don’t forget to RSVP to the event if you haven’t already. 

And a warm welcome to our new Green Reps! We appreciate you signing up after our Earth Day message in @Rochester. As a member of the Green Reps, you can expect a monthly newsletter that tackles sustainability from an entertaining and educational perspective.
  • Please feel free to contact us with any questions about the program or recommendations for newsletter topics.

Book It to Your Local Independent Bookstore

Mural on the side of the building that houses Small World Books.
Alice Pasquinis Wall\Therapy mural on the Small World Books building. (Photo: Marc Deff/Helio Sun Photography)

Akimbo Books 

Founded in 2020 by Rachel Crawford (who earned her master’s degree in English from the University of Rochester), Akimbo Books “is a local online bookseller that specializes in contemporary literature and has developed a workaround to paying for a brick-and-mortar store by staging pop-up shops,” per a recent CITY article. In addition to pop-ups, Crawford plans to share interviews, host book clubs, post book reviews as part of Akimbo’s offerings.  


Ampersand Books

Ampersand Books, located in the Neighborhood of the Arts, is owned and operated by Rochester’s leading nonprofit literary arts center Writers & Books. The collection includes hard-to-find fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The staff specialize in helping you find small press titles, social justice–focused texts, and books by local authors. Ampersand Books is closed for in-person browsing until September 2021 but is still offering online ordering as well as curbside pickup for books they have in stock. (Photo of Writers & Books entrance: Flickr/Kate Antoniades)
 

Cerebral Kingdom

Entrance to Writers & Books Literacy Center.Cerebral Kingdom, owned by husband and wife duo Anthony King and Zakiya McAdams-King, opened in August 2020 to educate people about Black history and Black people. To that end, the bookstore stocks its shelves with titles that focus on Black culture, history, and spirituality for readers of all ages. Local and African art are prominently displayed throughout the store, and the owners hope that it will become a community hub where people can meet to host tutoring programs and book clubs. Read more about this Black-owned bookstore in the Democrat and Chronicle.


Greenwood Books

Looking for an old or rare book? Greenwood Books has a specially curated collection that is sure to lead you to exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re struggling, owner Franlee Frank is happy to guide you to books you’ll enjoy.


Hipocampo Children’s Books

Hipocampo Children’s Books is a woman- and Latinx-owned children’s bookstore located in the South Wedge. In addition to books, the store sells clothing and toys. Plus, it hosts children’s programs, classes, performances, and author signings and happily provides a space for adults to find their inner child. Looking for a book that you can’t find in the store? Let the staff know! They’ll be happy to order it for you.


Open Letter Books

Although not an independent bookstore per se, we’d be remiss not to mention the University’s nonprofit literary translation press, Open Letter Books. Open Letter is one of only a handful of publishing houses dedicated to increasing access to world literature for English readers. Publishing ten titles in translation each year, Open Letter searches for works that are extraordinary and influential, ones that its staff hope will become the classics of tomorrow. Peruse the new and forthcoming books online.


Rick’s Recycled Books

Located at 739 Monroe Avenue in the city of Rochester, Rick’s has been around since 1995. The store’s online presence is minimal—practically nonexistent, really—so you have to visit in person for the full experience (once you feel safe and comfortable doing so, of course). Yelp reviewers rave about the great selection and prices, as well as about the friendly and knowledgeable owner. 

Arm with bracelet pulls book from shelves.The Secondhand Librarian
The Secondhand Librarian’s mission is to get as many books as possible into the hands of as many people who want them. The organization sources books sustainably and prices them to be affordable. You can give people gift cards and even a curated subscription box full of books from a different genre every month. (Photo: Unsplash/Samantha Hentosh)


Small World Books

If you’ve been downtown, you’ve probably glimpsed Small World Books, which features striking WALL\THERAPY art along the side of the building. The shop specializes in used books, rare editions, vinyl LPs, and media of all types. Be sure to stop by the store and check out the extensive collection.
 

Local Business Spotlight 🔦

Botanica Nail Studio

Jessieka Martinez-Soto is an Afro-Latina nail artist and the owner of Botanica Nail Studio, tucked inside Black Adder Beauty Bar. Jess offers a sustainable pedicure that relies on steam to moisturize your feet. Did you know that the average pedicure uses between 13 and 20 gallons of water? By harnessing the power of steam, Jess uses only 2 cups of water! On top of saving water, she makes her butters and exfoliators herself using local resources.
 

Green Reads from around the Web

Events & Announcements

Virtual Book Club presents “The Day It Snowed in San Diego” 📚

Friday, May 21 at noon EDT (Zoom link emailed after registration)

Red plastic shovel sticks out of fresh white snow.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Our spring quarterly event is a virtual book club with special guest Brian Conlon, a 2008 graduate of the University of Rochester and the author of “The Day It Snowed in San Diego” (which you can read online here). Please come prepared with questions for Brian as we delve into his 1,500-word short story.

We hope you’ll join us for a lively discussion with your fellow Green Reps as we discover how Brian devised this intriguing “cli-fi” narrative. Guests are welcome, so help us spread the word!

National Bike to Work Month Events 🚲

May 10: Bike to Work Day Pit Stop

7:30–9 a.m. at the Elmwood cycle track (across from the main Strong Memorial Hospital entrance)

Situated along the Genesee River and near the Erie Canal, the University is a terrific biking destination. In 2018, the University of Rochester earned a silver “Bicycle Friendly University” award and even had Rochester’s most-used bike-share station (during Pace’s tenure). To thank people cycling to the River Campus and Medical Center on May 17, we’ll have snacks to share in a safe manner. Swing by, fuel up, and talk cycling with Department of Transportation and Parking Management staff who are partnering with some dedicated volunteers from the Rochester Cycling Alliance. 

May 17–23

This year’s theme for National Bike to Work Month/Week/Day is #BikeThere. Participate by biking to get to your next meeting, to grab something to eat, or to spend time with loved ones. The Bike League will be featuring ways you can #BikeThere throughout the month to benefit your physical and mental health. Check out Reconnect Rochester and the Rochester Cycling Alliance’s 20 Minutes by Bike Blog Series for some inspiration before heading out.
 

Bee Campus USA 🐝

Environmental studies major Zoë Bross ’23 is leading an effort to get the University campuses certified as a Bee Campus USA by the Xerces Society. A certified Bee Campus is one that has made commitments to preserving local, native pollinators in a variety of ways. Bee Campus USA commitments include
  • Increasing native pollinator plants on our grounds
  • Altering our pest management practices
  • Forming a committee comprising students, faculty, and staff to convene regularly to ensure requirements are being met

The first step to becoming certified and advocating for pollinators is to build a committee. To join the committee, please fill out this Google form.

Annual Eyeglass Collection Results 👓

White box decorated with rainbow cutout glasses frames and colorful people with a message that says, "See all the people."
Each year, University Facilities and Services holds a collection for eyeglasses with a departmental competition. Here’s a look at this year’s competition by the numbers:
  • We collected 1,254 pairs of glasses this year.
    • 528 pairs were donated as part of the departmental competition.
    • 597 pairs were collected as part of the mail-in and drop-off programs.
    • 129 pairs came by way of the Barnes and Noble Bookstore.
  • Most “Eye-Catching” Box: Infectious Disease
  • Most Pairs Collected: Strong Social Work and Patient & Family Services (117 pairs) 
  • Since the program begin at Rochester in 2014, a grand total of 8,343 pairs of glasses have been donated. 
Congratulations to our winners and thank you to all who helped those in need see better!

Sustainability Superstar 🌟

Stephanie Barrett, Librarian, River Campus Libraries

Stephanie smiles and leans on a stone half-wall with waterfalls and gorges in the background.Stephanie Barrett is a librarian on the River Campus who works with students and faculty in the American Sign Language, anthropology, linguistics, and public health disciplines. Prior to becoming a librarian, Stephanie worked in the green energy industry. She helped administer NYSERDA’s New Construction Program, which sought to transform the building industry market by encouraging the purchase of energy-efficient equipment and to design new buildings to minimize their energy consumption. Stephanie also provided Leadership in Energy and Environmental (LEED) consulting services, where she focused on ensuring the materials used in buildings were sustainably sourced and that indoor air quality was kept to the highest standards during and after building construction. She has worked on numerous LEED-certified buildings throughout New York State, including the Monroe County Crime Lab (the first certified Platinum building in Rochester) and several buildings at RIT.

Coming to the libraries, Stephanie has sought to share her passion and knowledge of sustainable practices and how, at the heart of the matter, these practices are about the health of our planet and those inhabiting it. She served on the New York Libraries’ Association Sustainability Initiative workgroup, providing guidance on a library-specific sustainability rating system and wrote a chapter titled “Four Courses that Apply Sustainable Thinking to Impact the Health of Our Students and Staff,” published in The Sustainable Libraries’ Cookbook by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Stephanie has also presented on this topic, including one such presentation, Sustainability for Human Health through the Rochester Regional Library Council, where she discussed the history and potential future of widely used sustainability rating systems such as LEED, the Living Building Challenge, and the WELL Building Standard. 

In her personal life, Stephanie tries to live by the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. She regularly recycles and composts food waste. She’s also interested in food pathways and sustainability, often purchasing locally sourced, organic, and vegetarian foods. One of her favorite summer pastimes is picking vegetables at Wickham Farms as part of the CSA (community supported agriculture) that she’s supported for years, as well as supplementing this produce with her own small kitchen garden. One of Stephanie’s long-term goals is to learn more about permaculture practices and establish a sustainable food forest near her home.

Know someone who’s made progress with sustainability on campus? Whether their victories are big or small, we’d love to hear about them! Email us today.

Your Green Reps Challenge for May

The statues of the muses covered in a dusting of snow amid green grass and pink flowering trees.

April snow showers bring pink May flowers. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Try to implement at least one of these action items in your area this month:

  1. If you haven’t already, make sure to RSVP online to our next quarterly event: a virtual book club discussion featuring the author!
  2. Check out a local bookstore or let us know if you have a favorite we haven’t listed so we can feature it on our social media channels.
  3. Celebrate National Bike to Work Day on May 21. Use hashtags #URSustainable and #GreenReps on your social media posts so we can celebrate with you!

 

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The Compost is produced by University Communications and the Green Reps Working Group. It is emailed monthly to Green Reps at the University of Rochester. View issues online at www.rochester.edu/sustainability/greenreps. Direct feedback and questions to greenreps@rochester.edu.

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