Here's the latest in news, events, and announcements from WCU's Office of Sustainability!
Take the WCU Sustainability Census Today!
WCU's Sustainability Census is here and your participation is needed! All students, faculty, staff, and administrators are invited to contribute. Respondents who complete the full survey will be entered into a lottery with the chance to win one of 150+ sustainability-minded gifts! Gift cards available for Gemelli's Gelato and The Couch Tomato in the WC Borough, and a 99% recycled material tote bag.
Thank you to all the students, faculty, and staff who participated in one or both of our Open House events on October 6 and 12. Your thoughtful review and comments on the University's draftClimate and Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP) update has been very helpful as the team of Sustainability Council members working on the plan consider next steps in finalizing the document.
Those Open House events weren’t your only opportunity to contribute, however. Review and comments on the CSAP Update are now moving online! From October 19 to November 7, 2022, you can read the draft document and submit comments via an online survey. For details, navigate to WCU’s Plan for Carbon Neutrality webpage on the Office of Sustainability’s website at wcupa.edu/sustainability.
Campus Sustainability Research and Creative Activity Grant: JUST ONE WEEK LEFT TO APPLY!
The West Chester University Office of Research and Sponsored Programs invites you to apply for the Campus Sustainability Research and Creative Activity Grant. This programsupports faculty efforts to investigate and develop sustainability-related projects on campus. Funding preference will be given to proposals that specifically address and work to realize one or more goals of WCU’s Climate Action Plan while fostering collaboration between members of the WCU community (faculty, students, and staff). Proposals will be funded for up to $2,000 and are due by 11:30pm on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
If you are interested in applying for the WCU Campus Sustainability Research and Creative Activity Grant, please go to:https://wcupa.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1783247to learn more about the Application Process (including eligibility and funding limits).
All questions about the grant should be directed to Brad Flamm, Director, WCU Office of Sustainability (bflamm@wcupa.edu) or Professor Kurt Kolasinski, Chair of the Sustainability Council’s Scholarly and Creative Activities Committee (kkolasinski@wcupa.edu).
Fall 2022 Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar: Coffee and Cookies are Back!
The Fall '22 Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar continues this week with a presentation from Professor Nia Johnson, Graduate Social Work, speaking on Decency Won't Save Us: Critical Considerations for Occupational Sustainability.
As an added bonus, the signature SRPS coffee and cookies are back!
Please join us at 12pm either on Zoom or in Sykes 255 A/B for the live presentation.
As a Host Institution, WCU has 100 free registration passes.
You can still register and attend this year's conference! Contact Amy Maxcy in the Office of Sustainability (amaxcy@wcupa.edu) for registration instructions!
Brandywine Project Staff Sustainability Workshop: Nov 9th, 2022
WCU employees, thenext Brandywine Project Staff Sustainability Workshop is scheduled for the 9th of November from 8 to 11:45 am in one of the beautiful new ballrooms in the Science and Engineering Center. Look for sign-up instructions in next week’s bulletin, but for now, please save the date!
WCU's Brandywine Staff workshops provide a space for all staff members – whether well-versed in the concepts of environmental, social, and economic sustainability or new to them – to grow in their knowledge and ability to help WCU achieve its sustainability commitments; not to mention the fellowship and good food that’s a hallmark of the workshops! We hope you'll make a plan to join us in November!
Students for Zero Waste Conference 2022: Registration Open!
The Post-Landfill Action Network's Students for Zero Waste Conference is back, in a hybrid format for 2022!The Office of Sustainability is supporting students interested in participating by covering the cost of registration; just email amaxcy@wcupa.edu. Tune in to their digital conference platform for live-streamed sessions, events, and student panels on November 9th and 10th. Additionally, they will be hosting a small in-person gathering with local campuses in Philadelphia from November 11-13.
For this week's Spotted in the GNA, a rare daytime sighting of the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), located by WCU student Sydney Wilson during a GNA tour for Professor Heather Wholey’s Archaeology and the Environment course. And Sydney should be applauded, because these owls are particularly tricky to spot; not only because they are a nocturnal species, but Great Horned Owls are also capable of "silent flight." In other words, they possess the ability to fly with no discernable sound, despite their robust size, ranging in length from43 to 64 cm (17 to 25 in). GNA Stewardship Manager, Nur Ritter, suspects this particular owl to still be young, explaining its unusual behavior. But what a treat!
The Gordon Natural Area is NOW HOME TO 2,003 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.
SC Green Office Meeting The Sustainability Council's Green Office Committee will meet again this Thursday, October 27th at 9:30am via Microsoft Teams. Anyone wishing to get involved in the Green Office Program planning team can email Amy Maxcy for the link to join this week's meeting.
SC Zero Waste Committee Meeting
The Sustainability Council's Zero Waste Committee meets this Friday, October 28th at 2pm in Sykes 305. Anyone interested in Zero Waste, whether faculty, staff, or student, is welcome to attend.
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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