Environmental Studies Blog

April 23, 2012

#OccupyBrandeis

Filed under: Announcements — srgilson @ 2:51 pm

Come join us for Occupy Brandeis: The Great Teach-In on the Great Lawn

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

10am-8pm

The teach-in is an opportunity to hear from many exceptional activists–student, faculty, and others. Speakers include Brandeis Professors and President Fred Lawrence!

(rain location: Shapiro Campus Center Atrium)

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April 18, 2012

26th Semi-Annual Environmental Internship Symposium

Filed under: Announcements — Shota Adamia @ 5:43 pm

Wed,May 2 (study day)

6:30-8:30pm

Heller School for Social Policy, Brandeis University

Room G-3

Refreshments served!

With presentations by student interns:

Liza Ansher & Meda Kisivuli: Boston Public Health Commission

Ben Rifkin: Mass Audubon Society Research

ShuMay Williams & Jennifer Mandelbaum: Healthy Waltham

Jordan Snyder: Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology Invertebrate department and Professor Eric Olsen

Madeline Barr,Jenny Cheng & Jianfei Zhu:

MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Stephanie Anderson: Roots & Shoots

Christopher Freeman & Nicole Litvak: James Carr LEED Architect

Alexandra DeDenko & Micol Zorzato: EPA New England, Toxics

Hannah Wellish: Stonehurst

Molly Lortie: WATCH

Patrick (P.J.) Donworth: Waltham City Council and Dept of Conservation Recreation

Ariana Berlin: Canfei Nesharim

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April 6, 2012

WATCH Out! Run and Walk — Sunday, April 22nd

Filed under: Announcements — tbelanga @ 1:42 pm

When? Sunday, April 22nd 10-11am (meet at the great lawn to start the run)

Why? To raise funds for the Waltham Alliance To Create Housing Emergency Funds Assistance Program to help provide emergency grants for low-income residents in need housing.

Interested? $10 to register (includes a free wristband, free snacks and motivation along the way!). Buy tickets at: SCC box office: open Monday-Friday 12-6pm and Saturday 12-4pm, or by calling 781-736-3400

Buy your ticket at the SCC box office today!

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April 4, 2012

Green Ideas for Brandeis: April 2012

Filed under: Announcements — Shota Adamia @ 5:53 pm

Take Belongings Home and Give + Go

As the end of the semester approaches, resident students are encouraged to plan ahead for move-out by taking some belongings home during April break or making arrangements to store items for the summer. Each year students leave behind an enormous amount of gently used clothes, school supplies, furniture, and kitchen supplies after moving out of campus housing. Give + Go aims to help the surrounding community by donating all that “stuff” to local organizations or reselling it at low cost the following fall semester. Give + Go reduces waste by diverting reusable items and food from landfills.This year Give + Go collection will begin on May 2 and will run through senior move-out. Bins will be located in every quad. Help make Give + Go a success by volunteering! Besides contributing to a great cause, student volunteers will earn great incentives, such as housing, free meals, and a free shirt. If interested in volunteering please sign up here.

Energize Brandeis Month Recap

Thank you to the entire Brandeis community for participating in Energize Brandeis Month this March. Here are some of the highlights: Eco-Rep Nicole Litvak held a salsa making event in North Quad in order to demonstrate ways to prepare food without using any energy. She also used the event as an opportunity to teach about energy and recycling. Eco-Rep Bryan Le challenged the Village to reduce their energy levels by 10% and tracked their progress through the Energy Dashboard. Flora Wang, the Eco-Rep in Massell Quad, also challenged her residents to reduce energy and noticed a 5% decrease by the end of the month.Though Energize Brandeis Month has passed, please continue to save energy through simple actions like turning off lights when you leave the room, using heaters/air conditioners smartly, and unplugging electronics and chargers when not in use.

Earth Day at Brandeis

For the first time in several years, students will not be on April break during Earth Day. This year, Earth day is April 22. SEA has planned aweek of festivities to celebrate, including urban gardening, campus clean-up, food banquet, and a sleep-out. There will be an Earth Day Fairon the great lawn with sustainable arts and crafts, entertainment, vegan/vegetarian food, and even a yoga class. Come check out the fair between 2:30 and 6:30 and grab some free food!The Earth Day 2012 slogan is “Mobilize the Earth.” The goal is to bring together people of all different nationalities to promote greater sustainability for the future. Earth Day isn’t only about eating free food and partying; it’s about raising awareness for the environment and raising our collective voices in support of Mother Earth.

Earth Hour at Home and Around the World

Approximately 300 Brandeis students participated in Earth Hour on Saturday March 31 by turning off their lights for the world-wide challenge (visible from space). Nearly 60 of those students participated in a “field night” on Chapels’ field, playing soccer, flashlight tag, and rocking light-up sneakers.

According to earthhour.org, Earth Hour took place in over 150 countries with support from government officials, celebrities, and millions of individuals around the world. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter allowed people from different continents to connect, inspire each other, and commit to the movement to save our planet. Check out theEarth Hour blog to find out how different countries celebrated the 60 minutes.

Summer’s Almost Here: Get Your Farm Share

During the summer and fall, Brandeis teams up with Warner Farm to offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares to the Brandeis community. Every week, fresh fruits and vegetables will be delivered right to campus for participants to pick up. Benefits of the CSA include convenience, affordable pricing, and fresher produce. The CSA supports local farmers, which helps the local economy and reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting produce over great distances. Summer shares are filling up fast, so sign up for either the 20 week (June-Oct) or 8 week (Sept-Oct) CSA here

Spotlight on Next Year: Green Events

Next fall will mark the beginning of a new sustainability initiative at Brandeis: Green Events. Any event on campus will be eligible to earn Green Event certification by collaborating with the Eco-Reps via an easy sign up process. Eco-Reps will assist in composting food, sorting recycling, and helping with efficient resource use during event planning and implementation.Brandeis’ 2012 Earth Day celebration on campus will offer a preview of Green Events, so keep an eye out for further information at the festivities.

Upcoming Events

April 22

April 20-26

May 2 – May 21