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Office of Environmental Policy

Past Outreach Events

2013

2013 was the host of many new and improved outreach events. As it has been every year, Earth Day Spring Fling turned out to be a hit, drawing a large crowd of students to talk to the local environmental vendors. A tree planting also took place as a part of the Arbor Day celebration. CIMA 2 was a large event of small events spaning over the week leading up to Earth Day. Some of these smaller events included Teach-ins, movie showings, and our Earth Day celebration. The Ignite Challenge was a fundraising drive that the Office of Environmental Policy took on as the "Students 4 Sustainability". Funds were raised in support of the Campus Sustainability Fund. Finally, the UConn Cycles Ride was a chance for Uconn students and community members to safely enjoy UConn via bicycles.

2011students provide free musical entertainment for the CoffeeHouse

BE HEARD! Coffee House

The objective of the coffee houses is to get the student body engaged in advocacy, to educate them on how to write a persuasive advocacy letter, and to garner support for issues that the OEP would like to see changed. The event offered free student musical performances, coffee, and materials to write advocacy letters to UConn administrators.

2010

Between 30-40 people attended the event held in the conference room of Whitney Dining Hall and 14 advocacy letters were sent to ex-President Michael Hogan, CP & COO Barry Feldman, and VP of Student Affairs John Saddlemire. The topics of interest centered around bicycle transportation:

  • Student writing advocacy letter

    Addition of bike lane markings and signage

  • Indoor bike storage rooms

  • Waterproof outdoor storage lockers

2009

On Thursday September 24th, the BE HEARD! Coffee House gathered in order to lend support to several pressing environmental topics. The event earned the support of dozens of students, and while enjoying the acoustic sounds of their peers produced 23 letters of advocacy in addition to a Daily Campus article, all of which were passed on to administrators. The topics of interest in 2009 were:

  • Planting of trees to replace several cut down the previous year

  • Adding an Environmental Studies B.A. to UConn’s curriculum

November Climate Change Conference

November, 2007

The science and policy of climate change were the main topics of discussion at this conference, which was attended by members of the UConn community, Mansfield residents, state and town officials. The event attracted over 130 people to lend their opinions about climate change, which substantiated a strong support base for sustainability initiatives. Additional discussion focused on actions the Town, University, and State are taking to address climate change, and how individuals can contribute to the cause. EPAC faculty members and panelists Kathleen Segerson, Richard Parnas, and Michael Willig gave lectures relating the physical and social sciences to global climate change. Grad students, environmental non-profit groups, state and town officials also exhibited similarly themed posters. Lynn Stoddard, of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, concluded the event with an encouraging presentation about state and individual action.

For more information, see the webpage.

Our World: The Environment

April, 2007

The, “Academic Plan Implementation Colloquium – Our World: The Environment” was convened by Provost Peter Nicholls to develop innovative proposals and potential action plans for research, teaching, and outreach designed to enhance environmental awareness and educational offerings at UConn. The event was attending by approximately 40 faculty members from a wide range of academic departments. The proposals were focused on the four main themes outlined in the new Academic Plan: Understanding Human Impacts on the Environment, Cleaner Technologies, Environmental Policy, and Urban Issues. The colloquium was chaired by EPAC members Eric Schults (EEB) and Kathy Segerson (Economics), who, after introducing the central themes and ideas, had the attendees split into breakout groups according to the four Academic Plan themes. The diverse array of faculty then discussed how best to establish establish such an interdisciplinary program within the University’s existing academic framework.

For more information, see the webpage.

Focus the Nation event logoFocus the Nation Teach-In

January, 2007

UConn participated in the national climate change awareness and education event Focus the Nation. Through teach-in’s and associated events, over 3,000 UConn students, faculty, staff, and community members participated. Features of the program that were included at UConn:

  • Over 50 faculty members dedicated one of their lectures to climate change within their discipline

  • “The 11th Hour,” an environmental documentary was shown

  • “The 2% Solution,” national webcast streamed

  • Faculty panel discussion about UConn’s role as an institution of higher education in addressing climate change

  • UConn Student Climate Action Summit

For more information, see the webpage.

Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference

November, 2005

Hundreds of industry professionals, university administrators, facilities managers, and environmentally savvy students converged on the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland to discuss environmental stewardship in higher education, share success stories, and collaborate on initiatives. The University of Connecticut played an active role in the conference, represented by Rich Miller, Director of Environmental Policy, and a student/faculty team that has been working for the past year to promote water conservation on the UConn campus. Members of the team, Dr. Nelly Abboud, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, along with Honors students Nicholas AuYeung (Chem. Eng. ’06), Christopher Shores (C&EE ’07), and Melanie Murphy (MS ARE ’06), presented during an interactive workshop portion of the conference. Together, the team has monitored, inventoried, and assessed the water use of academic, residential, and dining services buildings throughout campus, resulting in objective data used to identify water use trends and abnormalities. In addition to recognition and feedback, the University of Connecticut received a small grant to support further water conservation projects. The money will be used to create leak-prevention and conservation outreach signs and investigate new, low-flow fixtures. The conference was cosponsored by the EPA, the Society of College and University Planning (SCUP), the National Association of College and University Business Officers, the Association of Physical Plant Administrators, and the University of Maryland.

For more information, see the webpage.