Jane Hollander ‘23, a senior English major and Environmental Studies minor, and Assistant Professor of the Practice Rosemary Ostfeld ‘02 secured a donation of 35 yards of compost for Long Lane Farm from Connecticut compost and mulch company WeCare Denali as part of Ostfeld’s Community Gardening (ENVS125F) class.
Marcela Oteiza, associate professor of environmental studies and dance and chair of theater, has been involved with the Justice Dance Performance Project (JDPP) since 2011. Her latest collaboration with the group, In the Presence of Trees, is a four-part site-specific outdoor dance-theater performance series following the changing of the seasons while celebrating the wisdom and value of trees, especially in the urban forest.
The series, which began in summer 2022 with a performance in Bushnell Park, in Hartford, CT, will come full circle on May 7, when the troupe returns to Bushnell Park to perform In the Presence of Trees: Spring, the fourth and final event of the series. Like previous series performances, the event will be free and open to the public.
WesThrift, Wesleyan’s student-run free thrift store, has quickly become a key space on campus. Wesleyan Sustainability Office eco-facilitators Annie Volker ’24 and Debbra Goh ’24 opened the store in fall 2022. Located in the basement of the COE at 284 High Street, WesThrift is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12-1:30 pm, except during breaks, and operates entirely on donations from students, staff, and community members.
On Wednesday, March 29, the College of the Environment hosted “An Evening With Bryant Terry,” inviting members of the community to a cooking demo, dinner, Q&A, and book signing with Terry, a vegan chef, activist, author, and community-builder. The sold-out event was executed by Bon Appétit staff, headed by Michael Strumpf.
Check out the creatures crocheted, knitted, and sewn by Wesleyan community members and view objects from the Joe Webb Peoples, George Brown Goode, and Archaeology & Anthropology collections in the Crafting Sea Critters: A Look at Oceanic Ecosystems exhibit, now showing through May 8 in Usdan, in the display case close to the box office.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Kate Miller is excited to use her class to connect students to actions to influence environmental change.In fall of 2021, she launched an “Option for Action Project” in her Introduction to Environmental Studies class (ENVS197). Through this project, students create tangible action plans for addressing environmental problems that affect them. This year they are sharing their proposed solutions with the whole Wesleyan community through a social media campaign which will run now through the end of the semester.
This semester, we’ve had good fortune to welcome three new communications interns here at COE: Lia Franklin ’24, Amanda Morris ’24, and Ken Wu ’23. In just a few short months, Lia, Amanda, and Ken have covered myriad people, projects, events, and programs here at the COE. Learn more about all, below!