Eastern Connecticut State University
EN-3: Student Life

The Environmental Club is a student-governed club at Eastern whose goal is to “Advocate the importance of human impact on the environment, while promoting sustainable awareness and practices on campus and in our surrounding community.” This group participates in community service on campus through their semi-annual campus clean up and projects in the Windham, CT community. The club also promotes sustainability through their Earth Day Event, Environmental Earth Science Graduate Panel, and documentaries shown each semester on environmental issues. The club is currently undergoing a renewal following a lapse in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years.

The Eastern Outdoor Adventure Club is a student-governed club at Eastern whose goal is to “Provide Opportunities and Events for the Students of Eastern Connecticut State University to Experience the Outdoors.” The club resumed activity in the 2021-2022 academic year following COVID-related restrictions from spring 2020 through spring 2021.

In April 2021, Connecticut state energy and transportation officials shared climate change plans with Eastern students through a Zoom meeting. The discussion focused on the Transportation and Climate initiative Program (TCI-P), a regional collaboration meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions and fund a more sustainable transportation system. Students from over a half dozen departments participated.
https://www.easternct.edu/news/_stories-and-releases/2021/04-april/state-energy,-transportation-officials-share-climate-change-plans-with-eastern-students.html

In April 2022, youth leaders Sena Wazer and Kimmy Reindl from Sunrise CT gave a virtual presentation titled "Climate Action for Connecticut’s Youth,” and focused on the realities of climate change and ways to get involved with the movement. They discussed strategies for students to get involved on campus and in their communities to promote action and legislation.
https://www.easternct.edu/news/_stories-and-releases/2022/04-april/sunrise-ct-calls-for-students-to-be-climate-activists.html

Eastern has an annual Dean’s cup challenge in which residential students compete to be the top hall. The Dean’s cup has an Energy Conservation Challenge where students are challenged to see who can conserve the most energy in a given week.

In fall 2020, students in the ART 353 Installation Art course created nature-based installations in the woodland setting of Eastern’s Arboretum. The largely biodegradable projects—collectively known as “Into the Woods”—were not permanent or environmentally invasive to the campus nature preserve.
https://www.easternct.edu/news/_stories-and-releases/2020/12-december/into-the-woods-art-students-create-nature-based-installations-in-arboretum.html

Eastern also has a "1% for Art" collection includes 16 works of public art that are located on campus outside major campus buildings. Many of these pieces integrate nature, and the environment into them. A few examples incorporate wind energy.

Eastern Outdoor Adventure Club is a student-governed club at Eastern whose goal is to “Provide Opportunities and Events for the Students of Eastern Connecticut State University to Experience the Outdoors.”

Mycology Club studies the world of fungi! The club explores fungi in respects to cooking, culture, science, the outdoors, and more. Activities often include walks across Eastern's campus, the Arboretum, and local trails to identify fungi.

The Photography Club provides artistic activities and events for its members and Eastern community in support of their professional and personal interests in photography. These include trips to the Arboretum and the local area, such as Mansfield Hollow State Park, to photograph flora and fauna, among other subjects.

Prior to the 2021 academic year, Eastern had a Green Themed Housing option for residential students interested in sustainability. These students are involved in various green initiatives that are focused on reducing the university’s carbon footprint, recycling, and conserving natural resources.

Eastern also offers a variety of First Year Program courses that freshmen and students are required to take one. Several of the courses are sustainability-focused and sustainability-related, such as Mindfulness as a Co-Benefit for Humans and the Environment and Our Parks Along the Trail, which were offered in the fall 2021 semester.

Prior to the 2020 academic year, Eastern offers 'Green-Theme Housing' for residential students interested in sustainability. Students living in this sustainability-themed housing learn sustainable life skills by living in a model sustainable environment while participating in green initiative programs. Students have conducted various service projects including educating students on sustainable energy and participating in town-wide clean-ups. Discussions include how to live sustainably and other environmental issues.

The Institute for Sustainable Energy, based at Eastern Connecticut State University, promoted energy efficiency and sustainability statewide through education, technical support, research, and outreach. The Institute for Sustainable Energy employed student interns to help with sustainability activities, such as energy data collection, trash auditing, green- themed campus signage, green-themed informational videos, among other sustainability related opportunities.

Student interns provided extensive services to support Sustainable CT, a municipal sustainability certification program run by the Institute for Sustainable Energy. Such work includes: research, data aggregation, outreach, certification submission review, and support for events. Student interns also help implement collaborative initiatives for the CT Alliance for Campus Sustainability, and preparation for the Connecticut Alliance for Campus Sustainability annual campus sustainability conference and Campus Sustainability Month.

Interns were mentored by sustainability staff to help them learn important, practical professional skills. For example, interns make formal presentations about their projects and research to ISE staff and other interns.

These student opportunities were discontinued after the spring 2020 semester due to the pandemic, as budgetary and distancing constraints made the internships unfeasible. The Institute began a restructuring and redefining process in April 2022, which includes developing more student opportunities to offer a variety of potential communications, data gathering and analysis, and outreach internships.

This information for this credit was completed by reviewing articles on Eastern's website and was reviewed by Lynn Stoddard, Former Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy. Information gathered and submitted by Ciara Tennis, University Assistant for Climate and Sustainability Initiatives.