State University of New York at New Paltz
EN-3: Student Life

Students for Sustainable Agriculture - This club focuses on the role of sustainable agriculture at SUNY New Paltz, in the Hudson Valley, and in New York State. Members apply what they learn hands-on in the campus garden and by promoting and advocating for the principles and practices of sustainable agriculture in the campus community. The club hold teach-ins hosted mainly by farmers and show films that educate members of the club and the student body about different farm and advocacy methods. They also attend conferences on sustainable agriculture such as the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York's annual winter conference. Their mission is to help educate students, to learn from one another, and to provide a space devoted to sustainable agriculture. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Students-For-Sustainable-Agriculture/292427977550391 NYPIRG - NYPIRG is a non-partisan political student empowerment group that focuses on environmental issues, voter registration and mobilization, higher education accessibility, hunger and homelessness outreach, and consumer protection. https://www.facebook.com/NewPaltzNypirg Outing Club - The New Paltz Outing Club provides opportunities and resources to students that are interested in outdoor adventure sports. The club runs numerous trips near New Paltz and in the tri-state area that are accessible to anyone that attends club meetings. Past trips have included hiking, rock climbing, ice climbing, camping, whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, slalom skiing (and snowboarding), backpacking, biking, and other fun and active outdoor endeavors. The Outing Club nurtures a collaborative community of students who share a respect for and connection to nature and the environment. One of the main skills taught is leave no trace principles and practices. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SUNYNewPaltzOutingClub/ People Eating Plants- Club focused on educating people on plant based lifestyles through fellowship and community service. https://www.facebook.com/groups/901909929961449/ Animal Rights Association- A group of New Paltz students dedicated to advocating for animals and fighting against speciesism. https://www.facebook.com/NewPaltzAnimalRights/ Climate Action Club- Climate Action Club focuses on providing opportunities for students to help fight climate change. https://www.facebook.com/groups/354816901633699/about/

Student for Sustainable Agriculture manage an on-campus garden. They follow sustainable gardening practices including composting and lasagna gardening.

The green revolving fund invests in projects that advance sustainability and reduce operating expenses on the SUNY New Paltz campus to create a perpetually renewable source of capital to fund new projects, create valuable educational opportunities, and achieve long term energy efficiency. In addition, the management of the fund creates an opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and members of the community to work together create a more sustainable community. To date, the fund has about $9,000 and the committee will be meeting this academic year to review the first group of proposed projects.

School of Science and Engineering Harrington STEM Lecture: "Beads of Destruction: A Survey of Great Lakes Plastic Pollution" Sherri Mason, Professor of Chemistry, SUNY Fredonia Without Limits: Interdisciplinary Conversations in the Liberal Arts- "Getting to Zero Hunger Globally by 2030" Brian Bogart, Political Science alumnus Economics Department Presentation: "Measuring Well-Being: A Tool for Change" UN Assistant Secretary-General Jessica Faieta SUNY New Paltz Distinguished Speaker Series: "Our Environmental Destiny" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. School of Science and Engineering Harrington STEM Lecture: "Hidden Ecosystems Beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet" Dr. John C. Priscu, Professor of Ecology, Montana State University Without Limits: Interdisciplinary Conversations in the Liberal Arts- "Classroom to the Farm: The Liberal Arts and Food" Panel Biology Department talk: Dr. Tyrone Hayes, well known for establishing the link between commonly used herbicides and declining amphibian populations as well as potential adverse effects on people Philosophy Department talk: "Spiritual Naturalism" Eric Steinhart, Professor of Philosophy at William Paterson University of New Jersey. Philosophy Department talk: "Environmentalism as Religion" Gordan Graham, Professor of Philosophy and the Arts at Princeton Theological Seminary Environmental Studies talk: "The UN and Environment" UN climate expert, Dr. Nandhini Iyer Krishna Earth Week Events: screening of the documentary "Tapped", presentation by Dr. Steven Leibo on "The Effects of the Climate Crisis on the Northeast". Talk on sustainable development in Asia Jill Stein: "Practicing Political Medicine For a New Way Forward That’s Humane, Sustainable, Just"

Art Faculty show, "Intimately Unfamiliar": premiering 3D-printed solitary bee habitat prototypes. This research was initiated during a 2016 SURE research experience entitled, "Designing for Bees, Sculpting Resilient Pollinator Communities." WaterWords: campus-wide, co-organized by faculty in Art, Theatre Arts, and the Library alongside visiting artist and alumna Susan Brennan of the WanderWord collective. Through workshops, collaborative writing sessions, digital projection work, and a live performance in Parker Theatre, students, faculty, and staff were welcomed into a poetic dialogue around water, sustainability, and fluidity as a metaphor. https://hawksites.newpaltz.edu/waterwords/ Sculpture proposals for the atrium: student in sculpture class, "Site Projects: Environmental Art", created eco-sculpture proposals for the atrium, imaginary public art proposals to replace the bamboo. Students were challenged to work within the constraints of a fictitious budget, safety and maintenance parameters, and to make the most sustainable choices for materials and production. The Eco-Sculpture Proposals were displayed and voted on in the Atrium. Eco-Art Picnic and Pollinator Education Dome: Post-Pollinator Educational Picnic to learn about local pollinators while enjoying the Pollinator Eco-Dome. Students co-designed and fabricated all the elements in the pollinator experience. The class project took inspiration from the thoughts and sustainable designs of Buckminster Fuller. Dorsky Family Art Day: For the activity, biodegradable Japanese paper boats were made which were painted using vegetable based dyes and sprinkled with seeds of plants which help to stabilize banks of rivers. The boats were released into the Wallkill River from the Sojourner Truth boat launch to sail away on their duty of regrowing and stabilizing the riverbank. The Solidarity Cup: SUNY New Paltz Ceramic Lab provided handmade cups decorated with portraits of leaders of the civil rights, LGBTQ, women’s rights, immigration reform and environmental movements. With the purchase of a beverage, participants chose a mug corresponding to the issue that they wanted to discuss or show solidarity for. The purpose of the event was to create awareness and dialogue in support of equality and justice.

The student-run Outing Club engages students in a wide variety of outdoor pursuits and promotes Leave No Trace ethics in all activities. This club advocates for connection with and respect for the environment through outdoors hobbies. The Athletic and Wellness Center's Outdoor Pursuits Program offers a variety of outdoor trips with guides who advocate Leave No Trace principles.

Sustainability Coordinator, Lisa Mitten led a sustainability-themed book club reading on Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson during the summer of 2017. The lessons learned from the book club are being integrated into zero waste lifestyle programming and themes throughout 2017-18.

In the spring of 2017, SUNY New Paltz hosted a repair cafe with "repair coaches" from the campus community. At this event, students learn repair and maintenance skills from repair coaches while their beloved but broken items are being repaired.

The Office of Campus Sustainability employs a group of students every academic year. SUNY New Paltz also has the Sustainability Seed Fund in which faculty members can apply for funding to hire students to conduct sustainability research.

The Saturdays of Service program offers volunteer opportunities to students, many of which involve helping out on local farms that practice sustainable agriculture. This engages students in sustainability and gives them a chance to learn sustainable farming methods.