“It’s intriguing to see how Earth can recover from very severe past experiences that wiped out life on the planet”
Researchers tackle a previously unexplored aspect of mercury at the air-sea interface
A then-and-now comparison of the timing of seasonal events helps translate the abstraction of climate change into the reality of actual life
Andy Zhang is also president of the Undergraduate Student Government and is involved in a number of environmental groups
At the May 19, 2025 unveiling of Casella’s upgraded recycling processing facility in Willimantic, CT, a generous donation of $10,000 was made to UConn’s Office of Sustainability in order to support a graduate fellowship focused on zero waste efforts. The Zero Waste Program Coordinator will play a key role in advancing UConn’s Zero Waste efforts. The coordinator will work closely with students, faculty, staff, and sustainability partners to implement strategies that reduce waste and promote circular economy principles across campus. They will also provide first-level leadership over the Thrift Den (UConn’s free store) and the Thrift Den Interns.
Casella processes UConn Storrs’ recyclables, and their updated facility will now be able to double the amount of cans, paper, and glass recycled in a year! In addition to the upgraded sorting machinery, Casella also partnered with Eversource to enhance the facility’s electrical efficiency and minimize its energy usage.
Thank you Casella for supporting zero waste efforts at UConn!
June 9-11: NECSC Summit
The Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium (NECSC) Summit will be held the evening of Monday, June 9, 2025 through the afternoon of Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at the UConn Avery Point Campus. The co-hosts are Connecticut College and the University of Connecticut.
The NECSC Summit is known for being an inclusive, fun, and informative gathering of sustainability professionals representing higher education institutions across the Northeast, Southeast Canada and the upper mid-Atlantic.
Topics of discussion include the current political sustainability landscape, student engagement and career development, decarbonization, and more. To see the most up-to-date information and registration information, click here.
About NECSC
The Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium (NECSC) was established in October 2004 to support sustainability officers in advancing education about and demonstration of sustainable systems on university campuses in the northeast and maritime region. Organized around the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, the NECSC members have committed to an annual meeting that advances campus sustainability by providing close networking opportunities, professional development, and access to the area’s vibrant and growing college and university sustainability practitioner community. With no formalized structure, the NECSC is a collaborative, participatory network serving sustainability professionals in higher education in the northeast region.
Attention UConn Faculty and Staff Members:
The steering committee for the UConn@COP Fellowship Program is pleased to extend a call for expressions of interest by UConn faculty and staff members who are interested in joining the UConn@COP30 contingent as it travels to Belém, Brazil from November 15-22, 2025 to attend the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP30) climate change conference.
Critically, participation in the formal Fellowship Program and travel with the group require all travel expenses, including flight and hotel fees be self-funded.
Due to space limitations, only two faculty and staff members will be able to stay with the group as part of the official delegation. Nonetheless, anyone already planning to attend the conference is more than welcome to meet with the UConn delegation in Brazil.
Please note, conference passes are scarce and not guaranteed. Priority for passes will be given to students before faculty or staff members. We encourage applicants to seek alternative sources for obtaining an official UN conference badge.
Opportunities to contribute to the program include:
- Leading topic-specific “breakfast club” conversations in the mornings at the conference with the UConn@COP fellows
- Participating in group cultural immersion excursions
- Leading or participating in pre-travel educational meetings
- Participating in the Climate Change Café and Symposium on December 3, 2025 from 4-6pm in the Student Union.
To submit your expression of interest, please email the UConn@COP steering committee at sustainability@uconn.edu by June 13th. Please be sure to address the following questions in your email:
- What contributions to the UConn@COP Fellowship Program might you offer the students?
- What will you gain professionally by joining the UConn delegation attending COP30?
Please feel free to email the UConn@COP Fellowship Program steering committee with any questions, at: sustainability@uconn.edu
UConn Gives, the annual 36-hour fundraising event at UConn, will be taking place on April 21 and 22. Every year, the UConn community rallies to support many different causes on campus, including our own Campus Sustainability Fund and the UConn@COP Fund!
The Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) finances programs and initiatives that support students and advance UConn’s position as a global leader in university sustainability. Contributions to the CSF provide critical funding of transformative learning experiences for students including hands-on professional development through internships and research projects that nurture our natural environments, improve health and wellbeing, and enhance environmental justice in the communities which we serve. The CSF also funds our experiential learning events such as the Haunted HEEP, the UConn-famous annual haunted trail walk at the Hillside Environmental Education Park.
The UConn@COP Fund supports the UConn@COP Fellowship program, helping the OS send a cohort of students each year to the annual United Nations Conference of the Parties. Through UConn@COP, students have participated in panels at international press conferences, networked with global environmental leaders, and heard from and interacted with international delegates and core members of international environmental justice movements. UConn@COP is an incredible, transformative experience for fellows, and it would not be possible without the support of generous donors!
Every donation, big or small, means so much! Thank you to everyone for supporting sustainability achievements and the environmental leaders of tomorrow!