A 40-year satellite study reveals that while disturbances from logging and construction are declining, events like mega-fires and extreme storms are becoming more common
Forecasting to show which species are at greatest risk of climate-related extinction, before it’s too late
Campus engagement and planning efforts give UConn a sustainable edge
What today’s seedlings are experiencing is going to be very different than what they might experience in 100 years when they’re mature plants
Every year, the Office of Sustainability hosts a haunted trail walk at the Hillside Environmental Education Park (HEEP), located behind the Innovation Partnership Building. This year, the Haunted HEEP will be held on Wednesday, October 29th from 7-9:30 p.m.
We are looking for people to volunteer at various scare stations along the trail. Each volunteer will choose or be assigned a scare station (some example scenes from the past are IT Clown, exorcism, forest ritual, and haunted circus) and will need to show up at 4:30 p.m. on October 29th. If you are interested in being a scarer, please fill out this form! Last year, over 1,260 students attended this event, and we are anticipating breaking 1,500 this year! The rain date for Haunted HEEP is Thursday, October 30th.
*Pizza and T-shirt provided
*$100 Amazon gift card for the group that wins Best Scare Station vote
The Office of Sustainability and Community Outreach are offering FREE used dorm room items like storage, microwaves, and mini-fridges. These were collected during Give & Go, our spring move-out donation program. By providing functional, used items to students, it decreases the amount of resources used in creating and transporting new stuff. Reuse is greener than recycling!
Visit 3107 Horsebarn Hill Rd from 12:30-4:30pm, on September 4-6, 2025. The Yellow Line stops close by.
We’re hiring Sustainability Outreach Interns for the ’25/26 academic year! Formerly known as EcoCaptains, SOI’s act as sustainability ambassadors at every residence hall at the Storrs campus. If you’re living on campus, have 5 hours a week free in your schedule, and care about making the planet a better place, this is the paid job for you.
For full details and application, please visit: https://uconn.12twenty.com/job-postings/35006704393330
Nearly all higher education institutions in the Northeast have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability, and most have an Office of Sustainability. While each university has its own unique challenges in pursuing environmental progress, many of these offices face similar issues – How do we get students prepared for green careers? What’s the most efficient way to run a move-out donation program?
That’s where the Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium (NECSC) comes in! The NECSC was established in 2004 to support sustainability officers in advancing progress on university campuses in the northeast and Canadian maritime region. The NECSC is an informal group, but commits to hosting an annual meeting to provide members close networking opportunities, professional development and access to the area’s vibrant sustainability practitioner community. Hosts of the annual gathering are leaders of sustainability in the region.
Following 2024’s annual summit at Southern New Hampshire University, UConn and Connecticut College agreed to co-host the event for 2025. The NECSC conference is also an opportunity to highlight the hosts’ sustainability progress and leadership regionally. UConn’s Avery Point Campus was the perfect location – not only is it a gorgeous waterfront campus, it also plays an outsize role in environmental progress for Connecticut.
In 2021, Avery Point upgraded 121 of their outdoor light fixtures with LED lights which saved 25 tons of carbon dioxide over the course of a year. The Student Center secured LEED Silver Certification in recognition of its energy efficiency in 2023. Avery Point is also home to the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) and Connecticut Sea Grant which act as research hubs for climate resilience, coastal ecosystems, and aquaculture within Long Island Sound. Faculty and students are collaborating with Eversource and Orsted on a $1.25m grant to understand the impact of offshore wind projects on marine habitats, including project Starboard Wind. EcoHusky is the student-run organization that organizes yearly sustainability events for faculty and students including the Earth Day Event, supported by the Office of Sustainability in 2025. EcoHusky was also a part of securing an Environmental and Sustainability Small Grant from the Office of Sustainability in 2022 to install a solar panel and wind turbine on the sailing shed to provide independent, renewable-energy sources for campus buildings. In December of 2024, UConn entered a historical memorandum with CT’s five recognized tribes to establish Avery Point as a Native-American Serving, Nontribal Intuition (NASNTI) to reach at least 10% Native American enrollment and supporting tribal education through academics and community engagement.
Nearly 100 higher education sustainability staff and faculty members attended the NECSC summit, held June 9-11, 2025. Ranging from Maryland to Maine, attendees hailed from Ivies, state universities and private liberal arts schools. The event kicked off with a keynote address by Dr. Annemarie Seifert, Dean of UConn Avery Point, and was followed by engaging sessions on creating circular economies on campus, geothermal buildings, decarbonization communications and more.
Leaders of higher ed’s preeminent sustainability networks provided global perspectives on shifting political landscapes for sustainability. Megan Fay Zahniser, Executive Director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and Tim Carter, President of Second Nature, urged attendees to work together and with their home communities to push for continued environmental progress.
Throughout the event, UConn Dining provided excellent food and low-waste catering. Mike White, Executive Director of UConn Dining Services, spoke about their team’s dedication to reducing food waste, using local and organic produce, and UConn’s partnership with Quantum Biopower which converts food scraps into energy. All attendees enjoyed menus featuring cheese from local farms like Cato Corner in Colchester, and greens from Full Moon Farm in Hampton.
The NECSC summit concluded with a marine biology excursion on Long Island Sound. Project Oceanology, a nonprofit marine education and research facility, took guests out on a ship to catch, record, and measure sea life from the sound. They also took the crew up the Thames River for a closer look at the offshore wind assembly pier.
“It is always uplifting to network, share stories, insights, and best practices as we work to collectively make a larger impact on the planet and in the lives of students,” shares Patrick McKee, Director of the UConn Office of Sustainability. “It was a pleasure co-hosting the NECSC Summit at UConn Avery Point, and we look forward to visiting Rutgers in 2026.”
To learn more about NECSC and join the mailing list, click here.
