The Office of Sustainability welcomes dozens of new interns each year who play a pivotal role in sustainability reporting and engagement at UConn. As part of our onboarding process, we ask interns to share their environmental story – how their past shaped their current passion for sustainability. Here’s a story by Josh Smith, a Regional Sustainability Intern from the UConn – Waterbury campus.

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I live and grew up in a very small, suburban town called Plainville, Connecticut. On the surface, this town appears to be “plain,” as the name may suggest, but as a resident of this town for the entirety of my 19-year life, I’ve come to see how much beauty lies beneath that simplicity. There is so much more than meets the eye, specifically with an emphasis on nature and being outdoors. That’s where my interest in the environment first began, at such a young age, and continued to thrive with my family’s trips beyond its borders as well.

Historically, the land that became Plainville was once part of neighboring Farmington. When the town separated in 1869, due to the distance from downtown and its railroad installation, it remained relatively untouched by heavy industries, factories, or other corporate amenities that negatively impacted the sustainability of the town’s environment. In the present-day, there is mostly only a quarry, Tilcon, that continuously blasts into mountains, leading to habitat destruction, air and water pollution, and natural resource displacement. But as such a singular issue, the rest of the town promotes outdoor engagement and involvement in nature with the town-wide events held.

My family has always involved me with the attendance or set-up of these events, including the hot air balloon festival, downtown pumpkin festival, or other assorted events that occur in our town parks. Plainville has four main parks: Norton Park (where the hot air balloon fest occurs), Paderewski Park (where most of my time having picnics and boating activities occurs), Sunset Rock State Park (where most of my hiking and duck-feeding occurs,) and Trumbull Park (which directly borders my house, having walks and scooter rides be a frequently occurring activity in my youth). Beyond just the parks, my mom always had me go on walks in my neighborhood, through the forests that wind along the Quinnipiac River, where I appreciated the stillness of nature and express disgust when I came across littered yards and roadways. Along with the Tilcon quarry, this made me recognize the importance of protecting our environment so early on in my life.

When warm enough, beyond just in the summer, we always travelled to East Beach in Charlestown, Rhode Island, for a change of scenery and to fulfill my family’s and my own beach obsession. The White Mountains of New Hampshire were also a family-favorite getaway for me. We hiked, waded in rivers, went sight-seeing to the mountains, and more. Spending time in nature was a peaceful escape from everyday life for me.

From nature walks in my neighborhood to spending time outdoors in my town’s parks, from the intricate shells along the shorelines of Rhode Island to the winding rivers and towering mountains and trees of New Hampshire, spending time in nature creates such an important bond between myself and the Earth us humans reside on. I quickly became interested in all of the natural wonders this Earth has to offer.

I care about sustainability because of the intense and everlasting connection nurtured from my childhood, between myself and the natural environment I grew up in. This connection led me to realize how truly sustainable some hobbies of mine are, where I’ve subconsciously been aware of my environment in my daily life. I used to garden very frequently in my backyard to obtain my groceries-worth of vegetables and certain fruits. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots were frequently growing in the small patch of soil I have next to my patio of my condominium. It reduces waste, conserves energy and water, and lowers my carbon footprint, even as a kid who was just excited about growing his own food! Going to get ice cream or to go to the grocery store, I would always walk to the places by foot, sacrificing a 15-20 minute walk over unnecessarily using a carbon-emitting car for such a short distance. My partner (they/them) is incredibly sustainable, often without even realizing it. I subconsciously started picking up on some of their habits: using an Owala metal water bottle, with a metal straw, going thrifting together more often than shopping at regular retail stores, and reusing materials for small art and home projects together. My partner also drives a hybrid vehicle, so anytime we travel in their car together, we always make sure to balance our fuel and electric usage as much as possible. My mother and I cook with plant-based materials in our home, prioritizing both healthy and environmentally friendly recipes. Plant-based choices reduce our carbon footprint and strengthens our connection to the food we grow and prepare together.

These actions, although small, mount up to be so much more in my life. To me, sustainability isn’t just a movement. I care about the natural environment, around me and beyond, because it’s where I’ve always felt most at peace and most myself. My personal sustainability is built from my inherent gratitude for the places that raised me. Protecting it feels like giving back, while “plain” places, like Plainville, can still hold amazing beauty as well.

Josh Smith

The Town of Mansfield and UConn are pleased to team up against litter in our town. Join in to meet others in the Mansfield community and do good for our people and planet.

	UConn & Vicinity	Town Wide
Date & Time:	Saturday, November 8 Cleanup Check In Stations will be open Noon to 4pm	Saturday, November 8 At your leisure throughout the day or 10am-Noon for Pleasant Valley.
Where:	Volunteer to clean up in the core of campus, Hunting Lodge Rd, Separatist Rd, North Eagleville Rd, or Eastwood/Westwood Rds. Check In Station Map Litter pickup supplies will be provided at check in stations.	Oak Grove Montessori: Park at the school between 10am-noon to clean up Pleasant Valley Road. Bags, gloves and grabbers will be provided. Otherwise you’re welcome to go anywhere you feel safe collecting roadside litter. Roads that are especially littered include Browns Rd, Chaffeeville Rd, Maple Rd, Pleasant Valley Rd, Mansfield City Rd, Moulton Rd, Stearns Rd, White Oak Rd and Gurleyville Rd. Consider making a commitment to pick up litter on a section of road throughout the year by joining Adopt A Road.
What To Do With Full Trash/Recycling Bags:	Bring your litter bag to your Check In station once you are finished. UConn Facilities trucks will be making rounds to pick up bags from the stations.	If you’re participating in the Oak Grove Montessori clean up on Pleasant Valley, bring your full bags back to the school by noon. Bags of litter from clean ups elsewhere may be placed out with household trash for those with collection service or taken to the Mansfield Transfer Station for no charge. The Transfer Station is located on Rte 89, one mile from the intersection of Routes 195 and 89 in Mansfield Center at 221 Warrenville Rd. The Transfer Station is open Tuesdays, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, Thursdays, 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm and Saturdays, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

Litter is an unsightly blight on our roadways, and hurts the environment. It can be especially dangerous for wildlife. Small animals may crawl into bottles and get stuck, and litter can blow into storm drains and streams and may eventually make its way to the ocean. When litter gets eaten by animals and sea life, they can starve to death or suffocate. Litter also attracts pests. Be part of the solution, not the pollution!

Since starting this program in 2024, we have collected over 300 bags of litter!

Read last spring’s story about Don’t Mess with Mansfield in UConn Today.

           

UConn@COP is a competitive fellowship program that sends students to the international climate-focused United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP). The event brings together students, diplomats, government officials, activists, leaders, and delegates to discuss climate change. Students have the opportunity to engage and attend sessions that discuss ongoing negotiations in the global environmental sphere.

Twelve UConn students were selected to attend COP30 this November in Belém, Brazil. The Office of Sustainability received approximately 90 applications for the fellowship, all of which were exceptional. The UConn@COP Selection Committee, consisting of faculty, staff, and past UConn COP fellows reviewed each application, and collaboratively decided who would be accepted into this year’s cohort. Betsy Mortensen, Communication, Outreach, and Education Coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, and member of the COP Selection Committee shared her thoughts on this year’s applicants, “As always, the selection committee was super impressed by the students who applied, and by the diversity of the majors that were represented. Climate change affects all sectors so we’re glad that we can bring students from diverse fields to COP30.” The COP Fellowship is grateful to have engaged with so many driven students.  

Students will attend COP 30 from November 14th to November 22nd, 2025. They will bring back the experience of a lifetime and educate their peers about their learnings both while they are at the conference as well as back on campus. One of the fellows, Kanika Chaturvedi ‘25 (CLAS) noted “I am looking forward to engaging with different diplomats from around the world to understand their perspectives as well as learn more about the international negotiation processes and discussions that take place.”   

The following students will be attending this year’s conference: 

1. Aminieli James Hopson, ‘26 (BUS) 
2. Anagha Payyambally, Ph.D. Candidate in Marine Sciences  
3. Andy Ma Zhang ‘26 (CLAS, CAHNR) 
4. Brett Hurley ‘27 (JD) 
5. Caroline Maeve Keary ‘26 (MS) 
6. Claire Elise Lawrence ‘26 (CLAS) 
7. Kanika Chaturvedi ‘25 (CLAS)  
8. Madelyn Kelly ‘26 (COE) 
9. Malak Nechnach ‘26 (CLAS) 
10. Pranavi Rebala ‘26 (CLAS) 
11. Saanya Sharma ‘26 (COE) 
12. Toriana Grooms ‘27 (CLAS) 

Meet the fellows and learn about their experience at the conference at the Climate Change Cafe on December 3rd, 2025 at the Student Union, Room 304 from 4-6 PM. Refreshments will be provided.

The highly anticipated UConn Halloween event of the year, Haunted HEEP, will be Wednesday, October 29 from 7p-9:30p. Rain date is Thursday, October 30.

Haunted HEEP is a free, one mile scary hike through Hillside Environmental Education Park (HEEP). The HEEP is a remediated landfill area and natural forest reserve on the UConn-Storrs campus, behind the Innovation Partnership Building. The Office of Sustainability hosts the event to introduce guests to one of the closest trails to campus in the hopes they visit on their own in the future.

Everyone is welcome to attend but you MUST fill out this waiver. 

Parents and their children can attend but it is too scary for children under 14 years old.

Check in at the HEEP Trailhead Parking Lot between 7pm-9:30pm. T-shirts will be given to the first 50 students to survive the Haunted HEEP! Wear comfortable walking shoes that can get muddy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Twist!

Throughout the Haunted HEEP are hidden flyers with the faces of Office of Sustainability Interns – the “Missing Intern Files”. Thirteen of these will be scattered across the trail and if you find one, you receive a prize! All winners will get a Dunkin Donuts gift card, but depending on the intern file you find, additional rewards can be added. Arrive at 7pm for the best shot at finding a Missing Intern File! Only one flyer can be collected per person. If you find one, let Haunted HEEP staff at the exit know and they’ll direct you to the reward table.