Campus Spotlight by Mya Bynoe, Sustainability Intern

Halloween is next week, and if you’re still figuring out what to wear, you’re not alone. There’s still time to get creative—but before you rush to order a costume, consider what happens when the parties end. Americans are expected to spend a baffling $4.4 billion on Halloween costumes this year.¹ That’s a frightening price tag, especially considering that nearly 40% respondents in a 2019 U.S survey only wear their Halloween costumes once.² Besides putting your wallet in an early grave, this seasonal purchasing can haunt the planet long after Halloween. It’s part of a larger waste problem—every year millions of tons of textiles end up in U.S landfills, according to the EPA.³ Luckily, a more affordable, sustainable costume might be waiting for you right here on campus.

The Thrift Den has two treats that just emerged from the crypt. As a circular initiative on campus designed around accessibility, the Thrift Den empowers students’ ability to engage in sustainable fashion and reduce waste around campus. All clothing donations come from the UConn community, mainly through donation bins located in residential areas. Members of the UConn community can then ‘shop’ for one free item a week. Now through the end of October, the Thrift Den will have Halloween-themed items and costume items available, helping you to have a cost-friendly, circular Halloweekend whether it be a full costume, an accessory, or another fall-item on display.

Want to create, or already have something you’d like to wear? Give a ghost a new life at the Thrift Den’s Halloween-themed upcycling sewing workshop! To help extend the life of clothing items, the Thrift Den hosts sewing workshops and sewing hours to give students the skills, and resources to steward their clothing. In this upcoming upcycling sewing workshop October 26th, students can mend and create with their own items, or provided items, that can transform their outfit.

When the party ends and November rolls around, think of donating your gently used, out-of-season items to the Thrift Den to keep the cycle going. From Halloween season to move-out day and all the times in between, the Thrift Den is here as a step towards waste reduction and sustainability, stretching from campus all the way to your closet. Close the loop and give your clothes another life.

Questions?

Visit the Thrift Den on Instagram @uconnthriftden or visit at room 001 in the basement of the Family Studies Building Wednesday – Friday 4-6pm

 

Sources

1. National Retail Federation. “NRF Halloween Survey Shows Consumer Spending Expected to Reach $13.5 Billion.” September 22, 2026.
2. com. “2019 Halloween in America Survey Results.” September 9, 2019.
3. S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Textiles: Material-Specific Data.” Updated March 19, 2026.

 

The Office of Sustainability will not be hosting Haunted HEEP this year. If your student group has volunteered in the past and would like to earn service hours, please consider volunteering at Don’t Mess with Mansfield, our community litter clean up, on November 14 from noon to 4pm. Details here.

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 14 Cleanup Check In Stations will be open Noon to 4pm Optional RSVP HERE.	Saturday, November 14 At your leisure throughout the day. OR Noon to 4pm to participate with UConn students.
Where:	Volunteer to clean up in the core of campus, Hunting Lodge Rd, Separatist Rd, North Eagleville Rd, Moulton Rd, or Eastwood/Westwood Rds. Check In Station Map Litter pickup supplies will be provided at check in stations.	UConn welcomes all residents to join students in cleaning up North Eagleville Rd. Park in F Lot and check in at the litter clean up station near Wings Over Storrs. Bags, gloves and safety vests will be provided. On your own? 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. Casella trucks will be making rounds to pick up bags from the stations.	Bags of litter from independent clean ups 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.   If you’re joining UConn, bring your bag back to the litter station at Wings Over Storrs.

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 4,000 pounds of litter!

Read last year’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 COP31 this November in Antalya, Turkey. The Office of Sustainability received approximately 60 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, Experiential Learning Programs Manager 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 COP31.” The COP Fellowship is grateful to have engaged with so many driven students.  

Students will attend COP 31 from November 13th to November 21st, 2026. 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, Judith Otunnu ‘27 (CLAS) shared, “I hope to strengthen my understanding of how environmental justice issues manifest on a global scale and learn from diverse perspectives that will inform my work as an environmental scientist after graduation.”   

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

1. Samantha Glass, Ph.D. Candidate in Oceanography
2. Megan Romansky, M.S. Candidate in Applied and Resource Economics
3. Faryal Akbar ’27 (CLAS)
4. Brenny Alcantara ’27 (CLAS)
5. Amelia Chien ’28 (CAHNR)
6. Ryan Engels ’27 (CLAS, SPP)
7. Agatha Freitas ’28 (CLAS)
8. Paige Gregory ’28 (CLAS)
9. Amber Hwang ’27 (CLAS)
10. Judith Otunnu ’27 (CLAS)
11. Kinga Sigmond ’29 (CLAS)
12. Suhitha Sreedhar ’27 (BUS)

Check out our Fellows page to learn more about each student.

Thanks to generous donations, students are able to attend the trip with nearly all expenses paid by the UConn@COP program. Special thank you to the UConn School of Business for supporting the travel costs of Suhitha Sreedhar and Ryan Engels this year.

Meet the fellows and learn about their experience at the conference at the Climate Change Cafe on December 2nd, 2026 at the Student Union, Room 304 from 4-6 PM. Refreshments will be provided.