Earth Day Spring Fling – 2025

Wednesday, April 16

11:00 AM-2:00 PM on Fairfield Way

Rain date: April 21

Earth Day Spring Fling is an annual celebration of sustainability co-sponsored by UConn’s Office of Sustainability and the Department of Dining Services. Established in 2008, the festival features vendors of sustainable and hand-crafted goods, organic and local foods, environmental organizations, and student groups that join together to produce the greatest day of environmental awareness all year! Coinciding with the event is UConn’s annual Arbor Day celebration and ceremonial “class tree” planting.

Event Highlights:

• Zero Waste BBQ: Dining Services is catering an outdoor, zero-waste BBQ featuring vegan, vegetarian and sustainable food options sourced locally. Note – the BBQ requires a flex pass or $12 credit/debit card.
• Eco Theme Cupcakes
• Dairy Bar Truck
• 12-1p  Goat Yoga: Outdoor yoga with the goats of Bradley Mountain Farm. Bring your own mat. Sign Ups will be announced on the OS instagram.
• Party Peddler Bike: Hop on the 10 person bike for a tour of sustainability along Fairfield Way.
• 2028 Class Tree Planting: As a certified Tree Campus, we celebrate each class with their own tree. This year’s tree, selected by the Freshman class, is the Pignut. Ceremony details will be announced soon.
• UConn Thrift Den: The Thrift Den will highlight some of their free clothes!
• Eco-Vendors: Meet with student and community organizations dedicated to sustainability, as well as eco-minded businesses along Fairfield Way. Sign up to table HERE.

 

For more information, please email sustainability@uconn.edu.

 

Thank you to Casella and UConn Student Government for support!

Are you a UConn student with an idea that can push environmental and social sustainability forward at UConn and in Connecticut? Then apply for our Environmental and Social Sustainability Small Grants!

Projects must advance strategic sustainability goal areas AND related social challenges.

Deadline is April 7, 2025 at 11:59pm.

Winners will be selected by May 1, 2025.

Grant amounts may be up to $10k.

All projects must have a faculty or staff member acting as a mentor, and must have the ability to accept funds on behalf of your project.

Projects must be completed by the end of December 2025.

For all the details, deadlines and materials visit the grant info page.

 

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:	Sunday, April 27 Cleanup Check In Stations will be open Noon to 4pm	Saturday, April 26 Check In Time TBD
Where:	Volunteer to clean up in the core of campus, Hunting Lodge Rd, Separatist Rd, Hillyndale Rd, North Eagleville Rd, or Eastwood/Westwood Rds. Check In station location map will be shared soon. Litter pickup supplies will be provided at check in stations.	Anywhere you feel safe collecting roadside litter in your neighborhood. Roads that are especially littered include Pleasant Valley, Mansfield City, White Oak and Gurleyville. 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.	Bags of litter 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!

 

 

           

Undergraduate students work as interns at the Office of Sustainability to provide leadership, collaboration and advocacy for sustainability at UConn. The 10 hour per week positions help enact the Office’s critical university programs. Interns host campus sustainability engagement events, carry out UConn’s strategic sustainability plans, and research best environmental practices to improve sustainability at UConn.

If you have an interest in sustainability, want great career experience and excellent mentoring, apply to join our team of ~12 interns this fall.

Submit a letter expressing your interest in the position, your resume and an application via JobX.

Applications are due by 11:59pm on April 23. No late applications will be accepted.

For more details visit: https://sustainability.uconn.edu/experiential-learning/os-internship-opportunities/sustainability-interns/