Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
UConn Today published a story about one of our Environmental and Social Sustainability Small Grants awardees on April 28, 2022.
Grantees Matthew Chen and Hannah Colonies-Kelley are investigating student awareness of UConn’s local food purchasing. From the article:
[The students] “soon discovered UConn Dining Services was already purchasing 36% of its food locally. Other large public universities such as UMass Amherst purchase only 20% of their food locally, on average.”
“I think that especially as such a large university, the example UConn can lead for sustainability is important,” Chen says.
Come forest bathing with the Office of Sustainability and NatureRx on April 29th as Regan Stacey leads us through the forests of the HEEP.
Forest bathing is the practice of immersing yourself in nature in a mindful way, using your senses to derive a whole range of benefits for your physical, mental, emotional, and social health. It is also known as Shinrin-yoku in Japan. ‘Shinrin’ means forest and ‘Yoku’ stands for bathing.
There are two sessions available, capped at 20 participants each. Sign up for your desired time:
The Office of Sustainability is hiring a new cohort of interns. These paid internships provide excellent work experience, hone leadership skills, and set students up for success in environmental positions after graduating. Please apply to our team of sustainability-minded student interns. Positions are 8-12 hours per week and will begin Fall ’22. Interns deal with all kinds of sustainability topics – from energy use to environmental communications. All majors welcome!
Apply by April 30th
Must be a current first-year or a second-year student pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UConn
The Green Careers Panel is an event sponsored by the Office of Sustainability to provide an opportunity for students to see how their interests align with real-life sustainability and environmental career paths and to gain general career advice. As there is increased momentum of student interest in careers in sustainability and the environment, we believe this year will be extremely helpful in providing students with insight into the many paths they can take to pursue a “green” career!
Wednesday April 13
6-8pm in McHugh Hall, Room 206
Format: 60-minute panel, 15-30 minute Q&A session, and networking reception with free food to learn more from our panel of interdisciplinary environmental leaders.
Panelists
Harrison Goodale, Co-Founder of Sustain Music & Nature
Courtney Lindberg, Deputy Director Public Works for Sustainability and Materials Management, Town of Manchester
Lidia Howard, Air Pollution Control Engineer, CT DEEP
Jessica Larkin Wells, Farm Manager, Spring Valley Student Farm
Additional panelists will be added soon.
Although students are allowed to attend event without registering, we highly recommend registration for this panel as it will fill up quickly.
UConn Office of Sustainability Awards Environmental and Social Sustainability Grants to Student-Led Projects
Five projects will increase environmental and social sustainability at UConn
Solar panels at UConn’s Spring Valley Student Farm. Thanks to a new small grants fund, students will be working with staff and faculty mentors to complete sustainability projects on UConn campuses. Photo by Spring Valley Student Farm.
UConn, consistently one of the top ten most sustainable universities in the United States, will be getting even better at upholding sustainable practices with the help of five student-led projects that are being initiated this spring.
These innovative projects are funded by the Environmental and Social Sustainability Small Grants Program through the Office of Sustainability at the Institute of the Environment. Creative student-faculty teams applied for funding this past winter to support campus programs that enhance environmental and social sustainability while engaging students and community members. Applicants shared ideas spanning education, research, authentic community engagement, and campus operations. Projects include everything from an ADA-accessible mouldering privy at the Spring Valley Student Farm, to studying how UConn sources food from local farms. “We are thrilled to support a diverse set of student-led initiatives spanning four UConn schools and colleges. Each project will contribute in important ways to continuing to improve the sustainability across many facets of our university,” shares Ashley Helton, associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.
Five projects were awarded funds due to their interdisciplinary nature and ability to advance sustainability and equity.
Farm to Institution Local Food Procurement Study: Working to Highlight Sustainable Options for Students
Students: Matt Chen ‘22 (CLAS, CAHNR), Hannah Colonies-Kelley ‘22 (CAHNR)
Faculty Mentors: Cristina Connolly, Assistant Professor, Agricultural and Resource Economics
Spring Valley Student Farm Privy Project
Students: Phoebe Mrozinski ‘22 (CAHNR), Andrew Muller ‘23 (CAHNR), Isaac Betts ‘23 (CAHNR)
Staff and Faculty Mentors: Phoebe Godfrey, Associate Professor, Sociology. Jessica Larkin-Wells, Farm Manager, Spring Valley Student Farm
Staff Mentors: Megan Baro, Program Assistant for Inclusion & Global Initiatives, Honors Program. Katie Britt, Leadership Programs Coordinator, Werth Institute
Solar Photovoltaic Tie-in at Spring Valley Student Farm
Students: Rory Monaco ‘23 (CLAS), Zachary Stone ‘22 (SOE)
Staff and Faculty Mentors: Ali Bazzi, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering. Jessica Larkin-Wells, Farm Manager, Spring Valley Student Farm
Green Practice and Pedagogy: Enhancing UConn Avery Point’s Sustainability Performance and Programming
Students: UConn Avery Point EcoHusky Club, Sakshee Patel ‘24 (SOB), Kelsey DiCesare, Richard Krenitsky ‘22 (CLAS), Ian Bradley ‘22 (CLAS)
Faculty Mentors: Syma Ebbin, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Resource Economics
“This innovative program supports entrepreneurial activities by students, who co-design projects with mentors, providing authentic, collaborative experiences that will enrich their education and enhance sustainable practices and social responsibility. Students are making a difference!” says Michael Willig, Executive Director of the Institute of the Environment.
Students will present their project findings and impacts this fall. “We are all very much excited for this opportunity to support UConn’s mission to enhance environmental and social sustainability on campus! This funding will certainly help us uphold UConn’s values and achieve our vision,” shares Efua Koomson ‘22 (CLAS), a team member on the UConn Swap Shop project and actuarial sciences major. Fellow team member Maeline Kizer, ‘24 (SOB) writes, “This can provide students with so many opportunities and resources.”
