Special Event Coverage by Ava Naclerio, Sustainability Outreach Intern 

When many people hear the word “sustainability”, they may think of tree-huggers, clean-up volunteers, and environmental science students, but sustainability is much broader than planting trees and picking up litter and includes more professional fields than you could ever imagine. In 2021, the Office of Sustainability held its first ever Green Careers Panel with the goal of exposing students to different opportunities and career paths in sustainability that they might’ve never considered.  February 2 marked the sixth annual panel, and as an attendee, I can confidently say it opened my eyes to a whole new world… a green one, of course.

This event was thoughtfully designed to address any interest or question a student looking to pursue a career in sustainability could have. It began at 3:00 pm with tabling featuring clubs and organizations such as Sustainable CT, EcoHusky, the Department of Earth Sciences, and The Green Garden. Here, students learned about different ways they can get involved with sustainability on campus in addition to various internship, fellowship, and educational opportunities.  

Then, at 4:00 pm, everyone moved into a McHugh classroom to hear from a group of early career panelists from a diverse range of academic backgrounds such as engineering, political science, and geography.  

To start, panelists Thomas Bonitz, geography graduate student, and Deniz Girgin, political science graduate student, shared advice on how to get involved in research. They emphasized the importance of taking the initiative to approach professors that have research that interests you in addition to being academically interdisciplinary. Sustainability has great overlap with various fields, and being conscious of that and actively cultivating one’s knowledge can be a great aid in research and form valuable perspectives.  

Another main point of the discussion surrounded sustainability in management and entrepreneurship. This was a perfect topic for UConn engineering undergraduate students Lucille Ledesma and Audrey Larson. Audrey and Lucille jointly began and run the program, Seeds2Sustain, which supports UConn students experiencing food insecurity by providing instruction on cooking and hydroponic farming. Students even get to keep their mini hydroponic farm to keep in their dorm room after completing the program! They led the conversation and offered insight into the development of management skills and their applications in environmental programming and sustainability. Lucille spoke of adaptation as an essential skill for managers and how learning servant leadership has supported her in various academic and professional facets.  

Looking into the future, current undergraduate engineering student and OS Intern, Morgan Randall, shared her hopes of working another year with the OS and continuing to implement sustainable education into campus life. She also hopes to work with remediation after graduating and finding ways to combat pollution and contamination in sustainable ways.  

When asked about work-life balance, the panelists agreed that if you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. Audrey highlighted the idea that personal and social time isn’t always about quantity, but the quality of the activity and people you spend the time with.  

As early career panelist Lucille reminded everyone “sustainability is a mindset”. Sustainability is not an abstract concept strictly for governments and large companies to follow (though, they should), but an inclusive space that anyone can join by having the motivation to fight for a better future and making even the smallest changes to their lifestyle. But, what counts as a sustainable lifestyle change? Sustainability Intern, Brenny Alcantara, posed this exact question to the panelists, and here were some of their suggestions: thrifting and avoiding consumerism, turning the lights off before you leave a room, walking and biking places more, avoiding unnecessary printing, limiting meat consumption and AI use, and educating others.  

The early career panel wrapped up with a meaningful discussion about involving more UConn community members in the sphere of sustainability and environmental science. The concern dictated that many people interested in sustainability are not likely to join because it feels like such a large commitment. Due to the sustainability community having such passion, it sometimes pushes newcomers away. To combat this, the Office of Sustainability hopes to continue to create inclusive and welcoming programming such as Haunted HEEP to introduce students to sustainability in an introductory manner, and hopefully spark further interest and involvement. Some easy ways to get involved is to attend your resident hall’s Sustainability Outreach Intern’s events such as tote bag painting, paint and plant, sewing, and more. Other ways include volunteering with organizations on campus or joining clubs such as EcoHusky.  

Overall, the panel was a great experience for professionals, faculty, staff, and students alike. The Office of Sustainability hopes to see you at the Green Careers Panel next year! 

This story was written by two of our undergraduate student interns: Kate Larson and Emma Dutil

Have you ever read sustainability reports that rank universities on their environmental efforts? Have you heard of Green Metric or UConn’s EcoMadness competition? Did you ever wonder who is behind the data collection and statistics? Here at UConn, our students play a pivotal role in sustainability data collection.

The UConn Office of Sustainability is the leader of many sustainability initiatives on campus and offers a unique opportunity for students to involve themselves in university-wide sustainability data collection and tracking. Undergraduate students pursuing a variety of degrees take part in collecting and organizing sustainability metrics across UConn’s campus. We went out and talked to some of those students to find out what work they’ve done this fall and why it matters to the UConn community.

Claire Lawerence, a senior Sustainability Intern, spearheads the data collection for AASHE STARS and UI GreenMetric at the Office of Sustainability. She describes Green Metric as “a university-wide assessment of sustainability based on multiple avenues of campus. This includes Setting & Infrastructure, Energy & Climate Change, Waste, Water, Transportation, and Education & Research.”

When asked about her passion for data collection, Claire noted, “as a data analytics and public policy major, I am passionate about how data backs policy solutions. Without data analytics, we wouldn’t know where we are excelling, and where we need improvement.”

The Office of Sustainability also conducts EcoMadness each year, a month-long competition between UConn’s residence halls. Students in each hall compete to improve their recycling compliance and conserve the most energy and water. Sustainability data collected during the month is analyzed by Office of Sustainability interns, and after four weeks, the most sustainable residence hall wins the competition!

Sustainability Outreach Interns (SOI) collect the recycling compliance data for each of the residence halls. One intern, Anna Dinkel, described via email this process of auditing trash bins: “I look for contaminants, such as non-recyclables in the recycling or recyclables in the trash [and] I note what types of contaminants I see so that the Office of Sustainability can identify common mistakes residents are making.” To help her residence hall out, Dinkel shares that she has “created an approachable recycling guideline flyer that is posted in all of the trash rooms to reduce confusion about proper disposal.”

SOIs work hard to engage with residents and provide sustainability education in residence halls. Intern Maya Bullied said in an email, “it is encouraging when the data shows progress.” She emphasized that EcoMadness results provide a way to observe the direct impact of the Office of Sustainability’s efforts.

Kate Larson, a Sustainability Intern at the Office of Sustainability, takes part in analyzing the EcoMadness data collected each week by SOIs. When asked about this process, she shared: “It’s amazing to see data from all across the university come together; from this project I’ve learned a lot about how to analyze large amounts of data and share it in a digestible form.”

These examples highlight two of many data-driven sustainability initiatives that take place at UConn during the fall term. Whether it’s around campus or in the office, student interns at the Office of Sustainability help collect and analyze sustainability statistics, contributing to a larger process that helps quantify the university’s sustainability goals. If you’re interested in these opportunities and/or want to learn more about data collection at the university, visit the Office of Sustainability website!

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.

           

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.

Volunteer Sign Up Form

*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.

UConn Office of Sustainability Awards Environmental and Social Sustainability Grants to Student-Led Projects

Seven projects will increase environmental and social sustainability at UConn

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 seven student-led projects this year.

These innovative projects are funded by the Environmental and Social Sustainability Grants (ESSG) Program through the Office of Sustainability. Creative student-faculty teams applied for funding 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. This is the fourth round of ESSG funding since 2021, which has helped launch the Swap Shop (now Thrift Den), a composting privy at Spring Valley Student Farm, and efforts to combat food insecurity via hydroponic farming.

“The ESSG program is just one of the Office of Sustainability’s growing suite of experiential learning programs available to all UConn students. In alignment with UConn’s strategic goals, we are excited to be able to award these funds to empower students to take action on addressing real-world challenges that impact the wellness of people and the planet. Faculty and staff mentors play an instrumental role in ensuring the success of these projects and we’re also incredibly grateful for their support,” said Patrick McKee, Director of the Office of Sustainability.

Seven projects were awarded funds due to their interdisciplinary nature and ability to advance sustainability and equity.

 

Harnessing Phosphorus

Phosphorus is a key piece in fertilizing crops and producing food. This project aims to explore sustainable, easy ways of getting phosphorus out of wastewater to make it easier, cheaper, and less climate-intensive for farmers to grow food in underprivileged areas.

• • Student: Brenny Alcantara ’27 (CLAS)
  • Staff Mentor: Katie Milardo, Associate Director, Energy & Water Conservation

 

The Grove of Generosity: Sustainable Food Forest for Students

A food forest to create community for people, plants and wildlife on the Storrs campus. Using native plants, this project will provide habitat, food for all, and space to make connections between people and nature.

• • Students: Olivia Ballaro ’26 (CAHNR), Ella May ’27 (CAHNR), Howard Truax ’26 (CAHNR)
  • Faculty Mentor: Phoebe Godfrey, Professor in Residence, Sociology

 

Sustainability Practicum: Designing a UConn Hartford Service-Learning Course

This project will create materials for a UConn Hartford geography service-learning course titled “Sustainability Practicum,” designed to develop student leaders of environmental & social sustainability in collaboration with & in service of Keney Park Sustainability Project, a nonprofit developing sustainable community-based food systems in urban North Hartford.

• • Students: Thomas Bonitz, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography
  • Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Professor in Geography

 

Project Racoon

Project Raccoon is a student-led initiative that collects redeemable bottles and cans to reduce waste, increase recycling, and fund student scholarships. With this grant, we will expand to over 50+ bins and engage more volunteers.

• • Student: Abigail Koval ’26 (BUS), Anny Zheng ’26 (COE), Jennifer Weng ’26 (COE), Virginia Weng ’26 (COE)
  • Staff Mentor: Cody Ryan, Innovation Zone Supervisor

 

Seeds2Sustain: Hartford & Stamford Campuses

Seeds2Sustain is a program designed to help students address food insecurity on a personal level by using hydroponics. Over 9 weeks, students are taught about the evolution of food production, food insecurity, hydroponics, nutrition, cooking and more to gain a solid foundation of knowledge.

• • Students: Lucy Ledesma ‘26 (BUS, COE), Audrey Larson ‘25 (COE)
  • Faculty Mentor: Johnathan Moore, Executive Director, Digital Frontiers Initiative, Director of OPIM Innovate Labs 

 

Disasters in Society: Working Towards Resilient & Sustainable Futures through Experiential Learning & Service

Our project captures Asheville’s recovery from Hurricane Helene, highlighting student engagement and hands-on learning in disaster resilience. Through storytelling and service, we aim to expand access to fieldwork and promote support for sustainability-focused education.

• • Students: Lisel Nee ’26 (COE), Melia Marshall, MPP Candidate, Daniel Kraemer, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography, Brandon Soto, Masters of Energy and Environmental Management Candidate 
  • Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Professor in Geography

 

Sustainable Dairy Wastewater Treatment Using Microalgae at UConn

This project addresses the challenge of dairy wastewater from the UConn barns, which can be a significant source of pollution if not properly managed. By using microalgae to treat wastewater, we can convert it into a sustainable biomass that can be used as poultry feed. This approach not only helps clean and recycle wastewater but also aligns with circular bioeconomy principles, turning waste into valuable resources. This initiative advances UConn’s environmental goals and contributes to a more sustainable campus ecosystem.

• • Students: Azeem Sarwar ’27 (COE), Syed Zahid Ahmad, Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering
  • Faculty Mentors: Dr. Yu Lei, Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Dr. Yongku Cho, Associate Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

 

Over $37,000 will be awarded in total to support these student-lead projects.

Thomas Bonitz, a grantee pursuing a Ph.D. in Geography says, “As an aspiring educator, I am thrilled to work on designing a “sustainability practicum” course for the UConn Hartford campus. There is obvious educational and community value getting students out of the traditional classroom setting to learn from and contribute to real-world efforts to practice sustainability.” His project exemplifies UConn’s dedication to promoting student success and providing service to Connecticut communities.

“I look forward to moving onto the next stage for my Harnessing Phosphorus project and being able to work with more resources. I’ve been working on this project independently since my first semester at UConn, so receiving this grant and finding support from new mentors is a reminder of how far I’ve come. It’s great to see the University also believes in my project’s potential,” shares Brenny Alcantara ’27 (CLAS) who will be working on ways to make fertilizer more accessible, less likely to cause algae blooms, and decrease the carbon footprint of a critical agricultural ingredient.

Students will present their project findings and impacts this fall at the Climate Change Cafe poster symposium in December.

For more details on the Environmental and Social Sustainability Small Grants Program, please visit: https://sustainability.uconn.edu/environmental-social-sustainability-small-grants-program/ 

If you’re inspired by these students and their positive impact, please donate to the Campus Sustainability Fund to support future grantees.

At the May 19, 2025 unveiling of Casella’s upgraded recycling processing facility in Willimantic, CT, a generous donation of $10,000 was made to UConn’s Office of Sustainability in order to support a graduate fellowship focused on zero waste efforts. The Zero Waste Program Coordinator will play a key role in advancing UConn’s Zero Waste efforts. The coordinator will work closely with students, faculty, staff, and sustainability partners to implement strategies that reduce waste and promote circular economy principles across campus. They will also provide first-level leadership over the Thrift Den (UConn’s free store) and the Thrift Den Interns.

Casella processes UConn Storrs’ recyclables, and their updated facility will now be able to double the amount of cans, paper, and glass recycled in a year! In addition to the upgraded sorting machinery, Casella also partnered with Eversource to enhance the facility’s electrical efficiency and minimize its energy usage.

Thank you Casella for supporting zero waste efforts at UConn!