VCU news

By Patrick Kane

Although the leaves are turning gold this month, the Virginia Commonwealth University campus will celebrate going green.

Campus Sustainability Day, to be held Friday, Oct. 23, on the University Student Commons Plaza, is just one of the many events and projects underway at VCU’s Office of Sustainability.

The event aims to spread awareness about the steps VCU is taking to create a more sustainable campus and contribute to a healthy environment. These efforts include pursuing aggressive recycling efforts, adopting LEED green building standards and reducing electricity and water usage.

Activities will take place 10 a.m.–2 p.m. with the Byrd House Market, VCU Learning Gardens Program, the Wellness Resource Center, VCU RamPantry, Green Unity and VCU Police (which will be handling bike registrations) among the agencies, student groups and departments taking part.

Erin Stanforth, director of sustainability at VCU, and Parker Long, sustainability reporting and outreach coordinator, discussed what’s going green at VCU.

What’s new for this annual event? 

This year we have a new theme for Campus Sustainability Day—sustainable food. We are working with VCU Aramark Catering to bring in local, seasonal food to have at the event, as well as bringing local farms to provide information for students on buying or, better yet, growing, local, in-season food as well as information on why that is important.

Why focus on local food this year? 

This year Campus Sustainability Day is partnering with the Wellness Resource Center to promote the national initiative, Food Day. We thought it would be a great opportunity to increase awareness for Food Day as well as a theme for Campus Sustainability Day we have not yet celebrated.

What are some of the other events taking place?

We will also be holding a “Cooking in Your Residence Hall Room” workshop on how to cook and eat sustainably with only the items you can have in your residence hall room — a microwave and rice cooker — date and time TBD.

We are also excited to have our first-ever kombucha and fermenting workshop Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Globe Kitchen (West Grace Street Student Housing – North). We will provide the supplies for 15 students to make their own kombucha tea and sauerkraut, but if all the spots are filled we still invite anyone to come to learn and make their own at home?. If you would like to sign up for the workshop, fill out the survey here: http://goo.gl/forms/8lB1iFiDIs.

What’s new with the Office of Sustainability?

So much has changed in our office in the past year. We are very excited to be on the Monroe Park Campus now, at the corner of Grace and Belvidere in the RamBikes building. We have a brand-new website we have worked very hard to create, sustainability.vcu.edu, and we are getting close to completing VCU's first-ever sustainability plan. This plan will guide VCU's sustainability initiatives for the next three to five years. Come by and check our new office out and keep your eyes on our website, where we will roll out the sustainability plan in the next few months.

What projects and initiatives can the VCU community look for in the future?

We are so ecstatic to share that our office will be building a learning garden on the Monroe Park Campus behind the Cary Street Parking Deck. Monroe Park has needed a garden for a long time and it is starting to come together to begin construction soon.

This garden will be different from the Community Garden on the MCV Campus in that plots will not be available to rent. This garden will focus on having a high output of food to be donated to RamPantry, the Center for High Blood Pressure and other people in need in the community. This garden will also serve as a teaching space for volunteers to learn about building, maintaining and growing a garden.

What’s a simple way folks can “think green” as we head into the winter?

The easiest, and really the best, way to think sustainability as we head into the chilly seasons is to dress for the weather. We suggest warm sweaters and layers to keep you warm, instead of turning up the heat. A warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate can warm you up just as well as a space heater, so try that first.

Subscribe for free to the weekly VCU News email newsletter at http://newsletter.news.vcu.edu/ and receive a selection of stories, videos, photos, news clips and event listings in your inbox every Thursday.