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To make summer barbecues more eco-friendly, consider these tips

For �Ա���Ƶ’s Reunion, which hosted over 2,000 alumni, the university made the event more sustainable by using biodegradable utensils, cups, plates, and napkins, preventing plastic waste that could take over 500 years to decompose. Food and biodegradable materials now break down in about six months. All recyclables were collected, and student volunteers helped alumni distinguish between recyclable and biodegradable items. Minimal trash was generated, mostly ice cream wrappers and hand wipes. The effort aimed for a near zero-landfill Reunion and educated attendees about sustainability, with plans to make future reunions even greener.

�Ա���Ƶ’s Sustainability Office is hiring student interns for the Green Raider Program for the 2016–2017 academic year. Green Raiders work up to 12 hours per week to promote sustainable living on campus, especially in residence halls, through education, events, social media, and peer-to-peer outreach.

The first �Ա���Ƶ Community Garden work party of the season was a success. Students planted watermelons, cantaloupes, pumpkins, and winter squash, mulched tomato rows, painted tires for planters, and decorated rocks during a brief rain. Volunteers enjoyed a fresh meal afterward. Good Nature Brewery celebrated their groundbreaking near the garden, with plans for a brewery, taproom, beer garden, and hop farm—promising a future partnership with the garden. The garden is now fully planted, and the first farm stand will be held Tuesday, the 14th, 5:30–6:30 PM on Broad Street, offering lettuce, spinach, kale, radishes, and herbs.

The first official 2016 work party at the �Ա���Ƶ Community Garden took place on May 4, with about 15 participants completing tasks like planting potatoes and seeds, adding pansies to the vertical garden, and mulching walkways. Volunteers enjoyed treats from Hamilton Eatery afterward.

The �Ա���Ƶ Community Garden is active for the 2016 season, with planting underway for a wide variety of vegetables including potatoes, radishes, lettuce, peas, carrots, squash, tomatoes, and more—thanks in part to seedlings from Sam Stradling of the Hamilton Food Cupboard. Community Plot Members have also begun planting in their raised beds, including creative potato towers and grid-style layouts. The garden is preparing for Good Nature Brewery’s new brewery and hops farm next door, which required relocating the garden shed and creating a new entrance. Volunteers are welcome during Open Hours (Tuesdays 12–2 PM, Thursdays 4:30–6:30 PM), and the first work party of the season is scheduled for June 7, 5–7 PM, with food and drinks provided. The garden looks forward to harvesting and selling produce at the Farm Stand by the end of June.

On April 21, student and community volunteers gathered at the �Ա���Ƶ Community Garden as part of the 13 Days of Green events. They built a new 2’ x 20’ x 12” raised bed inside the greenhouse using local larch lumber and filled it with topsoil, prepared other beds with compost and manure, and spray-painted old tires to repurpose as flower planters. The day ended with snacks, drinks, and camaraderie, marking a productive and enjoyable volunteer effort.

The upcoming Spring Party Weekend (SPW) at �Ա���Ƶ raises sustainability concerns due to the large amounts of food, plastic water bottles, and beer can waste. Suggestions to reduce this impact include donating leftover food to the Hamilton Food Cupboard, providing more visible recycling bins for bottles and cans, and considering the use of reusable kegs instead of single-use beer cans, though cups would still be needed. Proper planning and awareness could align SPW with �Ա���Ƶ’s climate neutrality goals, making it a model for sustainable campus events.

Meatless Monday encourages people to skip meat one day a week to help the environment. Large-scale meat production significantly harms the planet by contributing 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, including potent methane, and by using enormous amounts of water—for example, producing one pound of beef requires about 1,840 gallons. Choosing plant-based meals, even one day a week, helps reduce climate impact and conserve water resources, making it an easy way to support environmental sustainability.

The Clean Power Plan, announced in 2015, aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants—the largest source of greenhouse gases—and shift U.S. energy toward cleaner, sustainable sources. States were required to submit plans by 2018, with the first real emission reductions in 2022. Recently, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 stay, pausing the plan after some states challenged the EPA’s authority, though the EPA maintains it is acting within its legal rights. The case will go to appeals court in June.