Did you know that October is campus sustainability month? The University of New Hampshire is proud to be rated STARS platinum for top campus sustainability performance by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. You'll see this leadership and mission in action everywhere you go at UNH.
Our main campus is powered by 100% renewable energy and our three dining halls are 3-star green certified for meeting the highest standards of energy efficiency and waste reduction. Plus, UNH was the first campus *in the country* to receive the USEPA ENERGY STAR rating for its residence halls. I got to talk to a few UNH sustainability advocates to learn more about how Wildcats go green.
Student Organizations
First off, student organizations play a huge role in campus sustainability efforts. Madelyn Bradley '23 is a member of Slow Food. As the name suggests, the group advocates for student eating habits that are the opposite of fast food. "We focus on the idea of good, clean and fair. It means the food that you're eating makes you feel good because at the end of the day it's just fuel," says Bradley. The concept of "good, clean and fair" also involves lowering one's intake of processed foods and making sure that the people working where your food comes from have fair wages and livable conditions.
Bradley explains, "The founders of Slow Food thought that food culture was developing in a way where people were just so disconnected from what they were eating, and that we were losing the culture of food bringing people together to form a community."
To counteract that trend, Slow Food UNH uses food to bring students together again. They host the popular winter farmer's market at the Memorial Union Building and frequently host guest speakers; sometimes, they even just listen to podcasts together about healthy and intuitive eating habits. Slow Food UNH meets Wednesday evenings at 6pm in the Memorial Union Building.
Academic and Professional Opportunities
UNH's Changemaker Collaborative offers students a whole host of unique academic and professional opportunities, including one of the few dual majors in sustainability in the country. One life-changing program is the Changemaker Fellowship, which is open by application to all admitted students. The Changemaker Fellowship brings together students from across majors and colleges who are interested in working on sustainability issues, and it comes with pre-acceptance to UNH's signature Semester in the City internship.
The B Impact Clinic also works to create a greener community. Focused on experiential learning, students at the clinic work with brands like Bristol and L. L. Bean to increase their efficiency and work in the industry they are interested in. Applications for spring semester participation are open through November 1st!
Fiona Wilson, deputy chief sustainability officer, took time to speak with me about UNH's Sustainability Institute. For over 25 years the Sustainability Institute has aimed to supplement student's education by giving them the tools they need to explore any academic interests they may have through the lens of the current state of our environment. "We're a catalyst for the campus' overarching sustainability," Wilson says. "Students can take what they've learned in the classroom and really hone their skills in real-world settings – leading to jobs and additional internships."
UNH also offers a dual major in ecogastronomy, the study of the interaction between humans and food production. I spoke with Dan Winans, UNH alum and director of the program.
"I think sometimes I spend way too much time thinking about food, but others think about it way too little," Winans says. His goal is to have the dual major link with a student's primary major and also help them become an overall better food citizen. It's another great example of the all-around importance UNH places on sustainability efforts.
Housing and Dining
Speaking of food, UNH dining halls understand the importance of farm to table eating. As much as possible, they source ingredients locally (they post this information on the daily menus located on the UNH app) and even from the student-run organic farms right on campus. They also have the "take less, waste less" campaign to curb food waste in dining halls. Food waste is pulped and then composted, and even cooking oils are saved and converted into biodiesel fuel to power campus farm equipment and greenhouses. Refrigerators are air-cooled to reduce water waste and cleaning is done with environmentally-friendly products.
If you're an incoming first-year student, you can get involved in sustainability efforts right away through your residence hall! The Sustainability Advocates work with their respective hall council on sustainability initiatives and plan socials that educate their living and learning communities. There are so many ways to get involved!
"When students choose to come to UNH, they're voting with their feet in a way," says Wilson.
She's right! Wildcats care about the earth!
