Wesleyan University
ER-T2-1: Student Group

Wesleyan's Environmental Organizers' Network (EON) acts as an umbrella group for all sustainability-focused student constituencies on campus, including student groups, residence halls, program houses, and the student government. EON organizes campus-wide events, including Earth Day celebration and trips to Washington, D.C, and publishes Green Scene, a weekly newsletter of campus sustainability stories and events. EON aims to provide an inclusive framework for any student interested in sustainability issues and happenings in the Wesleyan community. EON has been the launching pad for many student groups on campus, which focus on multiple aspects of sustainability. WILD Wes (Working for Intelligent Landscape Design at Wesleyan) aims to develop an alternative to the water-, chemical fertilizer-, and pesticide-intensive conventional lawn cover that dominates university campuses and much of the United States. The group strives towards landscapes that reflect a commitment to economic, social, and ecological sustainability. This commitment is embodied primarily in the practice of permaculture: a design philosophy and system that looks the structures and relationships found in nature as models for creating diverse, stable, productive systems. WILD Wes' landscape design systems use no non-renewable fuels, integrate a variety of native plant species and environments, and work to be virtually self-sustaining. WesBikes is a student-run program that rents bikes to students on a semester basis. Often, students who live far from campus cannot transport their bikes to Wesleyan. This program offers a fast and low-carbon way of transportation at a low rate. Middletown Urban Gardens is a coalition of students working with the North End Action Team (a local non-profit) to establish new community gardens and promote healthy eating in low-income areas Middletown. MUG leads the design process and provides the necessary materials for new gardens, but empowers Middletown residents to be the primary stewards and users of the land. WesFRESH is dedicated to raising food consciousness by examining the environmental, political, social, and ethical impacts of what we eat. WesFRESH organizes events on campus to promote awareness of issues of food policy, justice, sovereignty, and security. WesFRESH works to unite student groups such as Long Lane Farm, Wesleyan Farmers' Market, and EON to create a community of food lovers and activists. WesFRESH also works with Bon Appetit and the Real Food Challenge to ensure the availability of local and sustainably produced food to all Wesleyan students. WesCycle is responsible for the set-up and management of 3 bike generators that offer a sustainable power alternative for events. WesCFPA (Wesleyan Connecticut Forest & Park Association) maintains trails across Connecticut (members are specifically responsible for a handicap-accessible trail nearby) and promotes environmental conservation. The group manages events, which include film screenings, expositions and lectures, and collaborates with other groups on campus. WesCFPA reaches out to the community through hikes with the mentors from NEAT (North End Action Team, an outreach organization) and elementary students. Working closely with the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, WesCFPA volunteers create strong and lasting community partnerships through hands-on experiences. Climate Ambassadors aims to engage the Wesleyan community in activism, education, and discussion around climate justice.

Middletown Urban Gardens planted over 400 flower bulbs in the Ferry St. garden site with the help of residents and began construction on 20 new 32 square foot raised vegetable beds in the Ferry St. site. WILD Wes’s first project, beginning in the summer of 2010, was the design and implementation of a Permaculture-inspired sustainable landscape on a 0.8 acre courtyard in the center of Wesleyan’s campus. At the end of the 2012-2013 academic year, the formerly barren and denuded site will be home to more than 20 trees and hundreds of edible or regenerative plant species.The site includes a gravity-fed rainwater catchment system, pathways lined with solar lighting, and five major ecosystems: a large public social space covered with no-mow, trample-resistant ground cover; a native wildflower meadow, a shrub and berry thicket, an Edible Forest Garden, and a native mimic of the Connecticut forest ecosystem. WILD Wes is currently preparing site analyses and designs of other areas on Wesleyan University’s campus in preparation for the development of a second sustainable landscape site. WesFRESH successfully campaigned for more sustainable food options on campus and persuaded President Michael Roth to sign the Real Food Campus Commitment. This nationwide commitment pledges colleges and universities to buy 20% real food, defined as ""local/community-based, fair, ecologically sound, and/or humane"" by 2020. The commitment aims to get colleges and universities to use their purchasing power to support a healthy food system that strengthens local economies, respects human rights, ensures ecological sustainability, and facilitates community involvement and education. WesCycle launched in Spring 2012. Its bike generators have been used to power a number of events, including concerts, film screenings, blenders for smoothies, and even a waffle iron.