Monthly Newsletter
December 2016

A Message to the Princeton Community

As we near the close of the 2016 calendar year and begin to look toward 2017, I feel it is important to acknowledge the change in the national landscape around the sustainability issues that knit all of us together. The sustainability field is built on the core principle of evidence-based decision-making on behalf of human and environmental health and vitality, for the long term. Perhaps the most important thing we can do as a community is renew our commitment to evidence-based inquiry and continue to advance the campus as an exemplar of what sustainable living and working looks like, and to do so knowing that hundreds of other campuses around the country are also doing the same. The momentum in the sustainability field is formidable across multiple sectors, including higher education, and local/regional action is clearly where that momentum will have the most agency in coming years. The pendulum will swing in some spheres, but our work remains the same and, with your continued partnership, we will stay the course.
On behalf of the Office of Sustainability team, we feel immensely fortunate to be working with all of you. I am personally extremely grateful for everything each of you does. Your wisdom, thoughtfulness, ideas, intense conversations, compassion, actions in your spheres of influence, and your kindness. We look forward to continuing to walk this path with each of you.
With warm regard,
Shana S. Weber, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Sustainability

Did You Know?
You can donate gently used winter gloves and hats at the GreenSpace Kiosk in the Frist Campus Center.
Learn more
One of the greatest challenges to mixed recycling is the increased potential for contamination.
News and Updates
The Power of Perception: Studying Sustainability Contradictions on Campus
In 2015, the Office of Sustainability evaluated sustainability contradictions on campus by surveying staff and students. The survey was administered by using a free, online wiki survey tool called All Our Ideas, which was created by Professor Matthew Salganik from the Department of Sociology. The data has revealed areas rich with opportunity to develop initiatives that align campus practices with sustainability principles, as well as where there are mismatches between perception and reality. 
New Spring 2017 Course ENV 200: Environmental Nexus
Learn about the new undergraduate Environmental Studies course developed by  Stephen Pacala, the Frederick D. Petrie Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and former director of the Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI).

Faculty Spotlight: Elke Weber
Elke Weber, a behavioral scientist, is the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, and professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University. Weber is jointly appointed to the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and the Department of Psychology. 
EcoReps Attend Student Zero Waste Conference 
On November 12, three  EcoReps  traveled to Durham, New Hampshire to attend the Students for Zero Waste (SZW) Conference organized by the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN). Amber Lin '19, Maj Halaweh '19 and Cecilia Shang '18 share their thoughts and takeaways from the conference in this Q&A.

Princeton Garden Project Hiring Garden Managers
Apply to be a Garden Manager!  There are three open positions with the  Princeton Garden Project . The group's mission is to educate the campus and community about the American food system, and its implications for the environment, our health, culture and the future. Applications are due January 7, 2017.

Princeton Research Day 2017
Applications are being accepted for presenters at the 2017  Princeton Research Day. This will be the  second annual campus-wide celebration of research and creative endeavors by the University's undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and other nonfaculty researchers. The event, to be held The May 11, 2017, offers an opportunity for student and early career researchers and artists to share their work with the community through talks, posters, performances, art exhibitions, demonstrations and digital presentations. Topics will represent the range of research across the University, including the natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, and arts and humanities. The application deadline is Feb. 20.  Apply today!
Art Museum Finds Success with Solar-Powered Vehicles
The Princeton University Art Museum recently purchased solar panels to power two low speed vehicles (LSV) for staff use between the Art Museum, Alexander Street offices and other locations in town. With support from the  High Meadows Foundation Sustainability Fund , the Museum was able to make a purchasing choice that was significantly more environmentally-friendly than purchasing and regularly charging the vehicles. 

Princeton Sustainability Leader Profile
Alumni: Kelsey Kane-Ritsch '16

Read our Q&A with Kelsey, a Project 55 Fellow and Charles Evans Future Conservation Leader at D&R Greenway Land Trust.
Campus as Lab Corner

Contribute to Campus as Lab:

Have you ever wondered whether a campus system or process could be improved, but didn’t know where to start? Feel free to send any Campus as Lab research question ideas to Caroline Savage, Campus as Lab Manager (cs35@princeton.edu). Even if your question isn’t in your field, or it’s an incomplete thought, knowing who is asking what questions allows us to connect people across campus with similar interests and passions.

Students! Get Involved in Campus as Lab Next Year:

Consider signing up for one of several classes being offered next semester with a Campus as Lab focus. Learn more about how you can incorporate sustainability problem-solving in your coursework.  

Interested, but your class schedule is already full? 

There is also a summer internship opportunity with the Princeton University Art Museum involving an interdisciplinary data visualization project that will track the environmental impact of the museum’s 2018 exhibition “Nature’s Nation: American Art and Environment."
Upcoming Events

Thursdays 10:00am to 3:00pm
December 15, 2016
January 12, 2017
February 9, 2017
March 9, 2017
April 13, 2017
Location:  Princeton Public Library, Community Room

Thursday, January 19, 2017 -  7:00pm to 8:30pm
Location:  Princeton Public Library, Community Room

Friday, January 27, 2017 -  9:00am to 4:00pm
Location:  NJIT Campus Center, the Atrium 150 Bleeker Street Newark, NJ 07102

Princeton Research Day
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Location: Frist Campus Center