BROWN AND GREEN
A Quarterly Newsletter from the Brown Office of Sustainability
Return to School
"2020 has brought many challenges and we recognize the impact it has had on our community. As we return to classes and offices, whether it be on-campus or in our homes, we do so with intention and awareness of our personal and collective choices. As a community we choose to continue our commitment to creating a safe, healthy, and sustainable community. We will move forward with our plans to mitigate the effects of climate change, continue to educate ourselves and others about environmental injustices, and support our students, staff, and faculty in every way possible. We welcome you back to Brown with a sense of hope, resolve, and commitment to keep moving forward."
Jessica Berry, Director, Office of Sustainability
Sustainability Resources
Brown University Tree Map
The Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with Facilities Management’s Grounds Division, developed a new map that identifies interesting and special trees around campus. View the tree map from home or pull it up on your phone as you walk through campus. You’ll learn the tree’s scientific names, carbon sequestration factor, and fun facts.
Printable Resources for Office, Dorm Room, and Home
Do you need a how-to recycling guide to help teach your kids how to sort their waste? Maybe you’re looking for water conservation information to remind yourself to turn off the sink when brushing. Better yet, how about a poster detailing sustainable modes of transportation to hang in the office? The Office of Sustainability has you covered! Click below for PowerPoint trainings, printable posters, and brochures.
NEWS @ BROWN
Sustainability Updates From Campus
Phase II of Brown’s Strategic Sustainability Plan on the Horizon
In an effort spanning over a year, Director of Sustainability, Jessica Berry, Assistant Provost of Sustainability, Stephen Porder, and Dean of the School of Professional Studies, Leah VanWey led the charge to define and document the University’s sustainability priorities in Brown’s first Sustainability Plan. Students, staff, and faculty provided critical input and feedback to ensure the plan is representative of the Brown community. Phase I of the plan is expected to be approved in fall 2020; and in the meantime, planning for phase II - implementation, has begun.
The plan identifies five key priority areas: greenhouse gas reduction, nutrient pollution, human health, water, and biodiversity. Two other sections address the importance of strengthening educational and community engagement opportunities in sustainability. Additionally, recognizing that environmental justice touches all aspects of sustainability, environmental justice has been threaded throughout the entirety of the plan.
Office of Sustainability Hiring Undergraduate Interns
Applications are now open for undergraduate internships in Brown’s Office of Sustainability. The office is looking for students who are interested in pushing sustainability work at Brown and who possess a high level of motivation, organization, and communication skills. Interns will support Strategic Sustainability Plan working groups, plan events, develop social media and newsletter content, and more. For more information and to apply, visit Workday. The application will close on Wednesday, September 16th at 11:59 pm.
BEYOND BROWN
Climate News You Might Have Missed!
Death Valley Beats Record for Highest Temperature Ever Recorded
Last month temperatures at the Death Valley National Park in California peaked at a blistering 130 degrees Fahrenheit. It was so hot that those in the valley couldn’t feel or see the sweat on their skin before it evaporated. The temperature on August 16th, 2020 now holds the record for highest (reliably-calculated) temperature ever recorded on Earth.
Seven percent of the Earth set new heat records in June and the Arctic saw its first 100F day in the same month. While it took roughly 5,000 years for the planet to warm from 4-7 degrees celsius after the last Ice Age, the Earth’s temperature has risen 0.7 degrees celsius, “roughly ten times faster than the average rate of ice-age-recovery warming,” in the past century. The planet is warming and with it comes extremes and more records; now is the time for action.
SUSTAINABILITY TIPS
FOR SCHOOL OPENING
How We Can Do Our Part!
Opt-in for rented books and reusable notebooks from the Brown Bookstore.
Even though dining options are take-out, that doesn’t mean your containers have to go to waste! Rinse them out and reuse as soap dishes or paperclip holders. And at the very least, remember that ALL flat plastic including lids, straws, and utensils go in the trash.
Instead of purchasing back to school supplies from large online retailers, become a patron of your local stores which have likely suffered during the pandemic.
Branch out and try the plant-based option from dining services - those chefs really know how to make some tasty plant-based meals!
Keep yourself and those around you safe by wearing a reusable mask. A few trendy reusable, washable masks take the place of hundreds of disposables that would end up in the landfill.
LOCAL PARTNER SPOTLIGHT:
Since 2007, the University has partnered with RIPTA to provide Brown community members with free access to public transportation services anywhere in the state. With a swipe of an ID, staff, faculty, and students can travel to the beaches of Newport, grocery stores around the state, the Providence mall and train station, and more.
This program has helped to alleviate the stress and economic impact of owning or borrowing a vehicle and it's made commuting to school and work easier and more enjoyable. Not to mention, increased usage of public transit has decreased our community's carbon footprint. A recent study involving Brown's planning department revealed that Brown is the largest patron of RIPTA, helping to fund an important service for all Rhode Islanders.
RIPTA has implemented new precautions to keep riders and drivers safe during the pandemic. New contactless payment options are available to riders, buses are cleaned every day per CDC guidelines, and RIPTA follows strict state guidelines regarding capacity.
RESEARCH @ BROWN
Pollution and its Effects on Cognitive Health
Brown University’s postdoctoral research fellow, Erin Kulick, recently authored a study connecting pollution with cognitive decline in older adults. The study involved two ethnically-diverse community samples of people in Northern Manhattan, both with average ages above 70. Dr. Kulick and the research team found that the participants living in areas with higher concentrations of these pollutants “performed worse on several measures of cognition and experienced more rapid cognitive decline.” The researches posit that even a small decline in ambient air pollution could have real, positive effects on cognitive health.
The Media Slant on Climate Change
New research shows that more media coverage is allotted to organizations taking a stand against climate change versus their pro-climate action peers. Rechel Wetts, assistant professor in Brown’s sociology department, analyzed three decades of climate-change coverage and found that “14% of press releases opposing climate action or denying the science behind climate change received major national news coverage, compared to about 7% of press releases with pro-climate action messages.” The study suggests that this difference could account for an increased ambivalence towards the reality of climate change among Americans as opposed to their peers in other Western countries.
Environmental Justice Resources
The Climate Equity Act Focuses on Environmental Justice
In early August, Senator Kamala Harris and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Climate Equity Act (CEA) which prioritizes the environmental health of low-income communities of color in climate action efforts. The CEA creates opportunities for communities of color to engage in the government decision-making process. The bill petitions for a new Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Accountability within the White House and it sets a requirement that "the federal government rate the effect [of] every environmental legislation or regulation" on low-income communities.
Grab some popcorn and enjoy a family friendly movie night with Wall-E. The movie envisions a dystopian future Earth that is polluted and trashed. Robots Wall-E and EVE are left to clean up the mess and remind us of our responsibility to consume and pollute less.
Check out TIME Magazine's recent July issue on climate change. Read about the pandemic's impact on global emissions, the connections between the climate movement and historic injustices in low-income communities, and the call to action to save our oceans and waterways.
Devotions, a collection of poems from world renowned poet Mary Oliver, is an ode to the natural world and its curiosities. Her poems detail the connections between all living things and the joy she finds in her observations.
