Brown and Green
The Office of Sustainability Newsletter
Return to School
“On behalf of Brown’s Office of Sustainability, I would like to wish everyone a healthy and happy new year. Over the past year, we have made great strides enhancing sustainability at Brown. Most notably with the completion of Brown’s greenhouse gas inventory, the unveiling of a new Office of Sustainability webpage, and with the continued implementation of the Sustainability Strategic Plan - check back in the new year for Strategic Plan progress updates on the sustainability website.
Please enjoy our first newsletter of the academic year and happy holidays!”
Jessica Berry, Director, Office of Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY EVENTS
Earth Week
This year Brown University will be celebrating Earth Week during the week surrounding Earth Day, April 22. The Office of Sustainability will be hosting several events to celebrate the Earth and showcase how we can do our part to protect it against climate change. The office will also be sharing event information from student groups and other departments. The schedule for Earth Week at Brown is still being created; if you have an event you’d like to be included in the schedule please submit the information in the form below.
Winter Compost Volunteering
The Office of Sustainability is excited for composting to resume in the front-of-house at Sharpe Refectory this spring! Volunteers will teach diners how to compost properly and help reduce excess waste going into Rhode Island’s landfill. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome to volunteer in exchange for dining hall vouchers.
NEWS @ BROWN
Sustainability Updates From Campus
In March of 2021, Brown released it's first Sustainability Strategic Plan. In Phase II of this plan, a series of working groups are being convened to address key commitments and special areas of focus. The Scope 3 committee had it's kickoff meeting in November while the Community Engagement, Human Health, and Education working groups will have their first meetings in January of 2022. Additional committees will be formed as Brown progresses towards a goal of net-zero by 2040.
BEYOND BROWN
Sustainability News You Might Have Missed!
Capturing Carbon Dioxide from the Atmosphere
A Swiss company opened the largest Direct Air Capture (DAC) plant in the world on September 8, 2021 in Iceland. The plant is expected to remove approximately 870 cars worth of carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere annually.
DAC plants are a relatively new technology, but many are optimistic that they will be a valuable tool in the fight for the climate.
Swiss startup Climeworks builds machines that draw CO2 from the atmosphere. Image: Climeworks
Recycling Plant in Nigeria Turns Old Tires into Floor Tiles
Nigerian entrepreneur Ifedolapo Runsewe is the founder of Freetown Waste Management Recycling Ltd., a recycling plant that turns old tires into floor tiles. During the rainy season, discarded tires can collect sitting water and become an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. By recycling the tires, the plant helps to reuse the rubber from tires and helps to mitigate mosquito-borne disease in the communities it serves.
SUSTAINABILITY TIPS
Learn How We Can Do Our Part!
Recycle Electronics:
Electronics release toxic chemicals into the air, water, and soil as they degrade in landfills. Instead of throwing outdated electronics away, find appropriate recycling centers near you to donate or safely dispose of older technology. For more information on e-waste disposal at Brown, please visit the Office of Sustainability website.
Shop Sustainably:
Bring reusable bags to carry purchases when grocery shopping; not only do they cut down on waste, but they also make it easier to carry heavier goods! If you forget your reusable bags on a shopping trip, consider asking for paper bags instead of non-biodegradable plastic ones.
Save Energy and Costs:
Turning off nonessential lights and electronics at home is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and reduce energy costs. As an added benefit, setting your computer and cell phone to power saver mode also optimizes your device's longevity.
Reduce Waste:
Utilize reusable cups, utensils, and straws even while you're on the go! Many coffee shops and fast food restaurants allow you to fill up your own cup with your drink of choice. It's also easy to carry a portable straw and utensil set in your bag or car for food on-the-go instead of using single use plastic options.
LOCAL VENDOR SPOTLIGHT
Refried Apparel
Refried Apparel, a new product line found in the Brown Bookstore is “distinctly refreshing and ridiculously sustainable.” It all began when co-founder Lisa Litos wanted to transform piles of dead stock inventory from retail stores into reimagined and reinvented clothing styles. As Litos developed her extensive line of clothing in her garage, she and co-founder Mark Litos, were encouraged to launch their own sustainable apparel brand.
Today, Refried Apparel is growing rapidly, with many pro sports teams, colleges, corporations, resorts, and brands adopting the designs, including MLB, NFL, Fenway Park Bag Collection, and Girl Scouts of the USA. Mark Litos hopes their brand of unique, sustainable clothing made in the United States, will encourage other companies to upcycle and make a positive environmental impact. You can now purchase the Refried Apparel brand at the Brown Bookstore and select from a wide range of products and designs, such as duffle bags, jackets, sweatshirts, and flannels, to name a few.
RESEARCH @ BROWN
Understanding Social and Natural System Changes that Influence Decisions in the New Arctic Project
The continuing loss of the Arctic cryosphere provides challenges, but also opportunities such as: newly accessible mineral and hydrocarbon resources, more efficient routes for shipping, and self-determination for Arctic Indigenous peoples. Indeed, having shipborne trade move across the Arctic, between Europe and Asia, could drastically reduce the fuel and carbon-intensive demands of international trade.
Dr. Amanda Lynch and colleagues are trying to document and understand strategic planning for development in the Arctic that will enable opportunities for a variety of stakeholders. Their research focuses on four distinct research topics: Navigating the New Arctic, Fast Ice, Water Management in Arid Lands, and Indegenous Ways of Knowing. The team uses a multidisciplinary analysis of economic potentials, infrastructure needs, climate change impacts, and evolving approaches to Artic management and sovereignty.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE RESOURCES
A study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Christopher Tessum has shown that people of color in the United States are consistently exposed to higher levels of ambient air pollution. The study claims a clear systematic disparity across the U.S. in nearly all major emission categories, regardless of income, rural or urban environments, state of residence, and levels of exposure. Air pollution is a major and potentially deadly health risk worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, ambient or outdoor air pollutants cause about 4.2 million deaths globally each year.
OS SUGGESTS
Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard shares the story of his life, the early days of Patagonia, and his approach for running his company sustainably: “[Patagonia] exists to put into action those recommendations that all the doomsday books on the health of our home planet say we must do immediately to avoid the certain destruction of nature and collapse of our civilization.”
Image: Patagonia