5X and the Office of Sustainability kicked off Campus Sustainability Month with the Kent Green Energy Ohio Tour, a self-guided tour through different sites around Kent and Portage County, on Oct. 1. The tour included a stop in downtown Kent at the Kent Clean Transportation Cruise-In, an event that featured alternative fuel vehicles (electric vehicles and hybrid models) and highlighted local transportation options available to everyone.
Additionally, Jerry T. Fiala, mayor of Kent and president of Kent City Council, has declared October 2017 as Sustainability Month in a proclamation signed last week “in recognition of the positive impact such events and initiatives have on the quality of life in our community.”
Campus Sustainability Month, organized by the (AASHE), celebrates college and university sustainability achievements while raising awareness of the value of sustainability in higher education. Kent State’s Office of Sustainability will host various events throughout the month of October for students, faculty and community members.
“This month is an opportunity for campuses around the country and beyond to raise awareness about sustainability and learn from each other’s accomplishments and successes,” says Melanie Knowles, manager for Kent State’s Office of Sustainability.
In addition to the tour and cruise-in, Kent State’s Office of Sustainability is raising awareness of sustainability accomplishments at various events throughout the month:
Fifth Annual Bra Recycling Drive, Oct. 1-Nov. 6
Kent State’s Office of Sustainability and the Women’s Center are hosting a bra recycling drive from Oct. 1 through Nov. 6. Anyone can come to either the Women’s Center or the Office of Sustainability to drop off their washed and clean bras any time from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
These bras will be donated to the Portage County Clothing Center. October also is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so along with the bra recycling drive, the Women's Center offers mammogram screenings to Kent State employees and students in October. Screenings also occur in April.
“A lot of clothing ends up in landfills; and while there are clothing donation sites, this still only captures a fraction of what could be captured,” Ms. Knowles says. “The company we send the bras to, The Bra Recyclers LLC, runs a similar campaign. This is an opportunity to collect bras, but also ties in very well with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”
Fifth Annual Kent State Water and Land Symposium, Oct. 4 and 5
The fifth annual Kent State Water and Land Symposium will take place at the 5X Hotel and Conference Center and provide a forum for today’s understandings of natural systems and innovative design approaches for improving cities and society.
The event, presented by Kent State’s College of Arts and Science, features Tim Beatley, a well-known researcher and author. The topics covered during this forum include conservation/recreation, living materials/fabrication and sustainable/urbanism.
Registration is free and open to everyone.
Learn more and register for the Kent State Water and Land Syposium
PRiME Time Thursday Snapchat
PRiME Time Thursday takes over the College of Business Administration’s Snapchat every Thursday to highlight a sustainable development goal and explain how the business community is helping. Follow on Snapchat to see.
Football Game Day Challenge, Oct. 14
The Game Day Challenge is a national competition between colleges and universities to promote waste reduction and recycling at football and basketball games. Schools track and report waste and recycling data that is used for Game Day Challenge.
Kent State’s Game Day Challenge will take place during the Homecoming game on Oct. 14.
The True Cost Documentary Showing and Q&A Panelist Discussion, Oct. 26
The last event of the month is The True Cost documentary that will be shown from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. The True Cost is a documentary film that makes students question who really pays the price for the clothes they have.
After the viewing of the documentary, there will be a question-and-answer period with experts in the area of fashion and sustainability.
“The panelists include fashion faculty Noël Palomo-Lovinsky and William Perrine and a representative of the County Clothing Center,” Ms. Knowles says.
The Fashion School Fabric Scrap Display
Kent State’s Fashion School will be piloting a fabric scrap recycling program this year. During the 2017 Fall Semester, all the fabric scraps the Fashion School generates will be on display in the second floor lobby. Examples of faculty upcycled design garments are also included in the display case.
College of Business Administration's Responsible Leadership Initiative
Kent State’s College of Business Administration’s Responsible Leadership Initiative promotes business as a force for good. The initiative demonstrates through practice and research how business can drive achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established in 2016 by the United Nations Global Compact. The Responsible Leadership Initiative is supported by the College of Business Administration’s core values of respect, ethics, collaboration and a sense of purpose in all you do. The college introduced the Responsible Leadership Initiative in fall 2017 after becoming an advanced signatory to Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and an associate member of the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) in spring 2017.
Something for Everyone
The Office of Sustainability encourages everyone to check out and attend the events occurring during Campus Sustainability Month. For more information, visit the Office of Sustainability website.