Campus Sustainability Month 2021

Kent State University is proud to participate in Campus Sustainability Month throughout October. This annual event, hosted by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), celebrates higher education sustainability achievements while raising awareness of the value of sustainability in higher education. During Campus Sustainability Month, institutions around the world engage and inspire incoming students and other campus stakeholders to become leaders for sustainability and celebrate successes.

We hope you will join as we celebrate our sustainability successes during #CampusSustainabilityMonth and throughout the rest of the year!

VIEW AASHE'S CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY MONTH INFO

Join us for a celebration of Campus Sustainability Month events at Kent State University! With your ideas, support and involvement, campus sustainability advancements will continue throughout the year! We are hosting or are promoting the sustainability-related events occurring during October at Kent State University listed below.

2021 Kent State University Campus Sustainability Month Sustainability-Related Events

  • Bra Recycling Drive
  • Wick Poetry Center & Center for Earth Ethics: Earth Stanza Poem
  • Project Green Challenge
  • OEPA National Recycling Day Virtual Art Show Call for Submissions
  • Aeronautics and Engineering Building Expansion: Groundbreaking Ceremony October 1 
  • Bowman Cup 5k Walk/Run October 2
  • National Solar Tour October 2-3
  • Energy Efficiency Day October 6
  • Women's Center Where do Black Women Go: To be Bad and Boujee October 6
  • LaunchNet Elevator Pitch October 7
  • Kent State Farmers' Market October 12
  • Virtual Addressing Microaggressions October 12
  • AASHE’s Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education (GCSHE) October 12 – 14
  • All the CEO Ladies October 13
  • Community Engaged Learning Alternative Fall Break Oct 14-16
  • World Food Day October 16
  • Prepare for Professionals with Pride October 18
  • Global Climate Change Week October 18-25
  • Virtual Professionals with Pride October 21
  • Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative Fall 2021 Friday Lunch Lectures CUDC Ifeoma Ebo, Shifting Power Through Design October 22
  • Women's Center Feminist Friday: The juggling Act October 22
  • National Prescription Drug Take Back Day October 23
  • Community Engaged Learning Make a Difference Day October 23
  • Visible Mending Workshop with School of Fashion October 26
  • Virtual White Allyship October 27
  • Environmental Science and Design Research Initiative October Events
  • Recreational Services events
  • Kent State of Well-being free online meditation
  • Honors College: Career Conversations
  • Career Exploration and Development Events
  • DI Hub Open Houses
  • The Story of Plastic Free Viewing- September

Sustainability Conferences/ Related Events

 

9th Annual Bra Recycling Drive

Kent State University’s Office of Sustainability, the Women’s Center, and Human Resources Employee Wellness and Health Promotion are hosting a bra recycling drive from October 5 through October 29, to collect reusable or worn-out bras and reduce the number of textiles in landfills. Bras that are in good condition will be donated to the Phyllis Zumkehr County Clothing Center, and worn-out bras will be recycled.

Wick Poetry Center & Center for Earth Ethics: Earth Stanza Poem

The first Earth Day was organized 50 years ago on April 22, 1970, giving birth to the modern environmental movement and engaging more than 190 countries and a billion people worldwide in environmental advocacy. On the occasion of this important anniversary, we have launched Earth Stanzas, eight poems that engage the beauty, depth, and interconnectedness of the Earth and invite readers to respond with their own poetic voice. We also invite readers to use the Wick Poetry Center’s Emerge™ application to create digital erasure poetry from a pool of unusual primary source texts related to the environmental issues. This project was launched by the Wick Poetry Center, in Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences, and the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary.

Project Green Challenge

Starting on October 1, Project Green Challenge will inform, inspire and mobilize high school, college, and grad students worldwide around climate action, public health, sustainability, social justice and advocacy. This powerful and diverse call to action features 30 days of environmentally–themed challenges to touch lives, shift mindsets, and equip students with knowledge, resources and mentorship to lead change on campuses and in communities.

Through conscious living, informed consumption, and individual and collective action, Project Green Challenge (PGC) participants are challenged to envision and work toward the healthy, just, resilient future they want to thrive in.

Each day during the month of October, a uniquely themed challenge will be delivered to registered participants by email at 6 am Pacific Time. Each challenge will be live for 24 hours, inviting students to complete actions, upload deliverables, acquire points and heal the planet. Deliverables include photos, videos, creative artwork and written content uploaded to the PGC site and across Turning Green social platforms. Thoughtfully curated, theme-related prize packages will be awarded daily for outstanding submissions.

At the end of the 30 days, up to 16 PGC Finalists will be selected to join Turning Green for a four-day eco summit from November 18 – 22, 2021. This in-person event will take place in San Francisco (pending Covid protocols). One finalist will be named PGC 2021 Champion and win a $5,000 Green Award based on completing a Climate Action Project, which all Finalists will develop and implement.

OEPA Virtual Art Show Entries for National Recycling Day

Join us November 15, 2021, National Recycling Day and Submit Entries for our Virtual Art Show! The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is seeking Ohio School Students K-12, Ohio EPA employees, Ohio State agencies and family members, and local Ohio Artists, to submit art master pieces containing art made using recycled materials. The art video will be exhibited virtually on Ohio EPA’s website on National Recycling Day November 15th, 2021. Contact Marie Barnett at: marie.barnett@epa.ohio.gov, for more information.

For inspiration, view the 2020 videoThe deadline to submit is October 29, 2021.

Artist Submission Requirements: Title; Artist(s) Name(s); Brief description of materials used and the artwork in general; 1-3 photos of each artwork in taken landscape (horizontal); submit via email and attach images large, original, high-quality to marie.barnett@epa.ohio.gov; permission rights to use images; Reminder: all artwork must be made from recycled materials. Due by 10/29/21 close of business

National Solar Tour

Kent State is part of the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour and part of the ASES local "Ohio Wish You Were Here" tour on October 2-3, 2021. Eight Kent State sites are part of the ASES National Solar Tour. Kent State’s first solar array was a PPA installed on the roof of the Field House at the Kent Campus, which is beyond the campus grid.  At the time it was completed in the summer of 2012, it was the largest, roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) panel electrical system within the University System of Ohio, Kent State now owns that system. In 2020/2021 Kent State added solar arrays at six of our regional campuses (Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Stark, Salem, Trumbull) and the Kent State College of Podiatric Medicine, increasing our solar energy capacity to 4.25 megawatts.  While contributing to the environmental benefits of solar power, these Regional and Satellite Campus solar arrays are also projected to save the university about $2 million over 25 years. Every year, the solar PV arrays installed to date are projected to reduce the Kent State Carbon footprint by 4,116 Tons of CO2 – the emissions reduction equivalent to removing 802 cars from the roads or 420,121 gallons of gasoline burned!

Energy Efficiency Day

October 6, 2021, is Energy Efficiency Day, but efficiency is year-round. On October 6, 2021, a growing network of advocates, companies, government agencies, utilities and others will showcase the benefits of energy efficiency during the 6th annual nationwide Energy Efficiency Day. Look for #EEDay2021 and #EnergyEfficiency on social media.

Kent State of Well-being Free Online Meditation

Are you feeling stressed out from all the recent adjustments you’ve had to make this semester? Is news about the coronavirus pandemic leaving you anxious?

Kent State of Well-being, Kent State University’s healthy campus initiative, is hosting free facilitated online meditation sessions. Meditation sessions last 30 minutes and are open to all members of the Kent State community. There is no obligation to attend. You can choose when you decide to participate.

Fall 2021 Schedule

  • Thursdays starting Sept. 9 from 4:30 - 5 p.m. (virtual) 

Oct. 1: ESDRI Geology Lecture Series: Kathleen Bridges and Srabani Das, Ohio State University "Soil Health"
1:15 p.m.


SUBSCRIBE to ESDRI and check email the week of the seminar for the link check email for link the week of the seminar 

Oct. 1 Career Exploration and Development: FUTURE FOCUSED FRIDAY - INTERVIEWING

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Interviews are part of the job search, and your “make it or break it moment.” This session will review common interview questions + tips for success for in-person and virtual interviews.

Oct. 21 Career Exploration and Development: PROFESSIONALS WITH PRIDE

3:00pm to 7:00pm

The Northeast Ohio Professionals with Pride Career Fair on Thursday, October 21! This virtual career fair will connect inclusive employers who are intentionally LGBTQIA+ supportive with KSU candidates.

Honors College Career Conversations

The Honors College is hosting its fourth annual Career Conversation Series this fall. To make the opportunity accessible to alumni across the globe, these conversations will be held virtually.

Each session will feature alumni panelists from the same industry and an Honors College staff member will ask the panel questions about their field, Kent State education and career. Students will have the chance to ask the panel their own questions as well. The virtual format will also give alumni the chance to show off their work space and discuss how the pandemic has affected their industry.

These one-hour sessions will take place from 4-5 p.m. beginning on Oct. 5 and continue through Nov. 10. Honors College staff will coordinate with volunteers to select the date of each session.

Oct. 1 Design Innovation Hub Open House

2-6 p.m.

Come check out the demonstrations happening at the Design Innovation Hub, an open-access collaborative maker and innovation accelerator environment for all students and all majors!

Oct. 1 Aeronautics and Engineering Building Expansion: Groundbreaking Ceremony

3:35-5:00 p.m.

Join us in celebration of our next chapter as we embark on a "groundbreaking" adventure. Refreshments, interactive experiences, and dinner to follow.

Oct. 2 Design Innovation Hub Open House

12:00-3:00 p.m.

Come check out the demonstrations happening at the Design Innovation Hub, an open-access collaborative maker and innovation accelerator environment for all students and all majors!

Oct. 2 Bowman Cup 5k Walk/Run

8-10:00 a.m.

The annual race, named after fedora-loving former Kent State University President Dr. George Bowman, will take place during Kent State University Spirit Week. Chip timing will be used.

Oct. 4 Introduction to Climbing Clinic

5:30-8:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Climbing Wall

This two-and-a-half-hour program covers the basics of indoor climbing, including equipment, bouldering, top-rope climbing, and belaying with an ATC and GriGri device.

Oct. 5 Introduction to Climbing Clinic

5:30-8:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Climbing Wall

This two-and-a-half-hour program covers the basics of indoor climbing, including equipment, bouldering, top-rope climbing, and belaying with an ATC and GriGri device.

Oct. 6 Women's Center Where do Black Women Go: To be Bad and Boujee

6-8:00 p.m. Williamson House

Through research and collaboration, Where Do Black Women Go? addresses Black women’s health through a unique, supportive environment as we seek to provide affirming spaces for Black women.

Oct. 7 LaunchNet Elevator Pitch

6-8:30 p.m. Design Innovation Hub - Room 230, 2nd Floor Lobby

Elevator Pitch is an annual event that allows students to pitch themselves or pitch a business idea to judges for the chance to win cash prizes.

Oct. 7 Pool Kayak Clinic

7-9 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Lap Pool

New kayakers can come learn kayaking skills. Participants may bring their own boats via the loading dock stairs and back entrance as long as the boats are FULLY CLEANED before entering the pool.

Oct. 8: ESDRI Biological Sciences Seminar: Dan Simberloff, University of Tennessee "Invasive Species Denialism and New Avenues of Invasion Management"
12 p.m. noon
 

SUBSCRIBE to ESDRI and check email the week of the seminar for the link 
 

Oct. 8 Backpacking - West Virginia Trip: Oct. 8-10

3-6 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Meet at the SRWC

Want to go backpacking outside of Ohio? Join us in West Virginia as we hike the gorgeous Spruce Knob to Seneca Creek Trail in some nice fall weather.

Oct. 11 Hiking - Cuyahoga Valley N.P. Trip and Clinic (Parents & Families Weekend)

11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Meet at the SRWC

Does your family want to go on an adventure this parent’s weekend? Come learn how to prepare for a hiking trip at KSU SRWC and then enjoy a day of outdoor hiking at the Ledges Trail in the CVNP.

Oct. 11 Introduction to Climbing Clinic

5:30- 8:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Climbing Wall

This two-and-a-half-hour program covers the basics of indoor climbing, including equipment, bouldering, top-rope climbing, and belaying with an ATC and GriGri device.

Oct. 12 Virtual Addressing Microaggressions

10-11 a.m. Virtual

Discover how everyday comments and actions can unintentionally hurt or harm someone. Participants will build skills and practice strategies to recognize and interrupt microaggressions.

Oct. 12 Kent State Farmers' Market

4-7:00 p.m. Risman Plaza - Student Green

KSU has partnered with Haymaker Farmer's Market to bring a farmer's market to the Kent campus to provide students with opportunities to select fresh produce and connect with the Kent community.

Oct. 12 Introduction to Climbing Clinic

5:30-8:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Climbing Wall

This two-and-a-half-hour program covers the basics of indoor climbing, including equipment, bouldering, top-rope climbing, and belaying with an ATC and GriGri device.

Oct. 13 All the CEO Ladies

5:30-7:00 p.m. Virtual

Monthly meetups for Kent State entrepreneurial women! Each meeting will feature discussion and activities based on a theme, this meeting's theme is: Resilience & Authenticity.

Oct. 14-16 Community Engaged Learning Alternative Fall Break

Participants will spend three days and two nights working alongside the staff at NEOCH to canvass the the Cleveland community and inform community members of their rights when threatened with an eviction.

Oct. 14 Fall Break Outdoor Climbing Trip: Oct. 14 - 16

10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.

Want to spend your fall break climbing outdoors? Join us in Kentucky as we climb, hike, and camp in the Red River Gorge. We will spend each night camping and each day climbing and/or hiking.

Oct. 14 Pool Kayak Clinic

7-9:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Lap Pool

New kayakers can come learn kayaking skills. Participants may bring their own boats via the loading dock stairs and back entrance as long as the boats are FULLY CLEANED before entering the pool.

Oct. 16 World Food Day

The food you choose and the way you consume it affect our health and that of our planet. It has an impact on the way agri-food systems work. So you need to be part of the change.

Oct. 18 Introduction to Climbing Clinic

5:30-8:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Climbing Wall

This two-and-a-half-hour program covers the basics of indoor climbing, including equipment, bouldering, top-rope climbing, and belaying with an ATC and GriGri device.

Oct. 18 Prepare for Professionals with Pride

6:00-7:30 p.m. Kent Student Center - Room 024

Get ready for the 2021 Professionals with Pride Career Fair! Learn how to craft your resume for the career fair, deliver a stellar Elevator Pitch, dress for the career you want, and much more!

Oct. 18-25 Global Climate Action Week

Global Climate Change Week is a platform supporting academic communities to engage in climate change actions and solutions.

Oct. 19 Introduction to Climbing Clinic

5:30-8:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Climbing Wall

This two-and-a-half-hour program covers the basics of indoor climbing, including equipment, bouldering, top-rope climbing, and belaying with an ATC and GriGri device.

Oct 21 Virtual Professionals with Pride

3-7:00 p.m. Virtual

The Northeast Ohio Professionals with Pride Career Fair on Thursday, October 21! This virtual career fair will connect inclusive employers who are intentionally LGBTQIA+ supportive with KSU candidates

Oct. 21 Pool Kayak Clinic

7-9:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Lap Pool

New kayakers can come learn kayaking skills. Participants may bring their own boats via the loading dock stairs and back entrance as long as the boats are FULLY CLEANED before entering the pool.

Oct. 22: ESDRI Geology Lecture Series: Rebecca Vanderleest, Oberlin "Surface Temperature and Carbon Cycling"
1:15 p.m. 
 

SUBSCRIBE to ESDRI and check email the week of the seminar for the link 
 

Oct. 22 - CUDC Ifeoma Ebo, Shifting Power Through Design

Virtual lecture. Historically the urban landscape has been used as a tool to establish inequitable power/social relationships. The same tools that have been used to shape inequity can also be used to center equity and justice in our world. This lecture will use history, theory and projects centering community engagement design to explore how to shift power through design.

Oct. 22 Women's Center Feminist Friday: The juggling Act

noon-1:00 p.m. Williamson House

Feminist Friday: The juggling Act; How to balance being a parent. This Feminist Friday, we will explore ways that parenting students are able to navigate and balance being a student and also a parent.

Oct. 23 Community Engaged Learning Make a Difference Day

Make a Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others, as millions of Americans rally in a single day of action to help change the world. Make a Difference Day will take place at Kent State on Saturday, October 23, 2021.

A number of opportunities will be available for Kent State community members to make an impact.  Please check back later for information about specific projects and service sites and registration. Questions? E-mail community@kent.edu

Oct. 23 DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

10 a.m. - 2 p.m

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

Kent State & City of Kent Year-Round Drop-Off Locations

Kent State University
Stockdale Building metal drop-off box located outside
530 E Summit St Kent OH 44240 
Phone: 330-672-3111

Kent Police Department
metal drop-off box outside in parking lot
319 S Water St Kent OH 44240
Phone: 330-673-7732

Oct. 25 Introduction to Climbing Clinic

5:30-8:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Climbing Wall

This two-and-a-half-hour program covers the basics of indoor climbing, including equipment, bouldering, top-rope climbing, and belaying with an ATC and GriGri device.

Oct. 26 Introduction to Climbing Clinic

5:30-8:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Climbing Wall

This two-and-a-half-hour program covers the basics of indoor climbing, including equipment, bouldering, top-rope climbing, and belaying with an ATC and GriGri device.

Oct. 26 Visible Mending Workshop with School of Fashion

4:30-6:30 p.m. Rockwell Hall 2nd Floor Atrium

Keep clothing out of the landfill and extend the life of your clothes while giving it a custom look! Do you have holes and rips in your favorite clothing? With visible mending techniques learned, you will extend the usefulness of a piece repairing it, while giving it a custom look entirely your own! All mending supplies and instructions provided. Attendees are encouraged to BYO clothing & certain preferred thread and yarn colors.  Explore #VisibleMending on social media

Oct. 27 Virtual White Allyship

1-2:00 p.m. Virtual

Do you want to learn how to better be in solidarity with people of color? This training explores what racism and bias are, the concept of privilege, and what allyship looks like.

Oct. 28 Pool Kayak Clinic

7-9:00 p.m. Student Recreation/Wellness - Lap Pool

New kayakers can come learn kayaking skills. Participants may bring their own boats via the loading dock stairs and back entrance as long as the boats are FULLY CLEANED before entering the pool.

The Story of Plastic FREE viewing

Discovery has made the Emmy-nominated #StoryofPlastic available for FREE. The film reveals the truth behind the #plasticpollution crisis & the heroes creating change.