As Central New York awakens from the slumber of a brutal winter, the South Campus honeybees are getting back to work.

The University is home to 10 honeybee hives, which are overseen by the department. The University is a , promoting the benefits of pollinators and native plants.

Want to learn more about this unique campus initiative? In celebration of Earth Month, beekeeper Bob Faulkner will present a on Tuesday, April 7, from 3 to 4 p.m. in 500 Hall of Languages. He will discuss how the hives are maintained, the process of harvesting honey and the benefits of pollinators. The session is free and open to all.

Faulkner sat down with SU Today to discuss how the bees work to produce honey and what it takes to maintain the hives.

Did you know the University is home to honeybee hives on South Campus?

The hives and honey produced are overseen by the department. Honeybees were brought to campus in 2020 after associate teaching professors Lisa Olsen-Gugerty and Mary Kiernan in Falk College were awarded a grant. Since then, the University has been a , helping to promote the benefits of pollinators and native plants.

In the past year, the number of hives has grown from six to 10. Honey is typically harvested twice a year鈥攐nce in the summer and once in the fall. During the winter months, beekeepers work to ensure the honeybees survive by providing food, water and preventing pests.

This year, the hives produced over 650 pounds of honey.

鈥淎 year’s worth of preparation and planning in 2024 positioned the bees to be ready to capture Mother Nature鈥檚 abundance of nectar offered on South Campus,” beekeeper Bob Faulkner says. “I anticipate an even stronger harvest in 2026.鈥�

The honey is now for sale in multiple spots across campus including:

• Barnes Center at the Arch Pharmacy
• People鈥檚 Place
• Skytop Marketplace

Honey is available in three- and eight-ounce jars. Proceeds will benefit the future of the hives.

Interested students can also participate in a beekeeping club which is open to all, regardless of experience.

Anyone interested in learning more about the bees can reach out to Sustainability Management at sustain@syr.edu.

Over 30 bins of items were donated by students to 鈥機use Collections, an event hosted by Sustainability Management that provides the items to local community groups.

Containers were placed on North Campus and South Campus to provide 网爆门 and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students with easy access to donate items as they were moving out.

Often students do not have the space to transport everything home or realize they no longer need certain items. 鈥機use Collections helps to reduce the amount of waste generated and gives item a second life in the local community.

The items (equivalent to over seven full pick-up truck beds) were donated to a number of local organizations, including the YWCA, Rescue Mission, Catholic Charities, Syracuse Peacemaking Project, Spanish Action League of Onondaga County, Huntington Family Center, John 6:12 and the Boys & Girls Club of Syracuse. Any food donations were taken to the South Campus food pantry.

鈥淢ost college students will read this and think it’s cheesy, but it’s true, I am really impressed by the thoughtfulness of those at my alma mater who took a moment, while rushing to clean out their dorm rooms to donate to ‘Cuse Collections and brighten the day of Syracuse’s most disadvantaged youth,” says Jim Hastie, director of fund development for the Boys & Girls Club of Syracuse. “Whether it was a st锟� animal, gently used clothing, sneakers or even closet hangers, our Club Kids were deeply moved to see 网爆门 students really care for their neighbors. Thank you!鈥�

Sustainability Management hosts a smaller 鈥機use Collections in the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus in December; while the larger, main event is in the spring during finals week. Head to for more information.

网爆门 has been recognized as a STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) Silver institution by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. STARS is a comprehensive rating system for colleges and universities to measure sustainability. Sustainability Management completes a STARS assessment every three years to track progress.

STARS consists of four categories: academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration. Each section within these four categories has a set number of points and the final rating (bronze, silver, gold or platinum) is determined based on total overall score. The University earned a silver rating based on an overall score of 64.57, an improvement compared to a score of 61.55 given in 2022. The minimum overall score to reach gold is 65.

网爆门 earned points due to an increase in sustainability-related academic courses and expanded sustainability research efforts across departments. Additional points came from conducting a 2023 sustainability culture and literacy survey for students, faculty, and staff, which helped establish a knowledge baseline and inform future initiatives. A new peer-to-peer student education program was launched to raise awareness, and the University participated in a peer review exchange of STARS reports with Florida State University. These initiatives helped increase the overall score.

Carbon Neutrality

Sustainability Management continues to work towards the University鈥檚 goal of carbon neutrality by 2032. New exterior LED lighting fixtures have been installed outside Graham Dining Hall, Flint Hall and Day Hall. New LED lighting fixtures will be installed on the first floor of Bird Library in the coming months, cutting the energy use from lighting in half.

Phase I of an energy recovery project is in its final stages at the Life Sciences Complex. The project will recover energy from exhaust air and use it to heat the incoming air. This will reduce the building鈥檚 need for steam in the heating months. Phase I will impact heating for the research wing of the building, parallel to Comstock Avenue, while the second phase will impact the teaching wing. Phase II is expected to be complete in the fall.

Plastic Reduction

The University is also in the process of drastically reducing its use of single-use plastics by the 2027-28 academic year. Food Services has done a great job swapping out plastics for alternative reusable items such as bulk condiment and coffee creamer dispensers in dining areas across campus. You can visit to view progress on the plastic reduction dashboard

In the Schine Student Center, Halal Shack, Panda Express and CoreLife Eatery have also converted to compostable cutlery and containers. Sustainability Management worked with Slice Consulting to design effective composting signage and potential solutions to the waste receptacle issues in Schine. The goal is to review these recommendations and implement updates this summer or fall.

Food Waste Audits

Sustainability Management interns hosted numerous food waste audits throughout Sadler, Ernie and Graham Dining Halls this semester. As students brought their plates up at the end of each meal, interns would ask students to separate the remaining waste into three separate bins. One was for untouched food (a full slice of pizza), one for non-edible scraps (banana peels, apple cores) and one for food scraps (half-eaten bowl of rice). Surveys were also issued to students to gain a better understanding as to why they may have had leftover food on their plate.

Sustainability Management intern Diana (Jiarong) Zou compiled the survey data and found two main reasons why students had leftover food. Food scraps accounted for the highest amount of waste, followed by non-edible scraps and untouched food. The food waste audits helped bring awareness to food waste and encouraged people to be more thoughtful when making their food selections.

Earth Month

Several events were hosted throughout the month of April for Earth Month and Earth Day. Sustainability Management partnered with the WhitmanSchool of Management for an undergraduate mixer held in the Grand Hall. Students learned about the Sustainability Management department and were given seeds to take home. On Earth Day, student interns hosted a plant propagation event on the Einhorn Family Walk. Students learned about the benefits of compost and were able to take home their own propagated plant. On Friday, April 25, a Sustainability Walking Tour was held. Attendees learned about past, future and currently underway projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Check out the in the fall for the next round of events. If you happen to be around this summer, volunteer hours for Pete鈥檚 Giving Garden will also be posted on the Community Calendar.

Sustainability Management is hosting 鈥機use Collections, its end of semester donation event, Thursday, May 1, through Tuesday, May 6. Students will have the opportunity to drop off items between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at three different on campus locations. The locations are as follows:

• North Campus
  • DellPlain Hall loading dock
  • Sadler Hall parking lot (next to dumpsters)
• South Campus
  • Carriage House: 161 Farm Acre Road

Accepted items include:

• Small kitchen items and appliances (microwaves, toasters, blenders, TVs, lamps, silverware, pots and pans, and vacuums)
• Gently used/new clothing
• Gently used/new shoes
• Non-perishable food items only on South Campus. If you have unopened refrigerated items you would like to donate, please bring them to 161 Farm Acre Road during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.).

Items NOT accepted include:

• Bedding (This includes pillows, mattress toppers, comforters, and sheets.)
• Visibly distressed or damaged clothing
• Broken items or appliances
• Books and school supplies
• Opened food

All items will benefit local organizations and nonprofits, including the Boys & Girls Club, YWCA, Rescue Mission, Catholic Charities, Dunbar Center and others.

Sustainability Management is in need of volunteers to oversee the storage locations while donations are being accepted. Shifts are in two-hour increments and students can receive credit for service-learning or community engagement hours. Volunteers are asked to . If you have any questions, please email sustain@syr.edu.

According to the , scientists estimate there will be more plastics by weight than fish in the ocean by 2050.

World Refill Day, a campaign to reduce plastic waste that was celebrated this past Sunday, is a reminder of the simple ways individuals can transition away from single-use plastics toward more sustainable systems.

Eat, drink and shop with less waste in the following ways:

• Bring your reusable water bottle with you and look for refill stations.
• Coffee or tea drinker? Find places that offer discounts or rewards for bringing in your own reusable cup.
• When you head to the grocery store, don鈥檛 forget to bring your reusable bags and use reusable items to store your perishable items like fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to glass instead of plastic containers when packing your lunch or packing away those leftovers.

Take Advantage of Sustainable Systems on Campus

Committed to advancing its own sustainability efforts, the University has already taken steps to reduce its plastic footprint by releasing its Plastic Reduction Plan. The plan outlines how the University will work to drastically reduce the use of single-use plastics by the 2027-28 academic year.

Helping the University meet its goals, University community members can take advantage of more sustainable options on campus as it relates to beverages.

Refilling reusable water bottles on campus is easier than ever with a feature on the University鈥檚 interactive campus map showing exact locations of .

More of a coffee or tea person? Did you know that Food Services offers discounts for those with reusable mugs? At campus caf茅s, when you bring your own mug for a fill-up, you receive a 10% discount. If you join the mug club, you receive a 20% discount plus one free fill-up on Fridays when using your mug club cup! .

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about what you can do to help reduce our plastic consumption, email the Sustainability Management team at聽sustain@syr.edu.

The Office of Sustainability Management hosted 鈥機use Collections during the last week of the Spring 2024 semester to provide a convenient location for students to donate unwanted and gently used items before leaving for the summer. The office partnered with local nonprofits and charities to get the donated items into the hands of those in need, helping to reduce dumpster waste while assisting the local community.

鈥淲e are grateful to the Office of Sustainability Management for organizing this event,鈥� said Lydia Montgomery, project manager at A Tiny Home for Good, a local Syracuse nonprofit. 鈥淎s we work to build community and assist our tenants in creating homes, events like these support our mission for long-term supportive housing.鈥�

Bedding, clothing, shoes, refrigerators, microwaves, household items and more were collected and donated. On-campus departments such as the Mary Ann Shaw Center helped to recruit volunteers. Student volunteers and peer-to-peer educators assisted donors and helped the organizations picking up donations.

In total, over 70 gray bins of items (equivalent to roughly half of an 18-wheel tractor trailer) were donated to 11 organizations, including the Rescue Mission, RISE, A Tiny Home for Good, Mary Nelson Youth Center, Catholic Charities, YWCA, InterFaith Works, Center for Justice Innovation, Huntington Family Center, Spanish Action League of Onondaga County and the Westside Family Resource Center.

鈥淐atholic Charities was able to acquire much-needed clothing items from the event,鈥� said Kerina Herard, program manager of emergency services for Catholic Charities of Onondaga County. 鈥淓very day, people come to our door at Cathedral Emergency Services in need of clothing. Thanks to 鈥機use Collections, we are better able to provide for them. This opportunity will make a significant impact on the lives of those we serve.鈥�

Former Sheraton Hotel Donates Furniture

As 鈥機use Collections wrapped up for the semester, the former Sheraton Hotel was able to make a big contribution to the effort. As the hotel closed its doors after Commencement to prepare for its conversion into a 400-bed residence hall, the building鈥檚 200 rooms were cleared of furniture, linens and bedding ahead of the start of construction. The hotel鈥檚 furniture was transferred to a local warehouse, where organizations could collect donated items. The response was overwhelming: TVs, mattresses and chairs were quickly reclaimed and given to those in need.

鈥淢attresses from the Sheraton Hotel will be steam cleaned and used in several of our housing sites,鈥� says Montgomery. 鈥淒onations like these allow us to serve more people in the Central New York community.鈥�

Sustainability Management plans to host 鈥機use Collections on an annual basis. For more information, visit the .

In conjunction with the recently updated Climate Action Plan, the University has announced its accompanying . As one of the sustainability-related goals committed to by the University, in partnership with the Student Association, the plan outlines how the University will work to drastically reduce the use of single-use plastics by the 2027-28 academic year, including the following:

• Quantify the types of single-use plastics used on campus and identify technically feasible replacements or elimination of single-use items.
• Collaborate with vendors to include language in vendor/franchise agreements to eliminate single-use plastics in vending and food service agreements.
• Expand compost capabilities to ensure alternative products can be disposed of properly.
• Educate campus constituents on proper disposal and communicate progress on the website.

The plan touches on areas where progress has already been made and lays out future initiatives. It also includes a timeline of each plastic category and when it will be phased out or reduced.

An important aspect of the plan involves raising awareness around the effort to reduce plastics and promoting responsible plastic use and disposal methods.

鈥淓mpowering our campus community with knowledge is key to fostering a culture of sustainability,鈥� says Melissa Cadwell, sustainability coordinator. 鈥淭hrough our peer-to-peer educators, we’re excited to introduce the Plastic Reduction Plan, a vital initiative in our ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship.鈥�

Student peer-to-peer educators have already had the chance to contribute to this project. Over the next several years, the goal is to expand education and outreach to all campus constituencies.

Cadwell issues a charge to the campus community: 鈥淭ogether, let’s champion sustainable practices, reduce plastic waste and safeguard our planet for generations to come.鈥�

The plan can be viewed in full on the Sustainability Management . In the coming months, the website will also be updated to include a dashboard showing progress toward the goals outlined in the plan.

What does it mean for 网爆门 to invent and demonstrate cutting-edge sustainability initiatives?

It means reducing the University’s environmental impact responsibly by identifying, promoting and implementing practices that will meet our current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. And it includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions through wisely managing energy efficiency projects.

Projects like the recently completed improvements to the mechanical systems at the Center for Science and Technology, a multi-year initiative that resulted in a 25% reduction in steam use in 2023 and an annual emissions reduction of over 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e). Or the聽recent replacement of the Lally Athletics Complex arena lighting, an effort expected to reduce carbon emissions by 141 metric tons per year.

“Sustainability encompasses a lot, but I think in the most basic sense it’s trying to really have a positive impact on the community and on the environment, and to just make sure that the practices we’re putting forth each day are both benefiting us now at this current moment, but also will have a benefit to future generations of students, faculty and staff here at 网爆门, and on a larger level, the whole Syracuse community. This is not one fix-all. It’s going to take a lot of people,” says Lydia Knox G’22, the sustainability project manager in the .

During April, the campus community is coming together to celebrate Earth Month. On this ‘Cuse Conversation, Knox discusses the state of sustainability at 网爆门, the wide range of Earth Month efforts occurring on campus, how the University is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2032, how you can get involved with these initiatives and why she left her career as a television meteorologist to pursue her passion for sustainability and preserving the Earth.

Check out episode 162 of the podcast featuring Knox. A transcript [PDF]聽is also available.

Sustainability Management is happy to announce the dates for the end-of-semester donation event known as 鈥機use Collections. From Wednesday, May 1, through Tuesday, May 7, two storage containers will be placed on North Campus and one will be placed on South Campus to collect donations. Donation drop-off times will be posted on the Sustainability Management social media accounts (, and ) and on . The locations are as follows:

• North Campus
  • DellPlain Hall loading dock
  • Sadler Hall parking lot (next to dumpsters)
• South Campus
  • Carriage House: 161 Farm Acre Road

All students are welcome to drop off unused and gently used items. The following items will be accepted:

• Clothing and shoes
• Sheets, comforters, pillows, blankets
• Non-perishable food items
• Small kitchen items and appliances (microwaves, toasters, blenders, TVs, lamps, silverware, pots and pans, blenders, vacuums and more)
• Tables and chairs

Donations will be collected and distributed to local organizations such as the YWCA, the Transitional Age Youth Project, Recuse Mission, InterFaith Works, the Mary Nelson Youth Organization and RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment). All non-perishable food items will go to the South Campus food pantry. Volunteers are needed to tend to the locations to help assist those dropping off items and organizations collecting donations. If you are interested in signing up, please .

If you have any questions or would like to partner with Sustainability Management for the next 鈥機use Collections event, email sustain@syr.edu.

Last year, 网爆门, in partnership with Student Association, announced a new set of goals to substantially enhance and propel the University鈥檚 sustainability efforts, including reaching net-zero emissions by 2032. Today, thanks to the work of the Sustainability Oversight Council and the team in Sustainability Management, the Climate Action Plan has been updated to reflect the action the University will take to achieve its aggressive climate goals.

Among the goals are:

• Achieve the University鈥檚 net-zero goal by 2032.
• Dramatically reduce single-use plastics by the 2027-28 academic year through a phased approach.

defines a feasible path to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and details a two-phase approach to reach the goal of carbon neutrality by 2032. Those phases are:

• Phase I focuses on energy efficiency projects, the Steam Station modernization, the transition to zero emission vehicles and policy updates. Energy efficiency projects currently in progress include the installation of a heat pump at the Carriage House on South Campus and into the existing energy recovery loop at the Life Sciences Complex. Additionally, LED lighting projects are underway.
• Phase II includes the sequestration of carbon through forest properties, sequestration of carbon in the built environment and onsite renewables. The sequestration in the built environment means removing or storing carbon in construction and building materials such as mass timber or revised concrete mixes.

鈥淩eaching carbon neutrality in eight years is an ambitious goal and the updated CAP highlights feasible strategies to get there,鈥� says Lydia Knox, sustainability project manager. 鈥淚t is exciting to see the plan laid out knowing the positive impact these projects will have on the environment and campus.鈥�

The Climate Action Plan also highlights projects in progress and recently completed, including:

• Mechanical upgrades to the Center for Science and Technology
• LED lighting replacements in the John A. Lally Athletic Complex
• Steam Station modernization

鈥淢any of the initiatives outlined in the plan are currently underway, and it鈥檚 encouraging to see the progress we are making in energy and emission reduction,鈥� says Jason Plumpton, assistant director of engineering, utilities and sustainability. 鈥淲e appreciate the Sustainability Oversight Council and are grateful for their valuable input during the plan鈥檚 development.鈥�

Every year, Sustainability Management will calculate and assess the greenhouse gas inventory based on data gathered through building meters and University databases. Informed by that data, the Climate Action Plan will be adjusted and revised as necessary based on evolving technologies and regulatory changes. To read a copy of the plan visit the .

Improvements were made to the mechanical systems at the Center for Science and Technology (CST) in 2021 and 2022. The multi-phase plan started in 2019 and is now complete. The project involved adding an energy recovery loop to the laboratory exhaust and reconfiguring the chillers to operate in heat recovery mode. These upgrades have resulted in a 25% reduction in steam use in 2023 and an annual emissions reduction of over 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e).

The heat recovery chillers pull heat from the campus chilled water loop and heat the building鈥檚 dehumidification coils. At the same time, they reduce the chilled water load on the campus loop. This upgrade has reduced chilled water usage by over 67,000 ton-hours. This system, along with the lab exhaust energy recovery loop, helps to reduce steam and chilled water consumption, putting fewer demands on the district steam system and reducing campus greenhouse gas emissions.

The biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions at 网爆门 is burning natural gas to create steam. Steam is used to heat University buildings and power a turbine chiller, which provides chilled water to cool buildings. Reducing steam-chilled water use at the buildings is a great way to reduce natural gas consumption and related emissions. This project is an example of energy efficiency strategies Sustainability Management is using to meet the 2032 carbon neutrality goal. The graph below shows the notable reduction in total energy use (MMBtu) and steam usage from 2022 to 2023.

“Instead of thinking of excess building heat as something that we needed to remove, we thought of heat as a resource that we needed to recover and reuse,” says Jason Plumpton, assistant director of engineering, utilities and sustainability. “We were able to make some minor adjustments to聽how we arranged the building mechanical systems to take advantage of this resource. This project was a great example of how we can incorporate sustainability into capital improvement projects.”

The Center for Science and Technology was completed in 1989. Over three decades later, the mechanical systems needed an update to support modern research. This project presented a great opportunity for Sustainability Management to align the need for an update with building decarbonization. Open labs were designed with efficiency in mind, allowing for shared use of equipment such as energy-intensive fume hoods. This design prevents hoods from going unused, and the installation of high-performance fume hoods further cuts down on energy use. Installing an energy recovery loop and reconfiguring the chillers to operate in heat recovery mode harnesses energy that would otherwise have been exhausted and gone unused. This project improved both capabilities and efficiency of the entire building.

Energy improvements in laboratory buildings are a major focus. A benchmarking study completed in 2023 confirmed that laboratory buildings that use a lot of outdoor air are the largest energy-consuming facilities on campus. Sustainability Management is focused on reducing energy usage in CST and other energy-intensive buildings to have a more meaningful impact on emission reductions and reduce utility costs.

With the official start of spring, the is looking ahead to April, Earth Month! Several events are planned throughout the month to celebrate the planet and promote sustainable initiatives on campus.

• Wednesday, April 3, 6-8 p.m.
• Maxwell Auditorium

Sustainability Management, in collaboration with SUNY ESF and Hendricks Chapel, will host grocery bingo. Students will play bingo and those who win will be offered a bag of groceries as a prize. All 网爆门 and ESF students are welcome to attend.

• Wednesday, April 10 or 17, 11 a.m.-noon
• Pete’s Giving Garden, South Campus

Spend an hour contributing to Earth Month by gardening with Sustainability Management, in collaboration with Wellness Initiatives. Volunteers will help prepare the gardening beds for seeds and seedlings that will be planted in late May. Alongside readying the beds for future seeds and plants, cold-weather seeds like broccoli and cauliflower will be planted. For those with mobility concerns or a preference for standing while gardening, Pete鈥檚 Giving Garden provides ADA beds. The garden is behind the Inn Complete on South Campus.

• Wednesday, April 24, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Bird Library

Sustainability Management student interns will host a tabling event to raise awareness about the importance of bats and their role as pollinators and hand out pamphlets on how to build a bat house. Seeds from Pete鈥檚 Giving Garden and our Bee Campus USA Garden will also be given out. All are welcome to stop in and learn about pollinators!

• Thursday, April 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Promenade, outside Schine Student Center

A Sustainability Management intern will host a tabling event to educate faculty, students and staff on the importance of composting and how to dispose of items properly. There are also plans to offer pots to replant plants. The table will be outside on the promenade, weather permitting.

• Monday, April 29, noon to 1 p.m.
• Vitral event,

In this virtual event session, Sustainability Management will touch on how the University鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions are tracked and categorized. Additionally, you鈥檒l learn about the energy efficiency projects recently completed and other strategies to reduce energy use and emissions both on campus and at home.

Earth Day 2024

Keep in mind that Earth Day is officially Monday, April 22.

In addition to these events, Sustainability Management is actively working towards the University鈥檚 goal of carbon neutrality by 2032. If you鈥檙e interested in getting involved with Sustainability Management, .

Calling all students! needs your help to create a new logo for the 鈥機use Collections donation event.

In spring 2023, an end-of-year donation event was hosted on South Campus, now known as 鈥機use Collections. Boxes were placed in the Goldstein Student Center to collect any unwanted clothing, bedding, food and small home appliances. Donations were picked up by local charities and food was taken to the South Campus food pantry, which is supported by Hendricks Chapel.

This year鈥檚 goal is to expand the program for spring of 2024. The program helps community members in need and keeps items out of the waste stream, limiting the amount of trash sent to a landfall and ultimately, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The aim is for 鈥機use Collections to have a lasting impact and become part of the 网爆门 culture. A logo will help students recall the event and recognize the program.

Any undergraduate or graduate student can submit a logo design. Please follow the criteria below when submitting. Designs that do not follow the criteria will be disqualified.

• The logo should say: 鈥機use Collection. Note the apostrophe before the 鈥淐鈥� in “Cuse” should appear as a curved right single quote, facing away from the 鈥淐.鈥�
• Otto may be used in the design so long as brand guidelines are maintained.
• The logo needs to be able to expand and minimize without losing clarity.
• File formats accepted include .eps, .png and .svg.
• Adhere to 网爆门 marketing (i.e., proper font, colors).
• Designs must be submitted via email to sustain@syr.edu.
• Only 网爆门 students may submit a design.

Submissions are due Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. Sustainability Management and members of the Mary Ann Shaw Center will review submissions and choose the winning design. The winning designer will receive credit but will not own the logo. The winner will receive a sustainability gift box, including the University鈥檚 honey and other prizes. Please email sustain@syr.edu with any questions.

Tucked away on the University鈥檚 South Campus, on a plot of land off of Skytop Road, is a photogenic garden full of life. Pete’s Giving Garden is a partnership between 网爆门 Sustainability Management, the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics food studies and nutrition program and the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry. The garden has been open since 2017 and its bounty has been making appearances in kitchens on and off campus ever since.

Pete’s Giving Garden and the University鈥檚 two food pantry locations bring together students, faculty, and staff to combat food insecurity through environmentally conscious practices. As part of this flourishing community garden, students are not only provided with fresh produce, but also a sense of collective responsibility for the wellbeing of the University community as a whole.

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely something that they (SU students) can incorporate into their diet and takes a little bit of stress off their grocery bill,鈥� says Justus Holden-Betts, student manager at Pete鈥檚 Giving Garden and a dual major in the Falk College. As the student manager at the garden, she plants the crops and harvests them to be sent to the pantries. 鈥淪omething I am very intentional about is the planning process,鈥� says Holden-Betts, 鈥渋n terms of vegetables, growing ones that people will know how to use and enjoy eating.鈥� After harvesting the produce, Holden-Betts brings the produce to the South Campus food pantry, located in the Carriage House at 161 Farm Acre Road, rinses it and leaves it for the students to grab during their visit.

Sustainability Coordinator Melissa Cadwell worked with Hendricks Chapel and joined the team when it first opened at the Carriage House in 2017. Cadwell warmly welcomes Syracuse and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) students in and manages the South Campus pantry. Her goal to help all students get the most out of 网爆门 is vital to the mission of the pantry itself. “All students should have the same experience at 网爆门,” says Cadwell. “That experience includes going out with your friends for coffee, going to the farmer鈥檚 market, joining clubs. If you don鈥檛 have the funds to get the whole student experience, then you should come to the food pantry. It鈥檚 here to catch you and help you.”

Student coordinator for the South Campus pantry Leondra Tyler stresses the benefit that the pantry has on the University community. While the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning, so was Tyler鈥檚 history with the pantry. During the pandemic, Tyler witnessed the true impact of her work. 鈥淚 noticed not only the impact of having food but also a social impact. A lot of people would come here and stay here for hours to talk to me. I really enjoyed that and that鈥檚 what made me love the pantry a lot.鈥�

The food pantries are open to any 网爆门 or SUNY ESF student. The South Campus food pantry is open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays during the summer. For anyone who wants to help with Pete鈥檚 Giving Garden, there are open volunteer hours on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information about sustainability initiatives on campus, please visit the .

Story by Angelina Grevi, Syracuse City School District communications intern