Sustainability at Bryant University

At Bryant, not only are our top-ranked business programs aligned to the needs of industry and society, but our university is also making strides towards becoming more environmentally friendly! Our campus-wide initiatives focus overall on planning and policy, education and action, and operations. These ideas integrate strategies in leadership and decision making with an efficient use of resources while building an understanding, deepening knowledge, and inspiring careers.

We try to apply these subject matters across ten major areas, including:

• Academics and research
• Energy
• Buildings and land use
• Health and wellness
• Food and dining
• Supply chain management
• Transportation
• Waste reduction and recycling
• Water
• Community engagement 

The Sustainability Committee is headed by Dr. Gaytha Langlois, Ph.D., of the Department of Science and Technology, and guides the process and campus engagement, as well as holds the Bryant community accountable. It is facilitated by EcoMotionInc., a company with more than 30 years of experience developing sustainability initiatives for campuses, cities and corporate communities.

We have several organizations on campus that are involved in maintaining our environmental awareness, including Bryant Enactus' Green Team, the Bryant Environmental Society, the Scientific Community Initiative (a student club that promotes sustainability on and off campus through events, outreach, and collaborations), and the Community Activism and Leadership Organization (CALO) that focuses on directing student effort toward social good. The Bryant University Green Initiative primarily focuses on finding sustainable solutions to environmental challenges and opportunities on campus and in the surrounding community. Additionally, students and faculty collaborate in ongoing academic and research opportunities in immersive programs, outdoor field studies, and internships.

Bryant currently offers 13 courses with a direct focus on sustainability, and 43 courses that are related to sustainability. Campus energy costs are approximately 2% of the entire University budget. Bryant continues to explore opportunities for energy conservation and green buildings as we are currently considering green roofs on campus and means to better measure energy and water consumption. We have taken steps towards sustainability through reaching out to students to make small changes in their daily lives that can lead to major results, such as recycling, saving water, promoting non-wasteful behavior, and offering programs for mental and physical health. We have recently installed water filtration refill systems that allow students to fill water bottles with purified water in order to decrease plastic waste! We encourage students to practice eco-friendly transportation, like taking the RIPTA, using a ZipCar, and carpooling. Bryant strives to coordinate projects with the local community, support community service, increase social media activity and webpage viewership, and host events in order to exchange best practices with other organizations. The University is also considering holding a Farmers Market on campus for students to purchase local goods!

Our Sustainability Plan 2014 explains in further detail the University actions towards preservation of resources and sustainability. 

 

Keep up to date on the latest sustainability news and events on social media:

Twitter: @SustainBryant

Facebook: Sustainability at Bryant

Email: sustainability@bryant.edu 

To learn more, visit: http://www.bryant.edu/about/sustainability/

Author: Bridgette Kosek

Follow me on Twitter! @BridgetteKosek

Stay up to date with all of our activities by following @BryantMKT421 on Twitter!

 

Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market: Local, Sustainable, and Enjoyable

Upon taking a visit to the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market I was pretty unsure what to expect. I certainly had never been to farmers markets in the wintertime and typically they were relatively small locations with perhaps a couple dozen vendors. With that being said, the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market surpassed all my expectations. The Hope Artiste Village is a truly amazing location with the high brick walls of the old mill perfectly concealing the vast amount of home town merchants and browsing eyes of local consumers looking for fresh and friendly alternatives. The wide hallways in which the vendors lined give the consumer experience a rustic feel that a farmers market should convey which only adds to the experience. After having myself a great cup of coffee upon arriving on the chilly Saturday morning I was excited to browse all the tables and stands to see what these local entrepreneurs had to offer.

Now, I must admit that I am a pretty big pickle fan so naturally one of the first vendors I found myself being drawn to was Tracie from Harmony Hill Farm, primarily due to the abundance of pickles in which her table held. Harmony Hill Farm is located locally in Glocester, RI and they have been actively selling their produce for approximately six years to date. Initially, only selling eggs, the farm began to grow to a point in which they now sell everything from eggs to pickles, cucumbers, and peppers to jams and jelly's. The coolest thing about Harmony Hill Farm is their simplistic efforts to stay sustainable. They take efforts as easy as recycling their egg cartons, saving plastic bags from grocery stores and even building relationships with their customers to a point in which mason jars are returned after use. With their business expanding and a full-time effort needed to be successful, all efforts to remain sustainable, big or small, can make a significant impact.

Being from upstate New York, I can certainly appreciate the warmth that a nice winter hat can provide during the winter. Which is precisely why one of my next stops was at a table piled high with variously colored hats, mittens and scarves. Obviously having to try out a pair of mittens for myself I was taken back at just how soft and comfortable the material was. Moonlight Rose Alpacas is a farm from Swansea, MA that specializes in the breeding and selling of alpacas and the products produced from their fibers. From what I learned, alpacas (which resemble small llamas) are used for the tremendous qualities that their fibers bear in creating yarn used to make the incredibly soft material in which their products possess. Thus, Moonlight Rose Alpaca Farm is able to successfully bring a unique element to the market place by substituting the typically found food products with some fashionable and warm apparel.

Taking a trip to Pawtucket Farmers Market is something I strongly suggest to all types and ages, whether you're a college student looking for a fresh alternative to the dining hall, a produce connoisseur, or just looking to get the family out of the house on a weekend. It is certainly a beautiful place to visit where you can enjoy your morning and support your community.

Thanks for reading!

-Billy Carroll 

Follow our class on twitter (@bryantmkt421) as we embark on a trip to Costa Rica to get a hands on learning experience in the field of sustainability. 

Pickle Juice

As a class we had the opportunity to visit Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market.

Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market

It's open year round & essentially is a farm fresh market in which local companies around Rhode Island can offer their organic and environmentally friendly products to the public. Each company does their own part in creating a sustainable environment for the betterment of Rhode Island. Their unique ingredients, processes and stories are truly inspiring. It was such an eye opening and rewarding experience, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and look forward to returning again soon. Two company's in particular caught my eye with their unique stories and interesting business practices, Fully Rooted and Fox Point Pickles! Read on to find out more!

Fully Rooted:

Interestingly enough seven individuals came together to create the Fully Rooted team. Angelo, Claudia, Mike, Amanda M., Steve, Ben and Amanda R. each of whom have full-time jobs, dedicate their spare time to creating these specialty juices.

Fully Rooted Team

What is unique about Fully Rooted is the ingredients and process used to create them. All of the ingredients used in the juices are organic and the process they use is called cold pressing. The cold pressing method is one in which the vegetables are first crushed, and then pressed using minimal heat. This method allows for the enzymes, proteins, minerals and other important nutrients to remain within the juice. The cold pressing model also allows for a longer shelf life, unlike centrifugal juicers.

The Fully Rooted team’s hope is to use the most natural and purest of ingredients and bring everyone back to the simplistic ways and see the beauty that nature has to provide us. The ultimate goal is that we stop consuming harmful toxins and adopting destructive behaviors.

Fully Rooted is also extremely sustainable and environmentally friendly. All of the left over pulp from their juices is given to local farms as animal feed. They pride themselves on having an entirely waste free production process.

You can find these seven fantastic individuals on the weekends selling their products at local farmers markets across Rhode Island.

Be sure to check them out on Facebook!

Fox Point Pickles:  

 Fox Point Pickles is named after the Fox Point area in Providence in which the company first opened their doors to the public. Fox Point is a local pickle company dedicated to providing the best tasting pickles to Rhode Island. Owner Ziggy Goldfarb “Pickles” explained that Rhode Island didn’t have a pickle to call their own and was tired of the eating the same mass produced, store bought pickles all the time. This is when the light bulb turned on and he decided to create Rhode Island’s most flavorful pickle!

Fox Point Pickle Flavors

Fox Point offers two flavors of pickles; Spicy and Garlic Dill.

Ziggy never imagined his company would grow as large as it did but is proud to call Fox Point Pickles the Pickle of Rhode Island! His efforts give hope to small business owners and prove that any idea has the potential to be great.

Fun Fact: Bryant University works with Fox Point Pickles

Fun Fact: Fox Point is also the birthplace of George M. Cohan, the father of the American Musical Comedy and avid pickle fan!

Fun Fact: Ziggy was given a pickling kit as a gag gift when he moved to Rhode Island and ended up using it A LOT!

To learn more about Fox Point follow them @FoxPointPickles

Be sure to follow the rest of our adventures @BryantMKT421 as we head to Costa Rica and explore more Farmer's Markets! 

Madison Lichtmann