By Kaitlin Bavaro
Staff Writer
The College’s Environmental Sustainability Council and Bonner Institute hosted “Fall Fest” for the campus community on Nov. 10 in the Campus Garden to promote causes relevant to their organizations along with good habits for students. The two-hour event was cosponsored by Fernbrook Farms, Lions Composting and TCNJ on Wheelz. The event consisted of snacks and drinks, pumpkin painting and free plants for students, and the cosponsors set up their own tables to promote their organizations.
Cosponsor Lions Composting handed out candy and stickers at the event. The organization wishes to incorporate composting stations into high traffic areas around campus, promote eco-friendly habits amongst students and implement natural fertilizers from compost in place of synthetic chemicals. This is all an effort to combat global warming, according to the organization’s Instagram @lions_composting. “We want to start with three composting bins; one in Eick, one in the Stud, and one in TDubs, so that they’re accessible to students,” said sophomore international studies major Julieta Altman, co-president of Lions Composting. “In the long run, we hope that the college will invest in a bio-digester, which essentially speeds up the process of composting, and implement more composting sites on campus.”
TCNJ on Wheelz wishes to implement bike and skateboard racks outside of each department academic building. According to member Sarah Kudron, a sophomore psychology major, this would help solve overcrowding in campus parking lots, which has been especially problematic for commuters this semester. The racks would also benefit campus infrastructure, support the environment and provide a safe place for bikes and skateboards.
Fernbrook Farms handed out seeds and a plant pot with soil to students, which served to educate students on sustainable farming practices.
“Fall Fest is important because it will provide a fun and relaxing afternoon, while also informing people about the garden and other environmental programs across the school,” said sophomore early childhood urban education and sociology major Molly Zweckbronner, a Bonner scholar, member of the Environmental Sustainability Council and member of the Campus Garden who helped organize Fall Fest. Another purpose of the event was to attract more students to the Campus Garden, which is located across the street from William Green House.
“It is a really lovely space, and so many students don't know where it is or even that it exists,” Zweckbronner said.
According to the Campus Garden website, the space is a Bonner Institute project for Civic and Community Engagement to combat food insecurity. It is meant to be a place where students, staff and faculty can learn how to grow fruits and vegetables for community members. Produce from the Campus Garden is often given to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Meals on Wheels and the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank.
The garden began in 2010 and has grown tremendously since its relocation to its current space. Bonner students still maintain and update the garden today in an effort to conserve energy, promote sustainable transportation and recycling and engage the public.
