The Green Council, a coalition of eco-friendly student organizations on Main Campus, is creating dialogue this spring semester with a series of sustainability awareness events, Potlucks with a Purpose.
Potlucks with a Purpose provides casual, free dinners that produce a platform for discussion about sustainability issues between students and professors while indulging in homemade food. Each monthly potluck has its own specific topic, with January’s potluck focusing on the energy conservation campaign.
The idea of Potlucks with a Purpose was inspired by members of The Green Council feeling a lack of conversation or opportunity for in-depth and prolonged discussion about relevant sustainability issues. The Green Council wants to encourage students to discuss and come up with real solutions that can be put into action with the guidance and advice of experts in the field.
“Ultimately our goal is to change the culture of [Main] Campus in order to become more sustainable,” said Katy Ament, president of Temple Community Gardens. “And the way to achieve that goal is to spread awareness about the issues.”
At the potluck, guest speakers and professors give brief presentations and encourage the attendees to have discussions about the topics presented. With the help of a comment box for idea submission, The Green Council hopes to move the campaign further toward reaching its goals.
This month’s Potlucks with a Purpose event takes place today, Jan. 29, in the Temple Contemporary at Tyler School of Art at 7 p.m. It is called “A Positive Charge: Understanding the University’s Energy Conservation Campaign.”
The Green Council has invited four guest speakers: Kurt Bresser, the energy manager from the Office of Facilities Management; Luke Nixon, the vice president of sustainability from Fox Net Impact; Bryan Satalino, a design MFA candidate; and Jacki Boone, who is a member of Students for Environmental Action.
“I am excited to be a part of this event,” Bresser said. “The only way the university is going to meet its 25 percent energy reduction goal is through engaging the broader Temple community in the campaign. I’m pleased to see The Green Council take a lead on raising awareness about energy conservation, and I’m looking forward to the ideas that the students bring to the table.”
The Green Council is made up of a variety of organizations throughout Temple and Philadelphia, including the Office of Sustainability, Students for Environmental Action, Temple Community Gardens, Temple University Chapter of American Institute of Architecture Students, Freedom by Design, Promoters of Animal Welfare, Engineers Without Borders, Temple Student Government, Ambler Student Government, Sustainability Living Learning Communities, Slow Food Temple, Temple Vegan Action Network and Net Impact.
Upcoming potluck topics are “Net Impact’s Campaign for Fair Trade” on Feb. 26, “Animal Activist Panel Discussion on Bird Collisions with Temple Buildings” on March 26 and “Food Discussion: Urban Farming/Local Food” on April 30.
For more information about Potlucks with a Purpose, contact Kathleen Grady from the Office of Sustainability at kathleen.grady@temple.edu.
Hayon Shin can be reached at hayon.shin@temple.edu.
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