Blog

Hi all! Chris Watkins here, one of the Fall 2024 Sustainability Fellows. For the past five years I have been working toward my PhD in Poetry with a focus in Ecopoetics, Ecocriticism, and Gender Studies while working on my poetry collection The Drag Gospel of Queer Jesus, forthcoming with Saturnalia Books. Last fall, I had the pleasure of working with FSU Sustainable Campus facilitating a series of environmental writing workshops each of which focused on a different genre of environmental writing (nonfiction, fiction, and poetry).

The Campus as a Living Laboratory (Living Lab) program is an FSU Sustainable Campus initiative that pairs courses with community partners to give students practical and hands-on experience through multidisciplinary learning and applied research projects. Having a community partner to conduct research for and present final products to is beneficial on both ends, as evident through the Fall ‘24 Social Media Campaigns course.  

The Campus as a Living Laboratory program is an FSU Sustainable Campus initiative that aims to use the campus or Tallahassee community as a place of experiential learning that contributes to understanding or advancing sustainability. 

Partner: Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy

Project: Tall Timbers Solar Powered EV Charging Stations

Student: Jonus Goldstein

Introduction to the Sustainability Fellowship

The Campus as a Living Laboratory program is an FSU Sustainable Campus initiative that aims to use the campus or Tallahassee community as a place of experiential learning that contributes to understanding or advancing sustainability. 

Engage 100 is an immersive program unique to FSU, where first-year students can take any class that falls under the umbrella of “Engage 100” to facilitate their transition into college. These Engage 100 classes are designed to foster connections, encourage student engagement, and challenge participants while preparing them for future success in college.

As my time with Sustainable Campus and the Seminole Organic Garden comes to an end, I want to share my reflection on the past several years I’ve spent in the garden. 

In 2021, I had the pleasure of being introduced to the garden through my best friend and former garden coordinator, Kate Lovett. If not for her, I would not have been given the chance to learn, grow, and inspire others in the space for years to come. 

During the Summer 2024 semester, fourteen Sustainability Fellows partnered with six campus and community partners to tackle a variety of sustainability challenges.

Partner: Coastal Plains Institute 

Project: Illustrated Field Guide 

Student: Lauren Pinder 

In the Fall of 2024, The Challenger Center of Tallahassee became Gold Certified as a Green Office. This is the first time that The Challenger Center of Tallahassee has been Green Office certified, and seeing the office breakthrough at the highest level of Green Office certification is an exciting sustainability achievement.