UW-Whitewater Sustainability Office is proud to schedule events that focus on the importance of seeds for this year’s celebration of Campus Sustainability Month.

According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Campus Sustainability Month (CSM) is an international celebration of sustainability in higher education.  Throughout the month, colleges and universities organize events on campus and elsewhere to engage and inspire incoming students and other campus stakeholders to become sustainability change agents.  The goal of CSM is to raise the visibility of campus sustainability and provide campus sustainability advocates with a platform through which to deepen campus engagement around sustainability.  Campus Sustainability Month grew out of Campus Sustainability Day, which was first organized in October 2003 by the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) and has typically been celebrated on the fourth Wednesday in October.  In 2015, in recognition of the growth of the campus sustainability community since 2003 and with the support of a variety of CSD partner organizations, AASHE expanded on the CSD concept to create Campus Sustainability Month.

For thousands of years seeds were a “recycled” or “free” resource through seed saving activities.  Farmers would set aside a portion of their very best crops and save the seeds to plant the following season.  The diversity and development of food crops was based on selective breeding and choosing the best performing plants to be selected to improve yields.  However, as modern agriculture has developed and the genetic structure of plants and animals have been unlocked through genetic sequencing, the business of seeds has expanded into an multi-billion dollar business.  Seeds became intellectual property and there have been several infamous disputes between seed companies like Monsanto and local farmers still using seed-saving practices.  Meanwhile, the overall diversity of our food crops has been declining as only a few varieties of seeds are used to provide most of our food, which increases our vulnerability to disease or pests.  It was the recognition of the vulnerability of the world’s genebanks that sparked the idea of establishing a global seed vault to serve as a backup storage facility in Svalbard, Norway.

The act of investing some of your best harvests this season to provide seeds for a bountiful harvest next season is one of the original sustainability practices established by the earliest civilizations and preserving this genetic heritage is a critical component to ensure our continued ability to feed the world.  Several of our CSM events are intended to recognize and promote the importance of seeds in our lives and how seed saving demonstrates a fundamental practice of sustainability by promoting the wise use of resources now to ensure that future generations can enjoy a similar quality of life.

Please click on each link to our Facebook event with more information, including registration information for some of these events.

MAPLE SEED DRAGONFLY WORKSHOP – Wed, October 4:  12-2 PM – University Center-Roberta’s Art Gallery

GAME DAY RECYCLING CHALLENGE – Sat, October 7:  Volunteer shift runs 10:30-2:30 – Perkins Stadium

PRAIRIE TOUR: HARVESTING NATIVE PRAIRIE SEEDS – Thu, October 12:  6-7:30 PM – UW-W Nature Preserve’s Hoffman Kiosk along Schwager Road

SEED SAVING WORKSHOP WITH CLINT FREUND OF REGENERATIVE ROOTS – Sat, October 21:  9-11 AM – UC 259A

FILM SHOWING: SEED: The Untold Story – Mon, October 23:  5:30 PM – UC Summers Auditorium