Dartmouth Continues


Swimming in the Connecticut River at Dartmouth

They say time flies when you’re having fun, but maybe we should say it’s hard to bee-lieve we are already past the halfway point of our program! The past couple days have been filled with birthdays, bees, and business lessons.

Students present on their projects.
We sea some great potential in this advertisement.

The students have spent time this week working on group projects researching companies to learn more about the business models and organizational structures of different “green” ventures. On Friday morning they explored potential marketing strategies for these businesses before presenting their overall findings to the group on Friday afternoon. Following the “formal” presentations, we were witness to a more “casual” presentation later in the evening as some students performed a rendition of “I Want It That Way” during our joint birthday party. We were able to celebrate two birthdays with cake and song.

The happiest of birthday wishes to Kieran and Mirelle!
Students learn about organic farming and integrated pest control. Who knows, maybe some of the students will catch the farming bug when they return home!

On Saturday morning we ventured down the road to Dartmouth’s Organic Farm where we learned about farming and got a first-hand look at some beehives. After a tour of the farm, students were able to speak with current Dartmouth students about student-led sustainability initiatives on campus. They were also able to learn more about beekeeping and how honeybees play an important role in food production. Bee sure to ask them about some of the new information they learned, including some insight on how bees build and maintain their hives.

We learned that drones (male bees) don’t have stingers! That’s one less thing to bee worried    about.
Students got a closer look at the hive. What a sweet view of the honey!

After our tour, we cooled off with popsicles and a dip in the river. It was a much-needed break on such a hot day! Later in the afternoon, students were able to go swimming and canoeing on the beautiful Connecticut River. We concluded the day with a group game of trivia! This was a fun way to review some of the key concepts that were taught this week, as well as learn more about our community (and stay up-to-date on our celebrity gossip).

Canoeing on the Connecticut.
Will perfecting his rope swing technique. He and Lindsay must have logged close to 100 hundred attempts between the two of them in the never ending quest for optimal performance.
The most environmentally friendly hair extensions we’ve seen yet.

On Sunday morning we divided into smaller groups and students attended two breakout sessions of their choice on various topics. Some of the sessions included introductions to subjects such as environmental policy, spiritual ecology, community owned solar, and green building. These sessions were a great way to delve deeper into more aspects of sustainability and continue discussions about environmental stewardship from new perspectives. We are hopeful the students will consider some of these new lenses on sustainability as they prepare for their final projects and create ideas for an environmentally-focused, sustainable social venture.

Sunday Funday! Morning breakout sessions helped us get ready for the upcoming week.

Also on Sunday, we had about several members of the group sit down for a conversation with Sustainable Summer alum and current Dartmouth sophomore, Annika, for a chat about life on campus, sustainability at Dartmouth, college admissions, and other topics of interest to our cohort this summer.

Annika, like so many of our past students, continues to be involved in sustainability initiatives. She cited her time on Sustainable Summer as formative for a lot of reasons, but especially because of her lasting interest in sustainable agriculture, which she is actively involved with on campus.

 

 

 

On Monday we started our week off with a hike on the Appalachian Trail. Our hike was a lovely way to connect with nature and get some exercise in! Later this week we will be revisiting the Appalachian Trail to summit one of the mountains, so this was a great sneak peak of what’s to come. Stay tuned on our final adventures!

Hiking rocks! Here’s a snapshot from our morning hike on the Appalachian Trail. We do break up into much smaller groups while on trail to minimize our impact.

6 thoughts on “Dartmouth Continues

  1. Olivia’s beginning to Cook up some really good puns! From bee-lieve to the farming bug, Olivia really knows how to make readers laugh!

    1. Thanks for your kind review, Fareed! We always love hearing from our readers.

      1. The pleasure is all mine. What can I say? It’s really refreshing seeing a Cook dish out some good puns!

  2. Olivia is my new favorite blogger! Love you all ♥ ~peace out~ ~good vibes~ ~go green!~

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