In addition to coalition-wide endeavors, YSEC functions as an umbrella for all the student environmental groups in Yale College. These cover a wide range of issues, as shown below. These change over time and reflect the changing areas of local and global concern. If you have an idea for a new environmental initiative at Yale, or feel that you have a group deserving funding, please contact us for details on joining the coalition.
- Fossil Free Yale
- Project Bright
- Yale Bee Space
- Students for Carbon Dividends (S4CD)
- GREEN @ Yale
- City Atlas
Fossil Free Yale
Fossil Free Yale (FFY) is a grassroots student organization that fights to hold Yale accountable for its complicity in the climate crisis, demanding that Yale divest (sell their investments) immediately from fossil fuel companies and cancel its holdings in Puerto Rican debt. Recognizing that the planet and its most vulnerable people are actively suffering from the grave impacts of climate change, we leverage our power as students at Yale to join forces with the global struggle for climate justice. Building coalitions with Yale student organizations, alumni, professors, and New Haven activists, we use education, community-building, administrative engagement, protest, and direct action to fight for our precious future. Join us!
Contacts: Ben Levin, firstname.lastname@example.org; Nora Heaphy, email@example.com; Mary Claire Whelan, firstname.lastname@example.org
Yale Project Bright
Project Bright is Yale’s only undergraduate solar energy group. We are project-based and aim to increase the amount of solar energy generated at Yale and in New Haven. Current projects include helping Greek houses on campus go solar, solarizing food trucks, advocating the use of solar panels on Yale’s campus, partnering with San Francisco-based nonprofit RE-volv to install solar on a New Haven nonprofit, and projects at the Ivy Street Greenhouse and Horse Island. Education also serves as a core component of Project Bright’s mission, as we often research installation, make building assessments, host workshops that teach young students about solar energy and how to install solar panels, and actually build our own solar-powered devices. Join us in making Yale and New Haven a little bit brighter!
Contact: Carrie email@example.com; Katie firstname.lastname@example.org; Sophia email@example.com
Yale Bee Space
Yale Bee Space is a student beekeeping and bee appreciation group. It is a member of the Yale Student Environmental Coalition, an umbrella organization for all Yale student environmental groups. Our name comes from the term “bee space” coined by Yale alum L. L. Langstroth, the inventor of the modern Langstroth beehive, to describe the natural spacing between honeycomb layers in a hive. We aim to educate students about the practice of beekeeping and lead workshops related to bees, honey and derived products. In addition to caring for farmed bees, we hope to raise awareness and appreciation of wild American bees.
Students for Carbon Dividends (S4CD)
S4CD is a national bipartisan student group that aims to catapult a free market climate solution—specifically the Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends plan—into the national spotlight and open the door to bipartisan climate action. We have generated an unprecedented coalition with student groups across the country, and we seek to mobilize students around this breakthrough climate solution.
Contacts: George Gemelas firstname.lastname@example.org; Alex Posner email@example.com; firstname.lastname@example.org
GREEN @ Yale
We are Yale’s first sustainability action group that strives to implement GREENer practices on campus. We aim to catalyze change to reach the institution’s sustainability goals for 2025 as soon as possible. Although we are the youngest environmental club and started only in March 2018, we have many projects already in the works, such as the Sustainable Butteries project and Project Green Challenge outreach. The scale of our projects can be small (within a residential college) or large (New Haven wide), and whatever ideas we decide to pursue depends entirely on our members. Potential ideas include: running a program-return scheme with the Dramat, collaborating with New Haven businesses to institute a strawless campaign and bring-your-own (BYO) discount and many many more! Join us to make tangible change and to Get Responsible for Earth’s Environment Now!
City Atlas: New Haven
One of YSEC’s newest coalition groups, City Atlas: New Haven is an environmental news website founded by Yale alum Richard Reiss. The New Haven site is a project for the future of New Haven, but it is also a branch of the larger City Atlas organization based in NYC that was founded by Reiss as well. The New Haven site has been dormant for a few years, and Yale students are in the process of reviving it! City Atlas: New Haven aims to cover environmental stories / news / events, conduct interviews with prominent environmental figures within and beyond the Yale and New Haven communities, spur change across these communities by holding events/workshops, and expand conversations about climate change by connecting Yale alumni and students. Join the City Atlas: New Haven movement today!