Past Events
35th Annual Winter Conference
Western CT State University
Midtown Campus
181 White Street, Danbury
Saturday, March 11, 2016
Sunday, March 12, 2016
Winter 2017
The Jane Goodall Center for Environmental Excellence at WCSU sponsored their second, annual five-part lecture series: Climate and Human Civilization: A Lecture Series on Climate Change, presented by Dr. Mitch Wagener, Department of Biology and Enviromental Sciences and students of Western CT State University. Weekly topics included: Climate & Weather, Ice and Sea Level, Climate & Human Health, Lessons from our Past, and Sustainable Civilization.
The series was free and open to the public.
Fall 2016
Dinner in a Bite was a special gathering open to JGC supporters, the general public and attendees of the Institute on Science for Global Policy Conference, “Socioeconomic Contexts of Global Agriculture” held at WCSU on October 14 and 15, 2017.
The menu featured items harvested from The Jane Goodall Permaculture Garden and local farms incuding: Halas Farm in Danbury, Warrups Farm in Redding and The Hickories Farm in Ridgefield.
Thanks to our friends and partners at Sodexo for preparing and serving all of the foods presented.
Spring Events 2016
April 2016
Roots & Shoots Class (ANT 400)
Farm for Yourself Lecture Series
The Jane Goodall Center at WCSU, in collaboration with the students from the Roots & Shoots class and club, hosted a successful and well-attended weekly lecture series, Farm for Yourself, throughout April.
Local experts were invited to discuss a variety of topics including; Using Animals to Manage Your Land, Composting and Soil Amendment, Backyard Beekeeping and Permaculture.
Dr. Mitch Wagener and the WCSU Biology Dept. were an important part of this venture and the gatherings were free & open to the public.
April 22, 2016 – Celebrate Earth Day and join us in for a Community Work Day in the Garden at 9:00 a.m.
May 2, 2016 – Garden Prep Day at 11:30, The ANT 400 Roots and Shoots class will be in the garden, prepping the soil for planting. Everyone is welcome!
February 2016
The Jane Goodall Center for Environmental Excellence at WCSU sponsored a five-part lecture series: Climate and Human Civilization: A Lecture Series on Climate Change, presented by Dr. Mitch Wagener, Department of Biology and Enviromental Sciences and students of Western CT State University. Weekly topics included: Weather and Climate, Factors That Modify the Climate, Climate & Civilization, The Recent Past and The Near Future and How Do We Fix This? The series was free and open to the public.
34th Annual Winter Conference
Western CT State University
Midtown Campus
181 White Street, Danbury
Saturday, March 12, 2016 ~ 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday, March 13, 2016 ~ 9:00 am to 3:30 pm
Partner Day by Whole Foods Market Danbury
Spring Events 2015
March 9 – A Place Called Hope, Bird Rescue (Roots and Shoots) 12:00 at Centennial Grove (between the library and Warner)
March 11 – Jane Goodall Center meeting combined with Permaculture meeting
11:30 Student Center 228. This is a 2 hour+ Garden Design Meeting for faculty staff and students who will be on our garden design committee. You will need to commit to three meetings (TBA).
March 24 – Green lecture (Ancell School of Business) with Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of
TerraCycle will will discuss “Revolutionary Solutions: The Creative Power of Green” at 7 p.m. in the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall in the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the WCSU Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. The talk will be free and the public is invited.
April 7 – WOLF CONSERVATION DEMONSTRATION (Animal Week event for Roots and Shoots):
Atka, an Arctic gray wolf from the Wolf Conservation Center, will visit WCSU at noon in Irfan Kathwari Honors House on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. Atka will be accompanied by a Wolf Conservation Center staffer who will talk about wolf behavior, habitat and more. The event, sponsored by WCSU Roots & Shoots to celebrate Animal Week, will be free and the public is invited.
April 8 – REPTILES ON THE MOVE (Animal Week event for Roots and Shoots):Reptiles will be on display at WCSU at noon in the Student Center Theater on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The event, sponsored by WCSU Roots & Shoots to celebrate Animal Week, will be free and the public is invited.
April 15th – Steve Brill, a naturalist, will be giving 1-2 foraging tours at WestConn Nature Preserve (WestSide) starting at 9am at the Preserve.
April 21 – Lecture on Climate Change: “Climate Change: It’s Real, It’s Here, It’s Time to ACT” Dr. Mitch Wagener, WCSU’s Climate Change Guru, will be presenting a lecture. Science Building Lecture Hall. 7pm.
Farm to Table Dinner
Saturday, Sept. 13th 2014, 6 p.m.
Food from Local Farmers & Wineries
Science Building Garden, WCSU Midtown Campus
181 White Street, Danbury, CT
Please RSVP by Aug. 30th by sending an email to janegoodallcenterWCSU@wcsu.edu
Partner Day by Whole Foods Market Danbury
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
An important fundraising day for the Jane Goodall Center for Environmental Excellence at WCSU and we hope you’ll join us at Whole Foods Market Danbury for this special 5% Day event.
WHEN: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
WHERE: Storewide at Whole Foods Market Danbury, 5C Sugar Hollow Road, Danbury, CT 06810
Shop all day and Whole Foods Market will donate 5% of their day’s sales in support of our planned permaculture garden on the Western Connecticut State University Midtown Campus.
Thanks to Whole Foods Market Danbury for sponsoring this event and thanks to you for shopping!
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Our Enviromental Destiny
Tuesday, Sept. 30th, 7 p.m.
Ives Concert Hall, White Hall, WCSU Midtown Campus
VIP Reception in Warner Hall at 8:30 p.m.
181 White Street, Danbury, CT
Tickets: $10. Students free with WCSU I.D.
VIP Reception: $30. Students $10 with WCSU I.D.
For Tickets: wcsu.edu/tickets or (203) 837 – tixx
at door tickets for talk only
Roots & Shoots Club – Animal Week 2014
Join the WCSU Roots & Shoots Club for Animal Week 2014’s amazing wildlife programs.
All are FREE & Open to the Public
Monday, April 14th
Monday, April 14 at 1pm in Irfan Kathwari Honors House we’ll welcome,
Atka the Wolf, from The Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY, to the midtown campus.
Atka is the oldest ambassador wolf at the Wolf Conservation Center and their best “wolf teacher” Atka is their only ambassador wolf who likes to travel. Atka embraces new faces and places making him a great educator and unlike most wolves. In 2012, Atka visited almost 160 schools, nature centers, museums and libraries helping people learn about the importance of his wild “brothers and sisters”. With the mission to educate people about wolves, their relationship in the environment and the human role in protecting their future.
This event is FREE & Open to the public.
Tuesday, April 15th
Tuesday, April 15 at 12 noon in the midtown quad
BIRDS OF PREY come to the midtown quad at noon for a special educational program. Come and learn more about these magnificent creatures!
This event is FREE & Open to the public.
Wednesday, April 16th
Snakes & Scales
1pm in the Student Centery Theater
Join members of the Roots & Shoots Club for this fascinating reptile education program.
FREE & Open to the public!
Thursday, April 10th
Mr. Dru Bacon (Chemical Engineer and solar specialist, formerly of Arizona Smart Power from Phoenix) will be returning to Western to discuss alternative energies like solar and why we need to move away from fossil fuels NOW. He will be giving a public talk and visiting some of our classes to enlighten our students. April 10th, 2014, Science Building, Room 125, 7pm
Saturday, March 1st
We are co-hosting CT NOFA’s 32nd AnnualWinter Conference Saturday, March 1st, 2014, Midtown Campus, 8:30-5:00 pm.
The 2014 Winter Conference brings into focus the challenges of the next generation of farmers and how they affect all of us. Join us to discuss the future of sustainable farming and celebrate local food. In between workshops, attendees can visit with over 50 vendors and exhibitors featuring local foods, crafts, books, and sustainability initiatives. The ever popular raffle will return with prizes that include garden supplies, Connecticut grown and crafted goods, exciting services and more.
CT NOFA link: http://www.ctnofa.org/winterconference/index.html
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