Sustainability in Real Life

There are many activities you can participate in at the Castle to promote sustainability. You can even develop your own. Here are a few ideas that have been proposed:

• Sustainability Ideas Fair

Small businesses, community leaders, and interested individuals are invited to participate in a sustainable ideas fair. Everyone contributes ideas for local sustainability, booths and tables promote sustainability, local sustainable products are offered for sale. A closing informal dinner celebration wraps up the day with prizes and awards.

• Solar Energy Day

Students have the chances to get to know each other through collaboration and team solutions. One day in the first week of term, participants are divided randomly into teams to rotate through Sustainability Stations such as:

Astronomy at the Clock: low tech sky gazing

Shakespeare Garden: poetry and Shakespearean verses about simple solutions

The Folly: planting shrubs and flowers or making something simple out of wood

The Woodland Trail (bluebells): Searching out biodiversity in the woods

The Moat: Discussion of how to use less water and sustainable fishing

The Pastures: Discussion of endangered species OR factory farming and better solutions

The Vegetable Gardens: Tour the garden and devise a new simple solution for a current problem in the garden (pest, weed, a plant not growing well, new varieties, etc.) The Runes: Slow down and learn some tai chi for focus

Picnic Lunch: In the gardens with simple food for sustainability theme

Evening: Each student team presents their solutions and observations in the dining hall.

• A Day at the Castle

In partnership with Friends of Herstmonceux, surrounding communities are invited to an open house at the Castle with inside tours, archaeology tours on the grounds, vegetable garden tours, Shakespeare garden tours and readings, woodlot tours, Castles in literature readings, examples of student work and presentations, renewable energy tours, etc.

• Vegetable Garden

We convert the open area to the southeast of Bader Hall to a vegetable garden after consultation with kitchen staff on what they could use the most. Install a simple rabbit fence and permanent beds with clipped grass in between, to maintain a classic look just like formal gardens. Students and members of the community work there a specified number of hours (from April to October) during their time at the Castle. This would fit in with our look, be appealing to visitors, accessible to heavy equipment, near the compost bins, and near the students!

1. One staff person coordinates the veg garden
2. One student from ENSC390 coordinates student participation in the garden
3. One person from the community coordinates community participation
4. One student (or a committee) liaises with Food Services re use of garden vegetables in kitchen
5. At end of summer session, have a Locavore meal using all available produce from the garden and the local area, planned by ENSC390 students.

Make sustainability part of your Castle life.