“I don’t have a typical day’ seems to be the recurring theme for Jen Kleindienst, the director of the Sustainability Office at the Bailey College of Environment. For Kleindienst, a typical day involves meetings with students, community partners, and working on projects to support sustainability and environmental justice initiatives. She and her team guide our community towards three main goals: achieving carbon neutrality by 2035, implementing sustainability and environmental justice into Wesleyan’s academic programs and campus and community-based engagement projects, and integrating sustainability into campus culture.
Kleindienst’s first encounter with environmentalism was in middle school, where she formed a close bond with her German teacher. It was through her teacher’s introduction to literature and history in books such as Eric Schlosser’s investigative book, Fast Food Nation, that Kleindienst understood the inhumane practices in industrial agriculture. “I was utterly horrified reading [that] book,” she says. Kleindienst knew that she could no longer remain passive and felt compelled to learn more. She knew her path would be in sustainability.
At Hamilton College, Kleindienst majored in environmental policy. Her first involvement in sustainability efforts was working at a facility for waste education. Her supervisor offered her a research trip to travel to different schools in the Northeast, to learn about their composting programs. At one school, Kleindienst interviewed a sustainability staff person and remembers a light bulb moment that this was a career path she would be interested in. This inspired her to take on the position as Wesleyan’s Director of Sustainability after graduate school.
Kleindienst’s days include meeting with students and community members, as well as overseeing ad hoc projects. Despite the overload of projects, Kleindienst is perpetually inspired about her work. She shared her excitement about two major projects: Community Matchbox and supporting student activism. Community Matchbox is an initiative that makes it easier for campus and community members to connect with each other. The platform includes a public forum for community members to submit ideas, as well as a campus and community directory for Middletown and beyond. Kleindienst and her team also plan to collaborate with student groups across campus to raise awareness of their community work.
The Sustainability Office also hopes to support effective student activism and protest. Kleindienst and her team have already promoted alternative modes of advocacy, with the Bailey College of the Environment developing a five-session “activism and advocacy” workshop series this spring. Workshops have included focus on how to influence environmental policy, how to balance activism and mindfulness, an introduction to community organizing, and understanding the intersections between sustainability and justice. These workshops help students with building different forms of activism in response to Wesleyan and Middletown needs and interests. This becomes a great experience for all who, as Kleindienst says, “want to be an activist in their most comfortable way.”
Student and community engagement is another important aspect for Kleindienst. As envisioned in the Sustainability Strategic Plan, Wesleyan aims to have at least 80% of students do something related to sustainability by 2030. For her, this includes campus jobs that contribute to waste reduction, energy conservation, and community integration. For example, the Green Fund committee commits to environmental solidarity through funding eco-friendly events and collaborations. These events range from the annual Garden Fest to Science Saturdays with Middletown students. Additionally, the Sustainability Office established many leadership opportunities through over 30 internships. After adopting these initiatives, Kleindienst says she is elated by the outcome. Last year, 61% of students took a class related to sustainability and an additional 4% were engaged in sustainability leadership and community engagement opportunities.
Ultimately, Kleindienst and her team’s vision for the next five years is for there to be lasting programs that have more of a focus on community and systemic sustainability action. As Kleindienst says, “everyone is playing their part…we’re making a collective change.” As for now, though, the Sustainability Office continues to work towards providing the wider community resources and opportunities that advocate for a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.