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Sustainability and the environment have long featured prominently in Forbes College programming. In fact, long before Princeton University acquired The Princeton Inn and transformed it, first into the Princeton Inn College, and ultimately to Forbes College, important discussions on sustainability and the environment took place on this site. In 1955, from June 16-27, the Princeton Inn was home to one of the first multi-disciplinary symposia encouraging collaboration among international scholars to understand “Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Earth.” The introductory remarks from this important symposium read, in part:
Man, the ecological dominant on the planet, needs the insights of scholars in nearly all branches of learning to understand what has happened and is happening to the earth under man's impress. This Symposium is a first attempt to provide an integrated insight and to demonstrate the capacity of a great number of fields of knowledge to add importantly to our understanding. What the soil scientist, climatologist, geomorphologist, and others are doing are direct contributions of man's understanding of himself. By expressly not setting the study of man and his behavior apart from other fields of knowledge, by recognizing that man is a part, and an active part, of nature and has been so from earliest times, the Symposium theme lays the groundwork for more meaningful formulation of research designs to learn more about what and how environmental factors influence man's development and behavior. (William I. Thomas, Jr. Introductory, xxxvii)
Building on this legacy, many students and scholars of environmental studies and related fields have found the space of the College a friendly home in which to discuss important ideas related to sustainability and the environment. The "garden project" began with conversations over dinner between Forbes resident Ruthie Schwab '09 and then Director of Studies, Patrick Caddeau, in the fall of 2006. These conversations led to the first planting of herbs and leafy greens on a small patch of land between the Springdale Golf Course and the Forbes Annex in April of 2007. Everyone involved in the project soon realized how beneficial it was to spend time outdoors, digging in the dirt, pulling weeds, growing things and developing a deeper appreciation for what we eat and where it comes from. The Princeton Garden Project continues to grow with multiple sites around campus, the largest being the Forbes garden. Forbes was also a host-site and supporter of the vertical farm project. Forbes College has promoted sustainability on Princeton’s campus through many collaborative projects (with thanks to the constant support of the Office of Sustainability). Some early examples, so successful as pilot projects in Forbes that they were ultimately adopted campus-wide, include: UBikes, a bicyle recycling and sharing program (2007); "tray-free" dining, originally piloted in the Forbes servery (2008) to significantly reduce food waste; and the introduction of meat-free (2010) and flexitarian (2013) dinners to promote healthy eating habits that also reduce the carbon footprint of campus meals.
The Forbes "green fund" provides a supplement of up to 20% in funding to promote events hosted in Forbes that focus on environmental education and/or make use of recycled products, minimally processed foods, and meat-free dining. (For more information come by the Forbes College Office!) Forbes College also sponsors The Pink House, a collaborative living and learning project dedicated to sustainability and food, conveniently located between the Forbes Garden and the Main Inn.
Decisions related to sustainability and the environment will play increasingly important roles in our health and the future of our planet. As part of its mission to foster a residential college community dedicated to academic and personal growth as well as the University's informal motto "Princeton in the nation's service and in the service of humanity" Forbes College welcomes everyone's participation in programming related to sustainability and your suggestions for how we can continue to improve our efforts in this important area. Refer to the Forbes events page and the Office of Sustainability for upcoming programs and events. For more information or to share your suggestions, please visit the Forbes College Office!