EnviroNews Newsletter of Santa Clara University Environmental Studies Institute Volume XXX
Spring 2009
“SCU’s Sustainability Squad Cuts the Crap at Preview Days” By Tracey Mangin Every year accepted students have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Santa Clara University during Preview Days. (April 18-19, 2009) SCU successfully made this year’s Preview Days more sustainable than ever. Invitations were sent via e-mail instead of through the mail, water was served in compostable cups instead of water bottles, tables at the table fair were given the option of pledging to be more sustainable, and the amount of waste was greatly reduced with the integration of composting. Twenty two students volunteered this weekend to assist guests with proper waste disposal during breakfast, lunch, and at snack station locations. These volunteers, comprised of members of the Sustainability Squad were diligent in their efforts to keep compostable and recyclable materials separated from landfill waste. The main task for these volunteers was to help those attending Preview Days separate their materials at resource recovery stations. (designated areas with bins marked for compost, recycling, and landfill waste) The students volunteering memorized which items were compostable (plates, utensils, napkins, food, and cups), recyclable (paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, and tin), and considered landfill waste (condiment packaging, chip bags, and ice cream wrappers). When guests came up to the resource recovery stations, members of the Sustainability Squad helped them sort their material and answered questions about sustainability at SCU.
SCU Celebrates Earth Day April 29th
Katrina Jaber (Class of 2012) remembers seeing volunteers last year when she attended Preview Days as a high school senior. Last year about five volunteers helped guests keep recyclables separated from all other material. In just one year the amount of volunteers for this event has more than quadrupled, and the amount of waste diverted has increased due to the integration of composting. In general, people were excited about how much of an emphasis was placed on sustainability. Parents were not only impressed with the fact that Santa Clara is making such an effort to reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill, but also with the assistance provided by the Sustainability Squad. One parent commented that she could tell that the university as a whole really cares about sustainability because so many students were assisting as volunteers for the Sustainability Squad. Overall it seems that the weekend successfully conveyed the University’s commitment to sustainability.
Jenny Gore, Sustainability Intern & Tracey Mangin, Recycling Intern, help a Preview Day attendee properly sort waste
What’s Inside…? ESI Seminar Series: Spring 2009………………………………………………..2 Fall 2009 Courses………………………………………………………………....2 GIS Lab Updates……....................................................................................……3 Team GIS Research cont’d....................................................................................4 USES & Sustainability Decathlon…………………………………………….....5 USES Agenda …………………...……………………………………………..6-7 Green Club’s Earth Week Events…………………………………..………...…8