Student
GREEN
Guide
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What does Pitt do to contribute to a culture of sustainability on campus? “The University of Pittsburgh defines ‘sustainability’ as balancing equity, environment, & economics so current and future generations can thrive. Keeping this in focus, Pitt is actively involved in sustainability initiatives and practices across disciplines, domains, and scales.” Welcome! At the University of Pittsburgh, we are committed to a culture of sustainability. Students have produced the Student Green Guide to show you the ways you can participate in that culture. Hail to Pitt!
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Pitt Sustainability Plan Reducing Your Impact Composting and Recycling Sustainable Food Energy and Water Conservation Transportation Green Certified Programs Get Involved Academics Contacts
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PITT SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
REDUCING YOUR IMPACT
The Pitt Sustainability Plan is the University wide plan designed to address everything from waste and energy use, to emissions, to student resources such as financial, social, mental health, and equity and access. The University Sustainability Committee created a plan to set aggressive goals to ensure sustainability stays at the forefront of the University.
The University of Pittsburgh is serious about waste diversion, reuse and recycling. In this section you can find the many different initiatives that YOU can participate in to help us reduce waste campus wide.
Click here to read the Pitt Sustainability Plan.
Choose to Reuse Eliminate disposable takeout containers and Choose to Reuse! Order your meal in a reusable container at participating Pitt Dining locations across campus. Visit the Choose to Reuse site for more information including how to redeem your free reusable container. BYO[Bag] Single-use plastic bags cost 25 cents at stores across campus. Since 2014, the BYO[Bag] program has generated more than $13,500 for the Pitt Green Fund and reduced plastic bag use on campus by 95%, preventing more than 1.4 million bags from being used. BYO[Mug] More than 12,000 disposable mugs are used on campus each week - and none are recyclable. Purchase brewed coffee or tea in a reusable mug from Campus Bean Scene coffee carts for 99 cents or save 25 cents on espresso drinks. Save even more with a frequency card and earn free drinks for using a reusable mug. Clutter for a Cause During Spring move out the Office of PittServes and the Student Office of Sustainability host Clutter for a Cause — an annual spring move-out donation drive! We will take your gently used household and kitchenware items, along with clothing, room decorations, textbooks and other items. Look for Clutter for a Cause bins in every residence hall at the end of every spring semester. Thriftsburgh Many of the items collected during Clutter for a Cause are sold in Thriftsburgh! The University of Thriftsburgh is a student-run thrift store on campus. They accept donations for in-store credit, or you can shop for low-cost clothing to contribute to our culture of reuse on campus!
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COMPOSTING
RECYCLING
You CAN compost on campus! Composting uses natural decomposition to turn organic waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer.
Pitt’s single stream recycling allows all recyclable materials to be placed into any marked recycling bins on campus with no sorting necessary. All recyclables should be empty, clean, and dry. Items that are wet or have food residue should be thrown in the landfill bin unless you can empty, clean, and dry them.
The University of Pittsburgh offers composting services at events via our Green Certified Event program and individual compost is also accepted on campus in various locations. You can find more information and a full list of locations here. The following items can be placed in any University compost bin: Food waste of any kind! Pizza boxes Coffee grounds Paper towels Napkins & tissues BPI-certified compostable dinnerware, cups, and utensils Shredded newspaper
These items CAN be recycled in Pitt’s single stream collection system: Plastic (bottles, jugs, jars, and containers) Glass (bottles, jugs, jars, and containers) Paper (office, newspaper, magazines, mail) Paperboard and non-corrugated cardboard Books Metals (aluminum, tin, and steel containers) Clear cold coffee cups (make sure they’re empty!) Corrugated cardboard (Should be flattened and placed next to any campus recycling container) Electronic Waste Cell phones can be recycled at any campus computing lab or at the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (153 Benedum Hall) Battery recycling locations here More electronic waste here Pharmaceutical Collections The University of Pittsburgh has two locations where staff, faculty, students, and the public can drop off unused or expired medications safely and securely: Public Safety Building (lobby during business hours) University Pharmacy at Nordenberg Hall (during business hours)
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DID YOU KNOW?
Pitt currently composts a small amount of our waste stream, but our goal is to compost 50% of food waste campuswide by 2025!
More information on recycling and other zero waste efforts can be found here.
Questions? Email us at zerowaste@pitt.edu 5
SUSTAINABLE FOOD
SUSTAINABLE FOOD
Pitt Pantry Located in Bellefield Presbyterian Church (4001 Fifth Avenue), all members of the Pitt Community can visit our on-campus food pantry to access a variety of fresh and packaged foods, hygiene items, household supplies, and other services.
Plant Forward Dining Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, or just want to eat less meat, Pitt Dining is serious about providing delicious, healthy, and climate-friendly meals across campus.
Pitt Pantry hours vary by semester. Please visit our web page for more information or email pantry@pitt.edu Pitt Food Share The Pitt Food Share group on Facebook allows students, staff and faculty event hosts to post pictures and descriptions of leftover food that is safe to share. Take a photo of the food and post where, what type of food and how long the food will be available. If you’ve ordered your food through Campus Catering by Sodexo, please make sure to give them a heads up before the event to be sure your food will still be safe to share after the event! Real Food Challenge Pitt participates in the Real Food Challenge, a national initiative to source more local and sustainable foods throughout campus dining. Like the Real Food Challenge Facebook page or follow them on Instagram to learn more about the Real Food Challenge at Pitt and to find out how we’re doing on our path towards serving 25% ‘Real Food’ on campus by 2025!
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Visit the Kale to Pitt stations in Market Central and the Perch for 100% vegan meals for lunch and dinner everyday. Want a meal to go? Use the Pitt Vegan Master List to learn how we define vegan and easily find options for you across campus. Want to get involved? Join the Pitt Veg Collective to work with Pitt Dining chefs and managers on improving plant-forward options on campus and to spread the word about healthy, sustainable diets. #KaletoPitt Pitt Farmers Market The Pitt Farmers Market brings local farmers and food producers to campus every Thursday in the fall and select dates in the spring and summer. Use your dining dollars and panther funds (as well as cash or card) to buy locally-grown produce, baked goods, breads, meats, cheeses, eggs, and more right in front of the William Pitt Union. Like the Pitt Farmers Market on Facebook or follow them on Instagram for dates and specific vendors. This year the market is going zero-waste! All to-go food packaging from our food trucks and lunch vendors is compostable. And don’t forget to BYO[Bag]! We’ve eliminated single-use plastic bags from the Market.
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WATER
ENERGY Power strips are not only a great way for students to connect their electronics in the dorms, but they can also save energy! Connect your electronics to a power strip with an on/off switch, and turn the switch off when not in use. Just using one charger for your phone, laptop or other device? Remember to unplug from a wall outlet when you’re done. Save your battery! Putting your laptop to sleep when not in use for short periods of time, and powering it off for longer periods helps conserve battery life and saves energy.
Students can help conserve water by shortening shower use time. Pitt makes it easy to stay hydrated and cut down on plastic bottle use with bottle filling stations in most campus buildings. These stations have saved millions of bottles from entering our waste stream. Have an outdoor event? PittServes proudly owns a WaterMonster! Affectionately known as “Ursula”, the WaterMonster is available for your use at outdoor events to help cutdown the use of plastic water bottles. You can reserve the WaterMonster here.
FastFact FastFact Changing the laundry setting to wash on cold reduces energy use by
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90
%
The average shower uses
2
gallons of water per minute
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TRANSPORTATION
GREEN CERTIFIED PROGRAMS
The Pitt Bike Cave The Pitt Bike Cave, located in the Posvar Hall pass-thru is open to every member of the Pitt community. It’s a location where you can learn how to fix bikes, fix your own bike with their tools, buy a used bike, join a ride, volunteer, or hang out!
Green Resident and Floor Certification This is an opportunity for individual students and their floors to become Green Certified. Do you incorporate sustainability practices into your daily routines? Complete the Green Resident Checklist to find out how your green routine stacks up! If you score 50% of the points possible you’ll earn Green Resident Certification. By getting half of your floor to do this, you become a Green-Certified Floor, which awards you a floor-wide certificate! If you’re the highest scoring floor, you win a zero-waste finals party with a dinner from a Sustainable Pittsburgh restaurant!
Healthy Ride Students are able to rent bikes through the Healthy Ride, Pittsburgh’s bike share program. With 600 bikes available at 110 rent & return stations around the City, you can use Healthy Ride just to cross campus or bike around. To activate your account and rent a bike, check out the HealthyRide “how-to” video. Port Authority Buses With your Panther Card, you can also ride fare-free on all Port Authority buses, trolleys, and inclines. Port Authority, True Time is a great way to find what bus you need and what time it will arrive!
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Green Event Certification You can apply to have your event Green Certified by the Student Office of Sustainability. Complete this simple survey and tell us about your event logistics such as composting and recycling, electronic marketing, vegetarian and vegan food choices, or utilizing the Water Monster. The Student Office of Sustainability can provide guidance and support to green your event!
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GET INVOLVED
ACADEMICS
There are many ways to get involved in sustainability on campus!
Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation MCSI The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) is a center of excellence that focuses on innovative research, education, and outreach to enable more sustainable communities. The Center offers a sustainability certificate available to all undergraduate students and supports an undergraduate summer research program for engineering and science students interested in expanding their sustainability learning outside of the classroom.
The Student Office of Sustainability (SOOS) SOOS is your hub for all sustainability-related clubs and organizations! Clubs who wish to be affiliated with the office reflect the values of the SOOS mission statement. The office can be found in room 510 of the William Pitt Union. All are welcome to stop by. Connect with us soos@pitt.edu Instagram Twitter Facebook Pitt Green Team The Pitt Green Team is made up of first-year students who assist with Welcome Week, Green Certified events, and spread the word about sustainability initiatives across campus. Interested in learning more? Email greenteam@pitt.edu
Pitt GREEN
Undergraduate Sustainability Certificate The aim of the Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability is to provide undergraduates the opportunity to enhance their education by including sustainability in their course of study. There are two tracks that students can take: Swanson School of Engineering and Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Any undergraduate can obtain the Certificate in Sustainability.
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REDUCE YOUR PAW PRINT
PittServes The Office of PittServes is your go-to for all things service. The office is located in room 923 of the William Pitt Union. Check out the PittServes Volunteer Portal to explore opportunities. The portal is an excellent tool to track your service hours during your undergraduate career.
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CONTACTS Pitt Sustainability sustainable.pitt.edu Office of Sustainability sustainability@pitt.edu Student Office of Sustainability soos@pitt.edu Aurora Sharrard, Director of Sustainability, Office of Sustainability asharrard@pitt.edu Erika Ninos, Sustainability Program Coordinator, Pitt Serves eln25@pitt.edu Ciara Stehley, Sustainability Program Assistant, Pitt Serves ciara.stehley@pitt.edu Nick Goodfellow, Sustainability Coordinator, Auxiliary Services ngoodfellow@pc.pitt.edu Sawyer Sidelinger, Sustainability Coordinator, Pitt Dining by Sodexo ssidelinger@pc.pitt.edu
Special thanks to the students who created this guide! Zach Delaney ‘21, Anfernee La Cruz ‘21, Alyssa Martinec ‘19, Alex Reinke ‘20, and Ellie Cadden’20
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