Sustainability Office hosts eco-friendly themed events

Accessibility to the arboretums, lakes and gardens are all priveileges according to the Sustainability Office. This office remind students that, along with these privileges comes the responsibility to care for the environment. The office is hosting an event called “Campus Race to Zero Waste” from Jan. 31 to March 27, one of the many resources on campus to become involved in sustainability efforts.

“There are so many resources to be tapped into on campus, whether that’s [the sustainability office] or the natural environment,” said Mahina Melim, sophomore and staff member at the Sustainability Office. “We are in such a special place. It’s not something that everyone can boast about at their school.”

The campus Race to Zero Waste is a national eight-week program in which colleges compete to reduce their total campus waste and recycle properly, as well as educate students on sustainability efforts. After the event’s success in 2021, the Sustainability Office is holding the event again, with a renewed priority on hosting engaging, in—person educational events during the race.

“A big part of the Campus Race to Zero Waste is to inform students on how they can be sustainable or more eco-friendly, and how to reduce their water, energy and waste consumption, because a lot of college students…don’t know how to do that,” said Ryan Imm, sophomore Sustainability staff member.

Elly Strunk, MN Green Corps Member, said that waste reduction is one of the easiest ways to live more sustainably.

“It’s more important than you think. People kind of just brush it to the side,” she said. “[We need to] be a little more willing to do more than just educate, because there’s only so much you can do with educating and promoting.”

She would like to see individuals and departments step outside of their comfort zones and make a conscious effort during this campus race and long-term. During the Campus Race to Zero Waste, the Sustainability Office is going beyond educational content by hosting engaging, in—person events to support the campus community in making eco-friendly changes.

Imm said that the priority on in-person events is also a response to the pandemic. He said it is important to build and rebuild connections between members of the community in order to pursue effective, long-term sustainability. Events around campus, including tabling and themed athletic games are one piece of this initiative.

The events include trivia questions about sustainability or waste reduction. Students can enter to win sustainable products.

Strunk explained that each week of the program is centered around a designated theme such as sustainable relationship building, self-care, energy, and reconnecting with nature. Last week’s theme was sustainable sports and this week’s is reducing food waste.

The leftover food from students’ plates or that can no longer be served is collected in barrels to keep track of waste. Last week alone, the Refectory collect 38 barrels with each barrel ranging between 150 to 210 pounds, which totaled to approximately 6,000 pounds.

“Those are things that we want to make students aware of because not only is that a lot of food being wasted, but that’s a lot of money and time being wasted,” Strunk said.

There are organizations and policies on campus which seek to reduce CSB/SJU’s environmental impact. For example, SJU dining service partners with Barthold Recycling to bring food waste to local pig farms. However, according to the Sustainability Office, there is more to be done to operate our schools in a less harmful manner, but these institutional changes require collaborative action.

According to Imm, we are in a unique transitional period, where the pandemic is presenting new challenges to environmentalism, but also new opportunities for creative solutions and greater global awareness.

“We’re actually in a vital point of the pandemic… we can really make a major shift and commit to sustainable action,” he said. “And I think a lot of people would be more receptive to the idea of being sustainable after our mutual experience of COVID-19.”