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Office of Sustainability
Enhancing Educational Experiences within the Office of the Dean of the College
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Ditch the Dumpster
Are you planning to study abroad, move out this winter or just want to donate some clothes? Ditch the Dumpster is back this semester, led by the Office of Sustainability in partnership with Residential Experience. It encourages students to donate their gently used items instead of throwing them away to encourage sustainable practices of reducing waste. Accepted items include clothing, hangers, unopened food, houseplants, outdoor gear, and small household/dorm items. The program runs from Dec. 15-19 at two collection sites, accessible 24/7:
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Emissions Travel Survey
Can you believe that it is almost Winter Break? As many of us gear up to travel for the holidays, we invite all students, staff, and faculty to participate in the OOS’ annual Travel Survey! By giving just five minutes of your time to fill out the survey, you will help the Emissions Team understand transportation habits among students, staff, and faculty, guiding our alternative transportation projects to reduce emissions. As there are two different surveys, please make sure you select the appropriate survey, which closes on Dec. 8. To thank you for participating, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card. Your contributions not only make our campus greener but also shape the future of sustainable commuting!
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Recap of Sustainable Wednesday and Film Screening
The first Sustainable Wednesday of the year was a success! The Waste Team introduced themselves through fun games at Worner Campus Center. We hope you were able to stop by and get a small peek into what our office is working on! Please join us for the next Sustainable Wednesday on Dec. 13 from 12:15-1:15 p.m. hosted by the STARS Team, where they will be hosting a sustainability-related trivia activity and handing out donuts as prizes.
On Nov. 4, the OOS hosted our first Sustainable Saturday Screening in collaboration with the Film and Media Studies Department by showing David Attenbourgh’s riveting documentary, A Life on Our Planet. Through up-close documentation of current environmental changes, Attenborough helped viewers witness the urgent need for sustainability. By providing a window into the future, he gave the audience a chance to reflect on their impact and what sustainability means to them. We hope you can join us for our next Sustainable Saturday Screening in Block 5! Look out for more information to come.
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Pictured above, left-right: Martina Hasler Arantes ’25 Jasmine Sone ’24 and Em Renetzky ’27
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E-Waste Drop-Off
Do you have electronic waste you want to dispose of? The CC Office of Sustainability has a solution for you! We are hosting an E-Waste Drop-Off event as part of the end-of-year Ditch the Dumpster effort at Breton Hall Garage on Thursday, Dec. 7 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. If you are able to drop your items off, please refer to the map below to locate the Breton Hall Garages (the NW corner of parking lot C-1). Staff will be there to help you unload your items. If this drop-off is not possible for you, please fill out this request form for a pick-up, and a representative will be in touch with you about your request within three business days.
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We recycle electronic waste, including items that are no longer working, unwanted, or at the end of their “life.” Acceptable and commonly recycled items include: TVs, monitors, keyboards, cables, appliances, digital media players, cellphones, and other items. Please note we cannot recycle alkaline batteries, which include most household batteries, like Duracell, Energizer, and others.
*Please note that if your items are both college-issued AND contain a hard drive (laptops, computers, etc.), you must reach out to ITS for them to wipe this hard drive before recycling. Additionally, a pickup option is available ONLY for office/departmental requests. For any personal requests from CC community members, drop-off at the e-waste garage is the only option.
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Meet the Communications Team
We are thrilled to introduce our Communications Team for this academic year, consisting of three interns: Jacob McDougall ’24, Mahnoor Rehman ’24, and Haley Outwater ’26, alongside two dedicated volunteers, Molly Vance ’27 and Adeline Turner ’27. The team manages various modes of communications between our 0ffice and the broader CC community. They are responsible for the social media outlets, Worner dashboard, the blocky newsletter, and website management among other projects. The team continues to collaborate with other intern teams at the OOS to support their marketing campaigns for different programming initiatives.
McDougall enjoys promoting and advertising impactful projects as part of the team projects. Further, his most challenging yet rewarding project so far has been working on Ditch the Dumpster, a program led by the OOS. Outwater’s favorite aspect of the Communications Team is creating graphics for social media. She is currently exploring the use of GIS lab to craft a digital sustainability virtual tour map. Rehman brings three years of experience to the team and values the support received from her teammates, fellow interns, and supervisors. Her most challenging yet rewarding project so far has been Earth Week marketing. Let’s give a big thanks to our Communications Team for all their hard work!
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Pictured above, left-right: Jacob McDougall and Haley Outwater ’26
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CC Exchange Books Available
Do you need textbooks or have old textbooks you no longer use? Check out the CC Exchange’s book section. There you can find plenty of textbooks commonly required for CC classes on every subject matter from Chemistry to Journalism, Economics, World Languages, Environmental Science, and more. We also have a large selection of leisure books previously enjoyed and donated by your classmates. The best part? They’re free and you can borrow and return them or keep them for good!
The CC Exchange is open Thursdays (1st-3rd week) from 2-4 p.m. in the basement of Worner, and donations are accepted during all open hours. We hope to see you there.
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Holiday Sustainability Tips
For this holiday season, we urge you to make sustainable choices that not only spread joy but also help the planet. Here are some easy tips offered by the OOS:
- Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping: Choose reusable fabric or recycled paper for gift wrapping to reduce waste and make your presents as sustainable as they are thoughtful.
- Support Local Businesses: Opt for gifts from local artisans or businesses to minimize the environmental impact of shipping and promote community sustainability.
- LED Lights Magic: Illuminate your holiday with energy-efficient LED lights, which not only last longer but also consume less energy compared to traditional bulbs, helping to lower your carbon footprint.
- Reusable Gatherings: Minimize single-use plastics during holiday gatherings by using reusable dishes and utensils, making your celebrations not only festive but also environmentally friendly.
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Offset your Holiday Travel
Are you traveling or going home for Winter Break and want to offset your travel emissions? The OOS has an easy-to-use resource to help you reduce your carbon footprint over the holidays. Use the Travel Offset Calculator to compute your trip’s toll on the environment and then click to offset your emissions and counterbalance some of your travel impacts. The cost of offsets is far less than the cost of travel, but your investment greatly supports important climate initiatives!
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