<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Student Sustainability Office Archives - The Utah Statesman</title> <atom:link href="https://usustatesman.com/tag/student-sustainability-office/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://usustatesman.com/tag/student-sustainability-office/</link> <description>USU's Student Newspaper</description> <lastBuildDate>Fri, 16 Feb 2024 02:34:44 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2</generator> <image> <url>https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cropped-screen-shot-2017-10-19-at-4.33.29-pm-32x32.png</url> <title>Student Sustainability Office Archives - The Utah Statesman</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/tag/student-sustainability-office/</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>USU races to zero waste in nationwide sustainability challenge</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/usu-races-to-zero-waste-in-nationwide-sustainability-challenge/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Maren Archibald]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 19 Feb 2024 12:30:10 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[basketball]]></category> <category><![CDATA[campus race to zero waste]]></category> <category><![CDATA[campus sustainability]]></category> <category><![CDATA[competition]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Recycling]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Student Sustainability Office]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://usustatesman.com/?p=22128271</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Along with a goal to be carbon neutral by 2040, Utah State University is racing to zero waste this semester.…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-races-to-zero-waste-in-nationwide-sustainability-challenge/">USU races to zero waste in nationwide sustainability challenge</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="p1">Along with a goal to be carbon neutral by 2040, Utah State University is racing to zero waste this semester.</p> <p class="p2">Campus Race to Zero Waste is a collegiate sustainability competition measuring the waste generated on college campuses across the country.</p> <p class="p2">Maggie Eguko, marketing and community outreach director for USU Sustainability, said USU has participated in the competition since 2018.</p> <p class="p2">During the competition, which started on Jan. 28 and runs until March 19, the sustainability office submits a weekly report of how much waste the campus has generated.</p> <p class="p2">“We actually weigh all of our waste here on campus, so we know the exact amount of tons that we have in waste on any given week,” Eguko said.</p> <p class="p2">One competition category measures waste diversion, or how much material is recycled instead of trashed.</p> <p class="p2">“Every single week, we report how much of that is recycled, and whichever campus is the highest increase in recycled material receives national recognition and a bunch of other benefits in grants and money,” Eguko said.</p> <p class="p2">According to the facilities website, USU currently recycles around 26% of its solid waste stream.</p> <p class="p2">“If we were to jump that to 50, or even 60%, for just these eight weeks, we’d be in the top fifth percentile for this competition,” Eguko said.</p> <p class="p2">USU is the only university in Utah registered for the competition, but several universities in the Mountain West Conference are participating: California State Fresno, Colorado State, University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Wyoming.</p> <p class="p2">Current standings in the challenge are public and can be viewed at campusracetozerowaste.org/scoreboard/current-results.</p> <p class="p2">“When you’re on campus, make sure you’re aware of the waste that you’re creating,” Eguko said. “It’s really important to make sure that as many people as possible understand what’s happening that way. Even if it’s only for eight weeks in the year, they’re looking at their bottles and figuring out whether it’s recyclable or not.”</p> <p class="p2">As the competition goes on, the sustainability office will be hosting events and Snacktivities to inform and encourage students to have more sustainable habits.</p> <p class="p2">On Feb. 8, in conjunction with the annual Sweater Swap, free soup was served with sustainable bowls and spoons.</p> <p class="p2">Vegan Recipes and Collages night, an activity focused on reducing food waste, will be held on Feb. 27.</p> <p class="p2">In partnership with True Blue Reuse and the Christensen Office for Social Action and Sustainability, the sustainability office will hold a book swap on March 6 to decrease paper waste.</p> <p class="p2">“Every person who brings a book, gets a book,” Eguko said.</p> <p class="p2">Along with waste diversion, the competition also has a few special categories. One of these is Game Day Basketball, a one-day challenge measuring the waste diversion from a single basketball game.</p> <p class="p2">To promote the challenge, Eguko said the sustainability office will be hosting a sustainability tailgate in partnership with the HURD before the men’s basketball game versus Air Force on March 1.</p> <p class="p2">“We’ll have fun games — sustainability themed, we’ll have sustainable foods. We’ll be using recyclable materials,” Eguko said.</p> <p class="p2">Caitlin McLennan, sustainability program manager, said one of the engagement activities at the game, called Trash Talking, is designed to help fans think more about their waste.</p> <p class="p2">“We staff each waste place, like each trashcan, and we co-locate it with a recycling bin during the activity,” McLennan said. “We place volunteers throughout the stadium right on top so that way when guests come and they throw whatever they have into a receptacle, we can stop them and say ‘No, actually, that’s recyclable. This is the area where you put that.’”</p> <p class="p2">Eguko said there will also be announcements during the game to remind fans to recycle their waste, which will be weighed after the game and reported to the competition.</p> <p class="p2">“It’s a good way to, you know, intervene in fan behavior and get people thinking about where their waste goes,” McLennan said.</p> <p class="p2">The competition also has a category for food organics. McLennan said USU processes pre-consumer organics in a large greenhouse airflow composter called The Pit. The waste is turned by a large auger, and the whole process takes about six weeks.</p> <p class="p2">“We can only process veggie scraps, fruit scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells — anything that is not a meat product or dairy and doesn’t have a ton of oil,” McLennan said.</p> <p class="p2">USU Landscape Operations and Maintenance then uses the compost, along with other green waste from pruning, trimming and mowing, for fertilization around campus.</p> <p class="p2">“Shane (Richards) is our LOAM manager, and he is very, very proud of our circular landscape system,” McLennan said. “It’s like 95% there, and we are working and interested in actively having conversations about expanding our compost program.”</p> <p class="p2">McLennan said although there aren’t currently “diversion receptacles,” or recycling bins, in USU’s athletic spaces, it’s something she’s actively working on.</p> <p class="p2">“You can’t blame fans for not participating in a recycling program if you don’t set the table,” McLennan said. “You have to have the infrastructure in place before any sort of measurement needs to happen.”</p> <p class="p2">McLennan said USU President Betsy Cantwell recently moved her position as program manager from facilities to the Office of the President “to try and integrate sustainability more holistically throughout the university.”</p> <p class="p2">The campus recycling team, which is staffed by two to four students each semester, monitors the bins around campus and sorts the collected materials. If students see overflowing bins, they can contact the team by calling (435) 797-2011.</p> <p class="p2">McLennan said USU only recycles #1 and #2 plastics, which includes soda and water bottles, milk jugs and shampoo bottles. They also recycle cardboard, paper and aluminum.</p> <p class="p2">“It takes a village,” McLennan said. “I totally understand where people will be confused and we’d have high contamination rates, because it’s different everywhere you go.”</p> <p class="p2">To help reduce contamination in campus recycling bins and help the recycling team, McLennan said students should break down their cardboard, avoid recycling containers with a lot of food residue in them and double check the plastics number.</p> <p class="p2">“Check before you chuck,” McLennan said. “When in doubt, throw it out.”</p> <p class="p2">A chart of which materials USU recycling accepts and how to correctly recycle or dispose of them can be found at usu.edu/facilities/recycling/recyclables.</p> <p class="p2">Beyond the competition, McLennan encourages students to get involved with sustainability in whatever way interests them.</p> <p class="p2">“However it makes sense to you to participate in climate action is the way that I tell people to get involved — if that’s voting or organizing or getting involved with SOSNR (Student Organization for Society and Natural Resources) or the sustainability club,” McLennan said. “If you can get a sustainability course under your belt, try and understand how complex the problem is.”</p> <p class="p2">Eguko said although students may find it hard to put forth effort into a place they are only living in for a short amount of time, sustainability and climate action matter all over the world.</p> <p class="p2">“Sustainable efforts are something that affect everyone worldwide, not just little Logan,” Eguko said. “So even if you’re not staying here longer than six months, that waste that you contribute, those carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide emissions that you put out, they’re still going into the same atmosphere that you breathe when you go home.”</p> <p class="p2">Ultimately, McLennan said when it comes to climate action, organizations have more obligation to act than individuals do.</p> <p class="p2">“It’s not your responsibility to do anything,” McLennan said. “It’s an organization’s responsibility to decide that’s their prerogative, right — that that’s something that they’re interested in investing in and will make a priority for the whole institution.”</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-races-to-zero-waste-in-nationwide-sustainability-challenge/">USU races to zero waste in nationwide sustainability challenge</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>USU and BYU rivalry unite for sustainability</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/usu-byu-rivalry-unite-sustainability/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bobbee Russell]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2017 02:36:44 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[BYU]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Student Sustainability Office]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category> <category><![CDATA[USU]]></category> <category><![CDATA[USU vs BYU]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22015523</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Utah State University Sustainability Club and Student Organization For Society and Natural Resources (SOSNR) came together with Brigham Young University…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-byu-rivalry-unite-sustainability/">USU and BYU rivalry unite for sustainability</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Utah State University Sustainability Club and Student Organization For Society and Natural Resources (SOSNR) came together with Brigham Young University to promote climate change awareness. The unity started with BYU and the University of Utah rivalry game. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Utah and BYU mixed their school colors making purple the color that represents the campaign. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The school’s colors also represent two dominant political parties. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Climate change is a political issue that we need to come together on. We all have a climate that is over us. We should be able to find some consensus and something that affects everyone,” said Zackary Webb, a sustainability advocate. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When presented the opportunity to promote the cause, USU students quickly got involved. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nick Huey, co-founder of the climate campaign, said “SOSNR reached out [when] we were planning on bringing other schools on board and they have been very very proactive. We brainstormed a few ideas but, we didn’t have to do anything beyond that. They picked it up and started doing chalk art and decorating a walkway. They’ve been awesome.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the USU vs BYU game, SOSNR and sustainability club members offered purple face paint and recycling bags to everyone tailgating. They handed out papers with the slogan,”BYU and USU unite on climate change.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Climate change is a big deal [and we] need to face it together. It shows that enemies in a sense can come together,” said Franklin De Jong, SOSNR president. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Students put up purple ribbons on the north side of the quad and chalk art in front of the hand statue on the Taggart Student Center patio to represent more universities getting involved. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The faster we can grow this thing, the faster we can see change happen,” Huey said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the United States Senate website, both of Utah’s Republican senators, Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch, voted against an amendment “expressing the sense of Congress regarding climate change,” or declaring climate change as an issue.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Students are aware of the problem and we want others to realize it. We need to make sure our state represents us and sees that climate change is a real problem,” Webb said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Webb added fellow sustainability advocates are looking for ways they can develop in their lives and help other people.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Students wanting to get more involved in promoting the issue of climate change <a href="http://www.theclimatecampaign.com/dosomething">can sign a petition</a> at </span><a href="http://www.theclimatecampaign.com/dosomething"><span style="font-weight: 400;">www.theclimatecampaign.com</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">/dosomething. According to their website, the petition is led by students, and its goal is persuading government officials to acknowledge climate change.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">—</span><a href="mailto:b96russell@gmail.com"><span style="font-weight: 400;">b96russell@gmail.com</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">@bjr24601</span></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-byu-rivalry-unite-sustainability/">USU and BYU rivalry unite for sustainability</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>From apathy to awareness: USU initiates new Recycling Week</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/apathy-awareness-usu-initiates-new-recycling-week/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bobbee Russell]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 28 Feb 2017 03:17:26 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blue Goes Green]]></category> <category><![CDATA[compost]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Recycling]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Student Organization for Society and Natural Resources]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Student Sustainability Office]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category> <category><![CDATA[USU]]></category> <category><![CDATA[USU Dining Services]]></category> <category><![CDATA[USU Recycling center]]></category> <category><![CDATA[waste disposal]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22012310</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>A Utah State University-sponsored recycling awareness event began today in the Taggart Student Center’s Hub. The event was a collaboration…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/apathy-awareness-usu-initiates-new-recycling-week/">From apathy to awareness: USU initiates new Recycling Week</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Utah State University-sponsored recycling awareness event began today in the Taggart Student Center’s Hub.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The event was a collaboration between by USU’s Recycling center, Dining Services and Student Sustainability Office and will take place every day this week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During these times, volunteers will be available in the Hub to instruct students about recycling correctly. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">New recycling bins will have sensors with 25 phrases thanking people who recycle. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bins with lids will replace the the old ones as well as the shadow box signs that were there before. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The new lids in the Hub will require a little more effort from students. For those who want to recycle, it won’t be a problem,” said Dining Services executive director Alan Andersen. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Inspiration for the event arose as a result of some of the campus community placing recyclable items in the incorrect bins. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Recycle awareness week is about informing the campus community and hopefully reducing the apathy about recycling,”Andersen said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To make recycling make economic sense, the USU Recycling Center relies on students who eat in the Hub to sort recyclable items. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Andersen mentioned that the public wouldn’t want to pay extra for food items to employ someone to sort. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We can’t pay to sort. We rely on the consumer to sort,” Andersen said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">USU Dining Services is making an effort to make recycling socially acceptable. Andersen wants students to be willing to recycle. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The problem has become noticeable to students. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I look inside different bins and there’s stuff in there that should be in other bins. It’s a problem,” said Ethan Hammer, freshman conservation and restoration ecology major. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recycling and waste intern Paige Morgan initiated an audit system where students will be able to see how much recycled materials are being collected. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Morgan will use a scale showing the amount of material being recycled. Contamination will be sorted out. Then, the actual recycled materials will be weighed and the rate of contaminated material or recycled material will be announced to the public. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“My goal for the audit is to see that there is an improvement from the contamination to recycling ratio. I hope that recycling is a lot higher than the contamination and that the recycling is highly usable,” Morgan said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Morgan said she is grateful for the 17 volunteers who stepped up to help raise recycling awareness. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are many sustainability organizations on campus that brought in volunteers, including the USU Sustainability Club, the student sustainability office and the Student Organization for Society and Natural Resources, as well as natural resources classes. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Hammer said he grew up loving service and is passionate about sustainability. For him, this event is “a good combination of both.” </span></p> <p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">—<a href="mailto:-b96russell@gmail.com">b96russell@gmail.com</a></span></i></p> <p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">@bjr24601</span></i></p> <p>Photo by Ethan Babcock</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/apathy-awareness-usu-initiates-new-recycling-week/">From apathy to awareness: USU initiates new Recycling Week</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>