Student Council's Environmental Sustainability Committee last night presented its plans for increasing the University community's level of sustainability and environmental awareness.
The committee's co-Chairs announced an agenda to keep working with Dining Services to continue making on-Grounds dining options more sustainable. Specifically, committee co-Chair Michelle Henry said the committee is "trying to attack coffee cup waste." Finding a more sustainable alternative is important because regular coffee cups are not biodegradable, she said.
The committee has created a program in partnership with Greenberry's Coffee & Tea to give away mugs to be used at dining locations around Grounds. The program, which begins tomorrow, also includes plans for a punch card system that students can use to obtain a free coffee every eighth time they order from a Greenberry's, which is located in both Alderman and Clark libraries, Henry said.
She also stressed the need to continue promoting Dining Services' reusable container program, citing a recent dining hall survey which found that more than 300 containers were thrown away during a three-hour period.
Additionally, the Environmental Sustainability Committee discussed their plans for an off-Grounds recycling initiative, which will be primarily oriented toward the Greek community, co-Chair Wynnie Long said. Fraternities especially generate "a lot of waste every weekend," she said.
The committee also discussed the new Earth Aid energy program, an online program that offers users incentives to keep track of and reduce their energy consumption. This program would also be targeted toward students living off-Grounds because "it's tougher to incentivize [students living] Off-Grounds" than students living on-Grounds, Henry said.
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