Business Report

Analysis of Waste and Sustainability on

College Campuses
Prepared for
Chris Johnson
Sustainability Coordinator
Winthrop University Office of Sustainability
Prepared by
Alina Abedin
Brini Woodland
Kayla Brown
Kat Rhoden
Victoria Wiley
MCOM 471 Waste Group

December 7, 2015

Table of Contents
Executive Summary
I. Literature Review
A. Sustainability on College Campuses
B. Benefits to be Realized
II. University Website Information
A. Berea College
B. Duke University
C. Harvard University
III. Critique of Winthrops Program
A. Messages
B. Visibility
C. Involvement
IV. Suggestions for Improvement
V. Works Cited

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Executive Summary

This report provides an analysis of sustainability(waste) and the implementation of

sustainability initiatives on college campuses. Two separate academic journals, Waste
Watching (2015) and Sustainability and First Year Programs (2012), emphasize the
importance of introducing environmental concerns early in a college student's curriculum
and why it is important to practice waste management on campus.
Research from several popular magazine and news articles shows more and more
universities, rather than creating their own plans, are working with larger organizations
such as the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment to improve
their overall sustainability. These articles focus on the need for clearer and more detailed
plans for sustainability on college campuses.
In addition, this research showcases some of the best practices that other universities are implementing to minimize their environmental impact, like monthly newsletters
and zero-waste practice at sporting events. Berea College, Duke University and Harvard
University continue to rank in the top listing of sustinabilable colleges for their extensive
implementation and expansion of sustainability methods on their campuses. Additional
praise for these schools stems from these colleges also working with national initiatives
such as the International Sustainable Campus Network.
This report provides a detailed critique of Winthrop University's own sustainability
office, which is lacking in visibility on social media and advertisements and the ability to
communicate effectively with students and faculty. Because of this, the office staff remains
solely responsible for all efforts, and thus are limited to what can be done for the cause.
To provide a solution, there are recommendations outlined in this report that
include increasing interaction with faculty and staff through more social media and event
engagements and also teaching the importance of sustainability to increase overall awareness to students and staff.

I. Summary of Articles
A. Sustainability on College Campuses
"Sustainability And First-Year Programs." By Melinda Messieno. New Directions
for Student Services 137 (2012): 67-81. 10 Sept. 2015

Melinda Messieno, an associate professor of sociology at Ball State University, is the

director of Freshman Connections, a nationally recognized first year program. She stresses
that the first year of college is a critical time to introduce students to environmental
concerns and issues of sustainability. Many of the classes at Ball State University integrate
sustainability learning objectives into their overall course objectives. Messieno suggests
that universities looking to add sustainability awareness on campuses should consider that
there is often an overlap with community service and academic opportunities. She knows
that providing information on sustainability in an understandable and entertaining way
during class is not always easy, and may be a bit of a challenge for some professors.
However, she believes that incorporating sustainability education and practices into entry
level classes for students reinforces behavioral awareness.

"Waste Watching." By Elizabeth Millard. University Business 18.3 (2015): 43-46. 10

Sept. 2015.

For many colleges and universities, revenue went along with the recycling stream.
But two years ago, China enacted a policy that banned foreign rubbish, including
recycling waste and metal scrap materials. In the article, the author explains that before
Chinas change, The University of Puget Sound was getting about $55 per ton for cardboard
and $45 per ton for loose paper, plastics, and aluminum. Today, the university is getting $1
per ton for cardboard from recycling haulers and no money for commingled items.
Jennifer deHart, a staff engineer and sustainability coordinator at Virginia Military
Institute, says, When you think about the multiple waste streams on campus, you can see
why this is an issue.
Recycling, which used to produce revenue, has shifted to the expense side of the
balance sheet. The article further explains that though pickups, sorting, and maintenance
drive up the cost of getting recycled goods off of campus, it is important to fight those
challenges by spreading awareness, and lowering costs. When youre constantly running
all over campus to pick up recycling and youre emptying bins with just a few items in
them, thats not efficient, says Tavis Friedman, sustainability and energy manager at Puget
Sound. The students at Puget Sound have worked together to create a mobile app that lets
anyone with a smartphone report a recycling bin that full. Facilities can skip empty or
light pickups and focus on fulfilling tasks.

B. Benefits to be Realized
"Sustainability Plans Popular on College Campuses." By Environmental and
Energy Study Institute (EESI). (31 July 2012). 10 Sept. 2015.
While schools are creating their own sustainability programs, some sustainability
organizations are also leading the movement on college campuses. The Environmental and
Energy Institute (EESI) released articles discussing a few notable sustainability
organizations.

One of these organizations is the American College and University Presidents Climate
Commitment (ACUPCC).
In 2007 ACUPCC was created to set sustainability goals and instill carbon reduction
plans on campuses across the U.S. The ACUPCC currently has 675 institutions involve and
educate over 30% of college students nationwide. In 2012 the ACUPCC had lowered levels
of emissions by 25% and expects a 93% reduction from emissions by 2050.
According to the EESI, not only has ACUPCCs work decreased emissions by huge
numbers, but 71% of institutions involved with ACUPCC reported a large reduction in costs
within just two years of executing their sustainability programs. The College Sustainability
Report Card states that various initiatives the ACUPCC encourages have had substantial
returns on investment in the form of energy/cost savings, health benefits, reduced pollution, ecosystem protection, and enhanced campus safety and security. The benefits this
organization has had on college sustainability is inevitable

Sustainability at Colleges and Universities: A Higher Calling for Higher

Education. By Kristen Carlson. Rocky Mountain Institute, 21 June 2013. 13
Sept. 2015.
Kristen Carlson, a media associate for RMI Outlet discusses in her article Sustainability at Colleges and Universities: A Higher Calling for Education that College campuses
have greatly advanced from when recycling bins in every classroom was the only solution to
a more sustainable campus. Schools are pushing the importance of recycling and students
are becoming increasingly invested in building a more sustainable campus for themselves.
Campuses are using a number of methods to be more sustainable.
The University of California created a micro grid that saves its campus $800,000 in
power a month. American University has the largest solar hot water array,which is 174
panels wired together. That provides a hot shower to more than 2,000 students. Waste
cooking oil is also used in the cafeteria which converts to hot water and electricity. These
new initiatives saves schools money and helps efficiency.
(RMI Outlet).

How Green is Your Campus? By Amanda Mascarelli. Nature Publishing Group, 9

Sept. 2009. 13 Sept. 2015.
Amanda Mascarelli, a science journalist states in her article How Green is Your
Campus? that Colleges and universities are working diligently to create a more sustainable
environment for their campuses. Many schools hope to become a model for other institutions to have a more sustainable campus. These schools show the various benefits and the
importance of having a sustainable campus.
Campuses use different methods to reduce their environmental impacts. For example, Emory Universitys freshman orientation serve sustainably-produced food, use cutlery
made from sugar cane, hand out reusable water bottles, and give out reusable grocery bags.
Emory composted two tons of waste,making it their first near zero-waste orientation.
Emory has also renovated its business school to become energy efficient. The renovation
paid for itself in reduced energy bills. Also Malaga University has installed solar panels that
will produce a megawatt of energy to power the campus.
Even though these projects may seem costly, and perhaps even impractical, they
have a big payback in reduced energy bills and an improved environment for students.
(Nature: International weekly journal of Science).

II. University Website Information

A. Berea College, Kentucky- www.berea.edu/sustainability/
Berea College has received numerous awards for sustainability efforts. The school
boasts an entire EcoVillage for the students to reside and work in. In academics, they offer a
Sustainability and Environmental Studies program that offers a minor to students. To
increase engagement of students, competitions are hosted within residence halls (the Eco
Challenge Competition) and, more recently, at athletic events(the Annual Green Game).
Specific committees are dedicated to spreading awareness of sustainability and working
with the local community to promote sustainability initiatives. The website, designed with
calming blues and orange accents, is easy to navigate with links to background information,
social media and contact information as well as several call to action links for students
looking to get more involved with their
sustainability efforts.

B. Duke University, North Carolina- www.sustainability.duke.edu

Duke University has an array of opportunities for student involvement, including
more than 15 student groups, aimed at increasing overall awareness of sustainability and
campus-wide engagement of sustainability methods. Duke Universitys Nicholas School of
Environment offers both majors and minors in environmental studies and related fields. To
publicize and promote the university's programs and initiatives, outside of the student
groups, Dukes Sustainability
Department hosts workshops, advertises zero-waste campaigns at large sporting
events, and even has its own farmers market. Their sustainability webpage, designed in
greens and blues, provides essential links(about, programs, etc) in addition to weekly
updates and even videos. Their top highlighted link is to their sustainability strategic plan
for the year and they also link a like button to their Facebook page.

C. Harvard University, Massachuses- www.green.harvard.edu

Harvard University continues to rank in the top listing for green universities. To
publicize and keep students informed, the sustainability department sends out monthly
newsletters (Green Tips and News) that informs students and staff on recent developments
and tips to increase sustainability. Various Harvard campus initiatives include waste management, student grants to fund innovative ideas from students that contribute to reducing
Harvard's greenhouse gas emissions, and green labs where researchers, staff, faculty, and
building managers work to implement sustainable practices and technologies in the lab
buildings on-campus. Harvard University works with local and national initiatives/programs,such as the International Sustainable Campus Network and the Northeast Campus
Sustainability Consortium, to keep students engaged in sustainable practices both on and
off-campus.Harvards sustainability website uses ivy green and gray accents. It is more
official with links to the annual sustainability report and updated news (with changing
graphics) about recent events. They also have an upcoming calendar of events and links to
case studies done on sustainability within their campus.

III. Critique of Winthrops Program

A. Messages
Though the messages of the Office of Sustainabilitys Waste programs are clearly
stated on its website, the program is failing to communicate the student body and faculty.
The various recycling and waste-reduction programs like the push for more bins and
specialized item recycling resources are not being publicized, and therefore the students
and faculty are largely unaware of the good work the Office of Sustainability does and the
waste-reduction messages it is trying to convey.
There are very few classes that educate students about sustainability practices and
issues like waste, those currently being Intro to Environmental Issues and Intro to
Sustainability, so the Office of Sustainability is unable to rely on classes to educate
students. Emails about sustainability practices and new ways to participate in the wastereduction movement are regularly sent to faculty members, but the Office of Sustainability
does not replicate this communication with the student body, leaving students uninformed
about waste-reducing practices.
In addition, the primary messages that are being communicated are those only
related to recycling. The little contact the Office of Sustainability has with students is used
only to encourage recycling, rather than encouraging all aspects of waste reduction including reuse and purchasing products for long-term use. Office of Sustainability is hyperfocused on improving recycling conditions rather than putting its efforts into campus
involvement in waste reduction.

B. Visibility
The efforts of the office go largely unnoticed because of its lack of visibility. Its social
media presence is lacking, having only one Facebook page with few likes. Though the page
is updated regularly, the posts are not interactive, containing only links to outside articles
about sustainability. The posts are unable to facilitate interaction or communication, which
is reflected in the low number of likers (150).
The Office of Sustainability is also struggling in the way of advertising. One print ad
showing the proper way to recycle has been circulating, being posted around recycling
receptacles as a reminder for students. This ad is also available on the website as pdf to
encourage students to post those ads around campus on their own, but few have done so, as
the number of these posted ads is decreasing. Since beginning the research, other small
flyers about the recycling process have appeared, but these are also not eye-catching
enough in their environments to demand student attention or involvement in the cause,
and very few of them have even been posted.

C. Involvement
The office struggles with participation in its efforts to reduce waste on Winthrops
campus because of a lack of student involvement. The posts on the Facebook page are not
getting responses, and the recycling print ads are not being put up by students.
The student body remains largely uneducated about the cause, and the efforts of the
Office of Sustainability are halting because the students that dont know about waste reduction continue their high-waste practices, thus working against the Office of Sustainability.
In addition, many students remain uninterested in the cause as shown in the low member
numbers in sustainability organizations.
The only sustainability-related student organizations are dormant and the only
sustainability-related council is composed of faculty members with the exception of one
student member. The office and often these sustainability-related organizations are not
represented at campus fairs or events where students can become involved with present
organizations, nor do the sustainability organizations reach out to other organizations for
assistance. Because of this, the office staff remains solely responsible for all efforts, and
thus are limited to what can be done for the cause.

IV. Suggestions for Improvement

The Office of Sustainability first needs involvement from students. This can be achieved
through interactivity online via emails and social media posts, as well as on campus by being
present at campus fairs and by holding sustainability-educating events on its own. It needs to be
more present and represented on campus through more print advertisements in the student
center as well as around campus on bulletin boards, digital billboard advertisements in the
student center, more email announcements to students, and definitely more tables around
campus during events and other times of high foot traffic such as Common Time. The office
needs to utilize social media by implementing more accounts and having someone to manage
those accounts regularly, posting not only interesting links, but polls and interactive activities for
students to get involved digitally.
The office also needs to work on educating students and faculty to get them interested in
waste reduction. Cultural events on sustainability topics, especially those other than recycling
about which students may have less knowledge, and partnerships with other organizations like
SOAR, which has a sustainability element, could raise awareness about the waste-reducing
messages among students. Creating councils for recycling or sustainability in general could
provide students with another opportunity to participate in the waste-reduction while gaining
resume-worthy leadership.
Creating catchy taglines or hashtags could help students to remember what they've
learned about waste reduction, and make their future involvement more likely. Through these
techniques, the Office of Sustainability could strengthen its name on campus while continuing
student awareness and communication about sustainability practices like recycling and reusing.
These taglines and hashtags could also be used shared to increase interactivity on social media to
gain even more student participants in the waste-reducing movement.

Suggestions
Utilize interactive social media posts for participation and communication.
Create more print and digital advertisements to promote sustainability awareness.
Educate students through cultural events, councils, and oranizations.
Give the Office of Sustainability a personality that students will want to get involved with
through hashtags and taglines.

Works Cited
Carlson, Kristen, and Laurie Guevara-Stone. "Sustainability at Colleges and Universities: A
Higher Calling for Higher Education." Rocky Mountain Institute, 21 June 2013. Web. 13
Sept. 2015.
Mascarelli, Amanda Leigh. "How Green Is Your Campus?" Nature.com. Nature Publishing
Group, 9 Sept. 2009. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.
"Duke Sustainability." Duke Sustainability. Duke University, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.
Kissel, Adam. "Under The Green Thumb: Totalitarian Sustainability On Campus." Academic
Questions 23.1 (2010): 57-69. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.
Messineo, Melinda. "Sustainability And First-Year Programs." New Directions for Student
Services 137 (2012): 67-81. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Sept. 2015
Millard, Elizabeth. "Waste Watching." University Business 18.3 (2015): 43-46. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.
"Office of Sustainability." Office of Sustainability. Berea College, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.
Sustainability at Harvard. Harvard University, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.
"Sustainability Plans Popular on College Campuses." Sustainability Plans Popular on College
Campuses. Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), 31 July 2012. Web. 10 Sept.
2015.

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