Project GIVE

Erin Peterson, Micaela Leach, Harlan Friedman-Romell, Julian Wallace

Overview of Initial Proposal

GOAL:
To give Ohio University students an easily accessible place to donate
goods and promote recycling during move-in/move-out periods.

● These donations could include, but are not limited to:

○ Clothing
○ Food
○ School Supplies
○ Compost
○ Recyclable materials
○ Broken/unused electronics

These donations would greatly support and serve the Athens community.
Feedback and Changes from
Proposal Presentation

Issues With Initial Proposal Changes Discussed

Large reusable bins positioned around campus (specifically inside

residence halls and certain classroom buildings) will be the best option for
[ Donation Bin Type/Access ] clothing and other non-food items; we would use smaller reusable bins for
perishables or ask that canned goods be taken to the Bobcat Food Pantry.

We were unable to reach out to anyone from the Bobcat Food Pantry,
however we have recognized that they are a great resource and would be
[ Reach Out to Food Pantry ] crucial for summer donations and sustaining this program in the long term.

Campus Recycling has a system set up for donating during move out, but
their bins are scarcely located and outside of the dorms rather than being
directly in the dorms. We would like to expand upon this through
[ Responsibility of Donation Transportation ]
student-led organizations and donation transportations in conjunction with
local donation centers like Goodwill and Friends and Neighbors.

To take advantage of the already established services on campus, we’d

dedicate RA programming to inform on-campus residents about recycling
[ Campus Outreach ]
and donation opportunities during move-in, move-out, and over the year.
 Expansion of Initial Project
We learned that Campus Recycling already has a system implemented for donating during move-out periods.
Despite this, the bins are actually very scarcely located (one bin for many different dorms) and are outside of
the dorms rather than being directly inside them (we plan to put bins inside the dorms that sustain it).
Below is a list of things we want to expand on this program:

● Work with Campus Recycling to put more bins

inside the residence halls, increasing student
accessibility
● Market the “Move-Out Project” so people are
aware and informed of what/where they can
donate
● Informing off-campus students of donation sites
and providing information about the
organizations that could pick up things from
their houses and apartments
 Project Assets
● Ohio University Departments

○ Housing and Residence Life - marketing the project and informing students in the residence halls
of its existence and purpose
○ Campus Recycling and Zero Waste Department - expand on their already established move-out
program.

● Off-Campus Organizations

○ Communicated with the following

organizations to discuss pick-ups and
local implementation:
■ Friends and Neighbors
■ Goodwill
■ ReStore Habitat for Humanity
 Execution Plan
Week 10:
Called non-profit organizations
around campus to see who
would pick up donations from
homes
Week 13:
Included finishing touches on
final presentation and received a
response from Zero Waste and
the Office of Sustainability
Week 11:
Emailed employees of Zero
Waste and the Sustainability
Office to see what services they
provides for students already
Week 14:
Present final project and
answered final questions and
feedback
Week 12:
Responded to feedback from
instructor based on initial
presentation
Our future plans:
Continue working with Ohio
University’s program leaders
over the summer and through
next semester to be able to
implement this during move out
prior for Christmas break
Successes and Challenges
Successes
● Have found more information about on and
off campus donation centers
● Knowing that there is already a program in
place that happens during move out
○ Already have a system set up
○ Have contact with non profit
organizations
Challenges
● Coronavirus
○ Halted our implementation for this
semester
○ Many Ohio University employees are
working from home, so receiving
responses from people from the Office
of Sustainability, Zero Waste, and local
non-OU organizations has been difficult
● Motivation
○ Most students we interacted with did
not have a strong desire to help, only a
theoretical willingness
Anticipated Outcomes

● Expanding upon the program already in place will give students the opportunity to donate goods while
moving out before summer break as well as Christmas break
● More knowledgeable campus about what can and cannot be donated
○ Focusing on off-campus housing centers
○ More students knowing what they can and cannot donate will reduce waste and increase donations
for the Athens and Ohio University community
● Continuing communication between our group and the program leaders will allow a smooth transition of
the alteration we are proposing to Ohio University’s current program
Project Summary and
Team Member Contribution
With the obvious halting of normal campus and
academic operations due to the Coronavirus
pandemic, we are making the best possible plan for
the future with the information we have discussed in
today’s presentation. Creating a seamless donation
program over time to give back to the Athens
community is all we can ask and hope for, even
when we’re not living on campus. As we continue to
try and expand the donation opportunities we
currently possess, remember that we all can still
donate any of our own personal items while living in
our hometowns to people in need; and right now,
there are many.
All team members contributed to the project in the
following ways:
● Conducting research
○ Learning about county and campus
recycling/poverty statistics
○ Interviewing RA’s, OU students, and reaching
out to local/campus organizations
● Organizing and preparing information
○ Meeting both in-person and online to
collaborate on presentations and findings
● All presentation phases
Thank you so much!
Any questions?