About the Sustainability Committee
The College’s Sustainability Committee has 20 active student members — advised by Sue Stafford, professor of philosophy — who have taken recycling initiatives to a new level. Introduced last May in conjunction with Business Affairs, Project Move Out collects items left behind by students moving out of the residence halls. Instead of being discarded, products such as small appliances, batteries, books, and clothing were made available to 30 non-profits in the Boston area, including domestic violence shelters.
“The committee is really cooking this year,” said Stafford. “This year, in addition to holding a Project Move Out in May, we’re considering hosting one in December, before holiday break. The students advocated for this second recycling event.”
Overseen by Business Affairs, students also have led the “Switch Your Bulb” program for more than a year. Student sustainability representatives provide compact fluorescent light bulbs free of charge to students to replace their dorm’s regular lightbulbs. There also is a lightbulb recycling closet in Smith Hall to safely house used bulbs for recycling, said Sophia Benedicktus, manager of Residence Campus Services.
Receptacles for paper recycling are available in each dorm room, said Benedicktus, and students are looking to expand other recycling efforts in the residence halls. Growing up in Europe as a child, Benedicktus remembers seeing recycling bins on every corner, which made a lasting impression. “Recycling is a part of my life. But I’m more involved after working with such passionate students,” she said.
Stafford encourages environmentally conscious employees to get involved with the Sustainability Committee. “We could use help with energy audits for classrooms, with the communication of sustainability efforts to the College community, and with campus-wide recycling,” she said.
For more information on the committee, email sustain@simmons.edu.