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RecycleMania has started, launching an eight-week campus competition to improve �Ա���Ƶ’s recycling rate. After baseline measurements showed an 18% recycling rate, the goal is to increase it to 23% by the end of the competition. Sustainability interns and Green Ambassadors will be tabling in the Coop to educate students on proper recycling and how to get involved.

�Ա���Ƶ has approved a 22-day extended study trip to Patagonia in January 2018, led by Biology Professor Eddie Watkins and Sustainability Director John Pumilio. The half-credit program, based in Chile’s Aysén Region, will immerse students in conservation biology through visits to the �Ա���Ƶ Forest, a reforestation and carbon-offset project that sequesters 5,000 tons of CO₂ annually. Students will study forest conservation, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity, conduct independent research, and engage in hands-on reforestation while exploring the region’s ecological and social context. The program aims to connect conservation theory with real-world practice and deepen student understanding of climate change solutions.

RecycleMania is an eight-week intercollegiate recycling competition running from February 5 to April 1. �Ա���Ƶ’s Office of Sustainability will educate students, staff, and faculty on proper recycling to reduce landfill waste. A baseline recycling rate is being established to set a campus goal, and each two-week period will focus on different recyclable materials: awareness, paper, plastics and cans, and less commonly recycled items like e-waste and clothing. Through tabling, tips, and prizes, the program aims to make the campus community more informed and enthusiastic about recycling.

�Ա���Ƶ installed its first geothermal heat exchange system at the Chapel House, reducing fossil fuel use and advancing the university’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2019. The system is expected to save over $20,000 annually, cut greenhouse gas emissions by about 50 tons, and reduce overall energy use by 50%. Powered largely by hydroelectric electricity, the $150,000 project will pay for itself in seven years and generate significant long-term savings. Additional upgrades—including improved ventilation, insulation, roofing, and LED lighting—further increased efficiency, making Chapel House a model of sustainability and energy-conscious design.

The Sustainability Office is hiring two paid Spring/Summer Garden Interns to help manage �Ա���Ƶ’s organic community garden from late April through late August 2017. Interns will work 6 hours per week in the spring and 40 hours per week in the summer, assisting with planting, harvesting, soil preparation, and overall garden management, as well as organizing volunteers and leading work parties. Each intern will also complete an independent garden project. The position offers hands-on experience in organic farming, event planning, and volunteer supervision, with pay starting at about $9.30/hour in spring and $10.00/hour in summer. Applications are due March 22.

The Sustainability Office’s annual commuting survey, conducted since 2009, helps measure employee commuting emissions as part of �Ա���Ƶ’s effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2019. This year, 319 employees (31%) responded. On average, �Ա���Ƶ commuters traveled 3,916 miles annually, used 156 gallons of gasoline, and emitted about 2,700 pounds of CO₂—traveling shorter distances than the average American commuter but using less fuel-efficient vehicles. Overall, employees traveled nearly 4 million miles and used 150,027 gallons of gasoline, the highest total since 2013. Positively, about 20% of respondents walked or biked to campus at least once per week, a 5% increase from last year. The office encourages reducing driving days, choosing fuel-efficient vehicles, carpooling, biking, or working remotely to lower commuting emissions and support campus sustainability goals.

2016 marks �Ա���Ƶ’s eighth consecutive greenhouse gas inventory report.

�Ա���Ƶ released its eighth consecutive greenhouse gas inventory report, showing that in Fiscal Year 2016 the campus emitted 15,359 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. Since signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (now Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment) in 2009, �Ա���Ƶ has reduced its net carbon footprint by 8,001 MTeCO₂, a 48% reduction, moving steadily toward its carbon neutrality goal by 2019.

�Ա���Ƶ’s Move-In Sustainability Tips focus on reducing waste and conserving resources as students settle into campus.

A pilot course, “Foundations of Sustainability,” led by Green Raider Interns at �Ա���Ƶ, ran for five weeks before Thanksgiving, offering students P.E. credit for participation. The seminar-style class engaged students in intimate, discussion-based dialogues on sustainability topics often underrepresented on campus, including climate change, environmental justice, food systems, environmental racism, and climate refugees. Students explored personal and community impacts, examining consumption habits and the social dimensions of sustainability. The course encouraged reflection, goal-setting, and lifestyle changes, with students developing short- and long-term sustainability goals. Participants valued the small-group format, the challenging discussions, and the opportunity to apply sustainability concepts to daily life. The Office of Sustainability plans to expand the program and offer the course again in the spring, with hopes of integrating sustainability conversations more broadly into the �Ա���Ƶ curriculum.