October is finally upon us which means that it is officially sustainability month! What better way to kick off the month than with a little introduction into all thing’s sustainability and recycling on campus?
Cal Poly is constantly working towards being a “Zero Waste” university. This means minimizing waste, reducing consumption, and ensuring that products are made to be reused or recycled. This requires effort from each and every member of the campus community.
You don’t have to be an expert in sustainability practices to get started. In fact, there are a few ways that you can improve your habits quickly and effectively.
The Refuse, Reuse, Recycle (RRR) campaign is an easy, free and accessible training created to teach students, staff and faculty how to recycle and compost on campus properly. The training consists of a video series, interactive flash cards and a club that students will soon be able to join to further support recycling initiatives. You can access this training here.
Cal Poly also has a Zero Waste Ambassadors program which brings like-minded student volunteers to campus events to help peers recycle and compost the correct way. These ambassadors work towards zero waste efforts by hosting tablings to educate students, improving signage that promotes sustainable practices, and coming up with new innovative initiatives like CP thrift.
While you’re at it, make sure to look out for the CalRecycle grant campaign “Recycling – It’s time well spent!”. This campaign highlights the amount of time recycling saves in terms of breaking down waste which can take hundreds of years to decompose. This campaign will be highly active during Sustainability Month where the team will be hosting info sessions and contests.
Lastly, in honor of sustainability month, Green Campus is hosting many events to promote sustainability efforts on campus. A few of these events include a garden workday from Campus Health and Wellbeing and the University Honors Program on Oct. 16, a clothing and goods swap on Oct. 19, a Surfrider Voice Above Water screening, and more. Register and learn more about these events here.