Campus Sustainability hosts awareness events

By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez Arts & Features Editor

Tobias Cotton-Selman / THE GATEPOST

There is a mural in the dining hall listing several facts and statistics about food waste and how students can help reduce it. There is also a sign outside O’Connor Hall depicting the Earth with the north and south hemispheres flipped, and with fists of various skin tones and Pride flag colors. Outside of Hemenway Labs there is a small white sign with an image of a bee. It recognizes the University as a member of “Bee Campus USA.” These signs were put up in collaboration with the director of Campus Sustainability. Previously, the position was filled by Megan Mayer. Now she currently co-chairs the Bee Campus committee with Aviva Liebert. Ruirui Zhang, who became the director of Campus Sustainability last year, oversees the Bee Campus committee. Even before becoming the director, she said she attended monthly meetings and participated in events. One of the goals of Campus Sustainability is to educate students, faculty, and staff on the importance of sustainability, Zhang said. “It’s not only about the environment,” Zhang said. “It’s not only about economic sustainability. It’s not only about society’s sustainability. It’s about a balance between the three. It’s a triangle.” Higher education institutions can go down two paths - the easy way, and the right way, she said. “I see our University really has a dedication to the right way, which I’m very happy about,” Zhang said. She said the essence of sustainability is reciprocation and circularity. “I think it’s very important to create that … circular system, that we want to make materials circulate in the community,” Zhang said. She said she wants to create this sort of relationship between faculty and students. Mayer said the University has a Climate Action Plan that was written in 2007, but Zhang is working on updating it. Zhang said the plan is being updated with initiatives the University is committed to for the future. She wants sustainability responsibilities in the plan to be “clearer and more actionable,” she said. “The updated plan organizes our work into four key themes and specific actions so that different units across campus can see how they contribute to the university’s sustainability goals,” Zhang said. She believes everyone in the community contributes to sustainability in a significant way. When Mayer was Campus Sustainability coordinator, she helped set up a textile recycling program, built a social media presence, hosted more activities, and achieved a Bee Campus USA certification, she said. She said she also worked with graphic design students to create signage for residence halls to remind students to turn off their lights when they leave and to be mindful about water usage. “I also worked with art students to create signs and murals that are up in different parts of the campus,” Mayer said. Liebert said she served as the interim coordinator for Campus Sustainability while Mayer was on leave. During that time, one goal she advocated for was making the coordinator a larger administrative role, she said. The role of sustainability coordinator, now known as the director of Campus Sustainability, is filled by a “faculty member who just teaches one less course and coordinates all of this themselves - and it’s a lot,” Liebert said. “I think that’s where we need to go if we really want to make more sustainable changes to campus,” she said. Liebert and Mayer meet with Zhang to discuss the Bee Campus Committee, and Zhang holds regular meetings that anyone can attend - though not many actually do, Liebert said. She added she also works with other departments across campus. She said there’s also a student group that works on sustainability called the Green Initiative. “I think it would be good to have students on the club side be more integrated with what the faculty are doing, and have everybody working toward the same goals,” Liebert said.