The Sustainability Council Subcommittees have been hard at work on various projects across the campus this year. Here’s a quick summary of the projects each has been working on:

Closing the Loop/Composting Committee: They’re currently focusing their efforts to help green the annual SASA Cultural Show by eliminating bottled water, increasing the number of recycling bins, and providing attendees with the option to compost at the event. Volunteers from the Council and other organizations, as well as SAGE Ambassadors will be on hand to answer questions about what can and can’t be composted and recycled.

Community Outreach: This committee is working with local community garden leaders to schedule an informal gathering where needs, opportunities for collaboration, and other ideas may be discussed. They’re also exploring potential partnership opportunities with Encore, a local non profit clothing resale shop that recently opened in Hyde Park.

SWAP: This group’s aim is to reduce waste and increase reuse by coordinating opportunities for students and the campus community to swap or donate left over items at the end of the academic year. The subcommittee will begin by connecting smaller scale SWAPS that are currently already taking place on campus while working to involve more dorms.

Campaigns: This committee has been busy this quarter! In addition to working with the Closing the Loop/Composting Committee to green this year’s SASA Show, they’ve continued to increase awareness around the Try Meatless Mondays campaign. In conjunction with GCI, this subcommittee is also working to reduce plastic water bottle use on campus. The campaign has gotten quite a bit of press and is working with Aramark, the campus dining vendor, to provide alternatives to bottled water, such as hydration stations. This subcommittee is also considering filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request for information about tap water quality. Furthermore, the ca

Earth Week: This subcommittee is planning the events for Earth Week 2011. The annual Earthfest will be held on Friday, April 22nd, from 11am - 2pm on the Main Quad. Details about the week’s events to come!