Residence: Economic Sustainability
- When moving out of campus housing, students are encouraged to participate in the Move Out Donation Program. The program enables students to place unwanted items such as housewares and non-perishable foods in easy-to-find drop-off sites. The Department of Residence (DOR) then donates these items to local charitable organizations such as the Salvation Army, which can sell the donated goods to support their own causes while also preventing waste from entering the landfill. The program is organized with assistance from the DOR's student sustainability team, Central Stores and Facilities Planning & Management.
- The DOR continually takes on "life cycle projects" to replace outdated materials with more economical and sustainable counterparts. Currently, the DOR is installing new energy-efficient windows, replacing all light bulbs with cost-saving LEDs and putting down carpet made from recyclable materials. As most DOR construction takes place during the summer when students are gone, life cycle projects usually take 5-10 years to complete.
"Overall, we're not going to do something without looking at five different options. Sustainability is part of that. So is cost and student experience. We always strive to make the best choice possible."
-Brittney Rutherford, Department of Residence Marketing Coordinator