Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Student-Supported Initiative Creates Reusable Bag Program at Bookstore

Wednesday, February 15, 2017, By Keith Kobland
Share
sustainability
people walking in bookstore

Starting July 1, the Bookstore will significantly reduce plastic use and will be offering a variety of reusable bag options.

The Syracuse University Bookstore, in conjunction with the Student Association (SA), Students of Sustainability at Syracuse University and the Energy Systems & Sustainability Management Department, will be launching a reusable bag program starting this summer. The goal is to reduce usage of plastic bags, which can be harmful to the environment.

Starting July 1, the Bookstore will significantly reduce plastic use and offer a variety of reusable bag options.

Some of the bags will feature artwork from student designers as part of an open contest, with the winning design featured on bags beginning in the fall semester. An incentive program to purchase and reuse the bags will be announced this spring.

“The bookstore has long been concerned with the amount of plastic bags it gives out year-round,” says Bookstore Director Roger Hailstork. “The numbers are significant; we distribute on average more than 153,300 bags per year and during the last combined five year period the number is in excess of 766,500 bags. We are excited to partner with like-minded student groups and campus offices that are equally concerned about the impact of these bags on our environment. It’s a win-win for the store and the campus.”

SA is very excited for this program and is certain that the reusable bags will help promote sustainability.

Caitlin Smith ’19

“SA is very excited for this program and is certain that the reusable bags will help promote sustainability,” says Caitlin Smith ’19, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences and a representative of SA.

Smith has been working closely with the Sustainability Management and the Bookstore for the past year on implementing a reusable bookstore bag initiative in hopes of reducing the use of plastic bags and ultimately moving toward a more eco-friendly campus.

In a survey conducted of nearly 500 Bookstore customers, including University students, faculty and staff, 77 percent indicated that they are looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact.

This helps in a tangible way, according to Dana Wakeley ’17. Wakeley, a student in the Newhouse School, is with the group Students of Sustainability at Syracuse University. Wakeley and other students have worked with Sustainability Management in researching how the Bookstore could implement a reusable bag program.

“Students of Sustainability is excited to be a part of the Bookstore’s proactive effort to become more sustainable,” says Wakeley. “We’re very optimistic the program will provide an outlet for students to take action in reducing their environmental impact.”

The initial leg work and supporting research for this innovative partnership between the Student Association and the Bookstore was conducted by SU alumnus Elizabeth Hayes’ ’16 BA (Geog/CCE) for her senior Capstone Project “Action Plan” — a requirement of the Citizenship and Civic Engagement’s degree in which candidates must design and implement a project to improve social, economic and/or political conditions at the local, state, federal or global level. Says Hayes, “It is amazing, of course, to see something I worked on for a year come to fruition. It is even more gratifying to know it is something that will help SU become more sustainable and subsequently make the world a little better! I am happy to have been able to leave my mark at Syracuse University and give back to my Alma Mater.”

Anne E. Mosher, Chair of Citizenship and Civic Engagement, adds, “When the Maxwell faculty created the CCE program in 2011, this is exactly the kind of Action Plan outcome we hoped for. It is really pleasing to be able to point at Elizabeth’s engagement work and academic research as having been instrumental in making this important campus innovation a reality.” (Please visit the CCE website to learn more about the CCE program and to read about other SU students making an impact https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/citizen/Student_Profiles/).

All of this is very positive for the sustainability activities on campus, according to Sustainability Coordinator Melissa Cadwell.

“It is great to see the University Bookstore move forward to eliminate plastic bags and introduce reusable bags in their store,” says Cadwell. “With the research behind us, we know that plastic never fully breaks down—it only degrades. Keeping plastics out of the environment is a monumental task. This one action the bookstore is taking will help to decrease the environmental impact of plastic bags.”

  • Author

Keith Kobland

  • Recent
  • Ian ’90 and Noah Eagle ’19 Share a Love of Sportscasting and Storytelling (Podcast)
    Thursday, June 5, 2025, By John Boccacino
  • Blackstone LaunchPad Founders Circle Welcomes New Members
    Thursday, June 5, 2025, By Cristina Hatem
  • Japan’s Crackdown on ‘Shiny’ Names Sparks Cultural Reflection
    Tuesday, June 3, 2025, By Keith Kobland
  • The Milton Legacy: Romance, Success and Giving Back
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Eileen Korey
  • 5 Tips to Protect Your Health and Prepare for Worsening Air Conditions
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Daryl Lovell

More In Campus & Community

Blackstone LaunchPad Founders Circle Welcomes New Members

Syracuse University Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad welcomed 34 graduates of the Class of 2025 as new members of the Founders Circle. They were selected in recognition of launching or leading ventures at the University while students, as well as contributing to…

Neal Powless Inducted Into American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame

You could say that lacrosse is in Neal Powless’s blood. Powless G’08, the University ombuds, is a member of the Onondaga Nation Eel Clan. He is the son, grandson and brother of legendary lacrosse players. Powless picked up a lacrosse…

The Milton Legacy: Romance, Success and Giving Back

Growing up, Stacey Milton Leal ’75 and Chris Milton heard countless stories about how Syracuse University brought their parents together in what would turn out to be a fairy tale romance with a happy forever ending. So it was no…

Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars Produce Information Literacy Collab Journal

Earlier this month, Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars published their first open access information literacy journal, Information Literacy Collab (ILC). It is available on SURFACE, the University’s open access institutional repository. ILC is a diamond open-access publication by and…

Trip to Atlanta Gives Falk Students ‘Real-World’ Opportunities and Connections

The city of Atlanta is home to professional sports franchises in major leagues: Atlanta United FC (Major League Soccer), the Braves (Major League Baseball), Dream (WNBA), Falcons (NFL), and Hawks (NBA). Atlanta also features professional teams in lacrosse, rugby, and…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.