Challenges, Events Highlight Campus Sustainability Month

As the leaves begin to change from green to orange across campus, Sustainability Management invites members of the University community to become sustainability change agents by taking part in the international celebration of Campus Sustainability Month during October. Throughout the month, Sustainability Management will host weekly challenges and events.

Follow Sustainability Management on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to participate in the weekly “Greening the Orange” challenges that encourage students, faculty and staff to take one step each week to greening their lifestyles. Every Monday this month, @SustainableSU will post one sustainability challenge on all three social media platforms. Take a picture of yourself completing the task and tag @SustainableSU with #greeningtheorange, and you will be entered in a prize drawing. Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged, and increase the chance of winning. For complete challenge details, check out the Greening the Orange Challenge website.

During the first week, individuals can test their recycling knowledge by participating in an online quiz on the Kahoot platform. Compete against friends, coworkers or yourself to test your campus recycling expertise. Participants should use their syr.edu email address as a nickname to be entered into the drawing. Once the results are in, the top five scores from students, faculty and staff will be awarded a prize, made from recycled materials, after the conclusion of the week.

For those who live on South Campus and are interested in composting their food scraps, Sustainability Management is holding informational sessions throughout the month as part of the department’s goals to reduce overall waste on campus. Each year, composting, recycling and trash tonnage is recorded as part of the University’s greenhouse gas inventory. These figures also determine the ranking of the University in RecycleMania, the annual recycling and waste reduction competition involving colleges and universities across North America. Information sessions are Oct. 10, 11, 18, 22 and 23 at various times. Those who would like to take part in a session but did not provide an email address at the Goldstein Student Center during opening week should email sustain@syr.edu.

The documentary “River Blue” will be shown Tuesday, Oct. 16 in Watson Theater. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the film screening at 7 p.m. “River Blue” follows international river conservationist Mark Angelo across the globe as he addresses pollution associated with the fashion industry.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to stop by the Schine Student Center on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to take part in the New York State Apple Crunch and support the state’s agriculture industry and locally grown foods.

To commemorate the 30^th anniversary of the Pan Am 103 bombing–in which 270 people died, including 35 students studying through SU’s Division of International Programs Abroad (now SU Abroad)–35 October Sky Maples will be planted near Sustainability Management’s new location in the Carriage House on South Campus. The tree planting is a collaboration of University College, Energy Systems and Sustainability Management, Physical Plant and Campus Planning, Design and Construction. Details will be announced soon.

Capping Campus Sustainability Month, Sustainability Management invites University community members to stop by E.S. Bird Library on Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to play “Fact or Fiction: Scary Sustainability Facts” and learn ways to help save the planet.

Sustainability Management is located at 161 Farm Acre Road. For more information on sustainability and recycling efforts, visit sustainability.syr.edu.