Around the Zero Waste Advocacy The zero-waste movement is an essential effort to break the unsustainable production and consumption cycle. In an effort to achieve this goal, UAlbany has become a part of several community zero-waste initiatives. What community groups focus on reducing waste? The Zero Waste Campus Council is made up of students and administrative leaders from colleges across the nation who discuss various topics of zero waste planning such as composting techniques in dorms and apartments on campus. This is a great way to hear how other schools operate and gain knowledge to improve our own community. Attending the Zero Waste Capital District meetings is another great way we are getting involved. This coalition of organizations focuses on the education and outreach of reducing waste. In addition, the City of Albany Sustainability Advisory Committee works to address public concerns towards clean energy and climate smart communities. These groups are open to anyone in the public and are providing solid ideas and feedback for UAlbany to get involved and further our zero waste efforts both individually and as a campus. Besides outreach, is UAlbany actively doing any on-campus initiatives that students can participate in? Yes! The Office of Sustainability has many educational events coming up throughout the semester, as well as activities students can partake in to further educate themselves. We are organizing several supply swaps throughout the semester. This provides an opportunity for campus members to browse through excess office and school supplies, take what they would like, and add any of their own unwanted materials for others to use. The goal is to reuse and repurpose materials that would otherwise be disposed of. Our next distribution will be on Wednesday, March 23 from 11 am to 2 pm in the Lecture Center Concourse. An important step to developing a strong connection between students and their passion for zero waste is keeping everyone involved. If you would like to become a UAlbany Zero Waste Advocate and help with our swaps and/or serve as a liaison to a group mentioned in this article, email us at gogreen@albany.edu
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