September Theme: Waste Reduction

Monthly themes are new this year to the Office of Sustainability. Each month a new topic will be chosen to concentrate on through our events, advocacy tactics and social media. We are asking students to also help spread the word and educate the others about the monthly theme by participating in events and living out the theme in their daily lives.

September’s theme is “Waste Reduction.” As school kicks off and life becomes hectic, it is very easy to forget to take small steps to conserve energy and reduce your impact on the environment. Simple tasks like turning off the lights and separating your recycling from trash can seem annoying at times, but in the long run your daily habits will help benefit and sustain our beautiful Elon environment.

This month we will also kick-off the POWERless competition. This is a campus-wide event that challenges students to reduce their energy use in order to win prizes. Look for more information about this event as it gets closer to its starting date.

September Waste Reduction Tips:

  • Use a reusable bag when shopping. This eliminates plastic bag waste. If you do have plastic bags, however, remember to recycle them at a nearby grocery store.
  • Unplug chargers when they are not in use.
  • Turn off your lights when you leave your room and replace old bulbs with CFL bulbs that help conserve energy.
  • Recycle! Use a separate bin in your dorm or apartment to collect recycling and empty your bin in the provided container near your housing.
  • To find locations to recycle electronics and miscellaneous items click here: http://www.elon.edu/e-web/bft/sustainability/ci-recycling.xhtml

September Waste Reduction Events:

  • Office of Sustainability at Organization Fair – September 9th
  • Office of Sustainability at College Coffee – September 27th
  • POWERless – September 27th