Seventh Floor Weiser - Working Toward Sustainability!
Staff in attendance at the Planet Blue Ambassador training where we received our coveted compost bin: Hoa Nguyen, Samantha Drotar, Mita Gibson, Linda Wood, and Swapnil Gavade.
CSBYC and CSCS decided to team up and start composting on our floor. After making inquiries, we realized that there is much more we can do so we are dedicating ourselves to helping the University meet its sustainability goals.
The impetus for this movement came about as we realized that Weiser is now a compost eligible building. We decided that we would like our floor to also have the opportunity to compost! Doing so involved a call to the sustainability office, where we realized that obtaining the right to compost was contingent on taking part in the larger sustainability initiatives of the University. We had to do an extensive floor self assessment that touched on these University Goals:
U-M has a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction goal of 25% by the year 2025. Your efforts will help us meet this goal!
U-M wants to increase Sustainable food purchasing by 20% by the year 2025. Your efforts to purchase local and sustainable food will help us meet this goal!
U-M has a Waste reduction goal of 40% by the year 2025. Your efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle (and now compost) will help us meet this goal!
Staff can reduce waste and energy use on campus by reducing, reusing, refilling, prioritizing recycled content and other purchasing decisions.
U-M has a Transportation GHG emissions reduction goal of 30% by the year 2025. Your efforts to choose sustainable transportation options on campus will help us meet this goal!
There are many ways that units and staff can help the cause. Becoming a 'Sustainable Workplace' is just one of them. HERE are some others.
To achieve Platinum status, at least 50% of floor staff needed to complete Planet Blue Ambassador Training.
Hardware!
You can see our 'Platinum Plaque' at the entrance to our floor. The frame is made of recycled pallet wood, and the glass is repurposed.
In addition to no longer using single use plastics (as required by the campus sustainability program) - our floor has also decided to set up a place to collect grocery bags, (cleaned) styrofoam containers, and candy wrappers. Staff members will be regularly delivering these items to locations where they can be recycled.
Contact cscs@umich.edu for more information or check out the University Sustainability/Planet Blue WEBSITE.
