During the beginning and end of the school year, so much is happening, and many things go unseen. And by things, I mean waste. Unfortunately, this is a part of our lives. No matter how frugal or sustainable of buyers we choose to be, there are always things that we throw away. So, what does UC Sustainability do about this? Perhaps you can say we try to emulate nature's natural process of decomposition by breaking down old things for new uses, but we call it something else.
UC Sustainability is always working behind the scenes. During move-in, UC gives newcomers the choice of settling in a little bit early. Then, they help other first-years move in while receiving volunteer hours and bypassing some of the inevitable incoming traffic. UC Sustainability works alongside freshman, helping direct where recycling should go. Although recycling isn't a perfect solution, the amount of cardboard and other reusable materials that bypass the trash at an institutional level during this time is unimaginable.
Likewise, UC sustainability takes an even bigger approach towards the end of the year with its Uptown Waste Diversion initiative. This past year, I had the pleasure of working with many community members while trying to keep Cincinnati beautiful. Since many students live off-campus and move to new locations, unwanted furniture, and other goods flood the streets. With the help of numerous non-profits and volunteers, community members can drop off small household appliances, furniture, clothing, and so much more to our site. At the end of each night, I helped load enormous u-hauls and drove them to St. Vincent De Paul for further use. The number of materials saved during this process can only be measured in truckloads, and that doesn't even begin to help conceptualize the number of things saved. It's actions like these that help illuminate how much we throw away as a society. Although it can be rather disheartening, Uptown Waste Diversion plays an active role in making material, and in my case, mental change.
In addition to these city-scale steps, UC Sustainability also provides a Re*Use market at the end of the semester where students can drop off items that they longer want. This market is open to the public and offers a wide range of goods that people can take, free of charge. Bins are also set up around the resident halls so that students can have easy access to a renewable way of moving out. If these goods are not claimed, Goodwill takes all of the excess items. With all of these actions taking place, an enormous amount of quality items can end up in people’s homes rather than the dump, adding to the significance of their worth and beauty of our city.