Princeton Review names Eastern a 'Green College' 15 years running

Princeton Review names Eastern a 'Green College' 15 years running

New initiatives to reduce food waste and recycle goods advance University's sustainability mission

by Noel Teter

Willimantic, CT (10/30/2024) - Eastern Connecticut State University is one of 511 institutions to be named to the Princeton Review's 2025 "Guide to Green Colleges." Since the guide was created in 2010, Eastern has been named a Green College 15 times.

Among other sustainability initiatives, the distinction recognizes Eastern's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As stated in the University's Climate Action Plan, Eastern aims to achieve carbon neutrality on campus by 2030.

The Guide to Green Colleges is receptive to the concerns of prospective college students - 61% of the nearly 800 students who participated in this year's Princeton Review College Hopes and Worries Survey said that a college's environmental initiatives would influence their decision to apply to the school.

"This is a recognition of the work so many people across campus have been doing for many years," said Patricia Szczys, executive director of the Institute for Sustainability (IS), the on-campus organization that spearheads many of Eastern's "green" initiatives.

New Initiatives

The IS has grown in recent years, both in student participation and in number of projects. Recent notable efforts include a campus thrift shop, a composting initiative to reduce food waste, and a partnership with the local soup kitchen to donate excess prepared food.

The thrift shop, called Thrift Warriors, is located in Winthrop Hall and makes lightly used clothing and household goods available to students, free of charge. Thrift Warriors also presents opportunities to donate goods that students no longer need rather than disposing of them in a wasteful manner.

"Its success is because of the leadership in the Center for Community Engagement (CCE)," said Szczys. "Students register for volunteer hours through the CCE to keep the shop running. Further, the CCE connects with its community contacts to provide items unneeded in the shop to organizations that serve Windham residents, further reducing items bound for the landfill."

The CCE also assists in other sustainability initiatives. After being discontinued due to COVID-19, the Food Recovery Program has recently resumed. Szczys explains: "The CCE also partners with Eastern Eats (the University's food service provider) to deliver prepared food that is unused on campus to the Covenant Soup Kitchen."

Additionally, more than a dozen offices across campus participate in a composting effort, "including a new and important partner, Shawn's Cupboard," said Szczys, referring to Eastern's on-campus pantry for food-insecure students. She added that students also participate individually from their residence halls.

If these trends in participation continue, a collaboration with the greater community of Windham may be in the IS's future. "This success has led to conversations with the Town of Windham and community partners for building the infrastructure needed to expand food waste diversion in the region," said Szczys.

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