Help us win this fierce competition by recycling right across campus! Follow along with campus recycling efforts and join the fun utilizing #recycleright on social media, and look for recycling how-to’s across campus screens.

The competition is broken up into several different categories; ���ϲ����� is participating in three: Total Diversion, the Stephan K Gaski Per Capita Classic and Food Organics. The University’s Sustainability Management team works with ���ϲ����� Haulers and the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency to keep track of the weight of all recyclables, trash and food scraps.

The University utilizes the single-stream recycling method, meaning all recyclable plastic bottles, jugs, dairy containers, cardboard, aluminum cans, paper, juice cartons and glass are placed into a recycling bin and all other trash in a separate trash bin. For more information on proper recycling, please view Sustainability’s .

The University complies with the Onondaga County Source Separation Law with on-campus recycling bins for mandatory recyclables, and also recycles specialized items, including batteries, electronics, polystyrene cold shipping boxes, fluorescent light bulbs, scrap metal, composable yard waste and construction debris.

For further information on sustainability and recycling efforts, visit the , follow @SustainableSU on Twitter and Instagram, and check out the Facebook page.

On Oct. 1, Sustainability Coordinator Meg Lowe, teamed up with Director of Engagement Programs Syeisha Byrd to offer a virtual cooking class, which used ingredients from the food pantry and Pete’s Giving Garden to create a simple, yet delicious Taco Bowl. The pair is hosting two more virtual Pantry Cookin’ classes on Oct. 22 and on Nov. 12. Sign up on to claim a spot today.

Additionally, the honey from the honeybee hives on South Campus was harvested on Oct. 3 by Associate Professor of Public Health Lisa Olson-Gugerty, a Campus as a Lab for Sustainability grant recipient. She harvested 15 gallons of honey, all of which will be jarred, but will be missing a label as Sustainability Management is hosting a competition for students to design the label for the honey jars. Members of the ���ϲ����� Bee Campus USA Committee will pick the top five, and then the campus community will vote for the winning design. Learn more about the honey label competition by visiting the . Once the winning design is decided, the honey jars will be labeled and placed in the bookstore and café stores on campus for sale.

Sustainability Management is also working with the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) on hosting “PolliNation,” a virtual showcase of the talent and collaborations within the Orange community pertaining to pollinators. Assistant Professor of Environmental and Interior Design Zeke Leonard collaborated with Olson-Gugerty to have his students create brood boxes that differ from the typical hive standard, which will be showcased at the event. Associate Professor of Museum Studies Andrew Saluti is curating the showing, which starts in mid-October. Other pollinator projects, such as the designs for the South Campus Pollinator Gardens and information about Bee Campus USA, will also be showcased at “PolliNation.”

Students from the School of Design will help the members of Pete’s Giving Garden to winterize the garden on Oct. 16. While participation in this event is limited, students are welcome to help plan the next garden over the winter for the spring planting. If you are interested helping please email Meg Lowe mclowe@syr.edu or sustain@syr.edu. Students who live on South Campus are still eligible to participate in the South Campus Composting Program, which continues year round. Those who wish to participate in either program or volunteer with Sustainability Management can reach out to Meg Lowe at mclowe@syr.edu or sustain@syr.edu.

Teaming up with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Sustainability Management will sponsor a on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.; visit the calendar of events for access to the showing. Professors Linda Ivany and Tripti Bhattacharya and graduate student Jessie McCraw from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences will be on the panel. Professor Ivany is an evolutionary paleobiologist interested in relationships among ecology, evolution and environment over time in marine systems. Professor Bhattacharya is a climate scientist who uses past instances of climate change as “natural experiments” to understand the response of the atmosphere-ocean system to external forcing. McCraw is a paleontologist currently researching coral responses to climate change using geochemistry and numerical models.

If you are unable to attend the screening, Sustainability Management is also hosting virtual Netflix Party on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. of “David Attenborough: Life on Our Planet.”

On Oct. 31, the Campus as a Lab for Sustainability (CALS) Grant is scheduled to be released for the 2021-2022 academic year. Each year, $75,000 is awarded to students and faculty who apply for projects that help to support the Climate Action Plan. Learn more about past projects and how to apply by visiting the .

Visit the to learn more about sustainability at ���ϲ�����.

While we all work together by staying apart, Sustainability Management and the Office of Engagement Programs at Hendricks Chapel are challenging students, faculty and staff to participate in the 50th anniversary of Earth Day from wherever you may be on Wednesday, April 22.

Quarantined and curious about what you can do to celebrate the Earth in all its glory? One way is to show your Orange spirit by wearing orange, practice social distancing, and posting your hard work on social media with the hashtag #CUSEEarthDay.

And there’s more. Check out these ideas, many of which are easy to do while at home:

• Go for a walk (be sure to check local safety recommendations pertaining to COVID-19) and bring a trash bag! Clean up as you exercise and aim to collect one bag of trash (or more) along the way.
• Support your local restaurants by purchasing to-go meals once a week, if you’re able.
• Turn off your lights if you’re not in a room.
• Go vegetarian/meat free for the day, week, month or however long you choose.
• Get organized: create donation stations within your house while doing spring cleaning. Keep the items until you are able to donate to a local organization or sell online.
• Create a compost bin in your yard. Turn all your food scraps and yard trimmings into nourishment for a garden. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers .
• Plan a garden. This is the perfect time to grow seeds and start a home garden. And by growing your own food, you may save some trips to the grocery store. Cornell University on how to grow vegetables and flowers, as we all as advice on how to design a flower garden.
• Participate in (CSA) with a local farm in your area. It’s a great way to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers .
• Build a bat house or bee boutique to support pollinators out of spare materials available at home. The National Wildlife Federation . And there are .
• Advocate for change. The theme of Earth Day this year is “Climate Activism!” Organizations such as the (NYPIRG) in New York state—and others like it in states across the country, as well as in many other countries—can help with informing, organizing and communicating with elected officials.
• .
• Donate to a local food pantry, such as the . Or to support students still on campus, you could contribute to the Hendricks Chapel pantry, or .
• Make art out of recycled materials. .
• Attend the Netflix Party co-sponsored by Sustainability Management and NYPIRG on Wednesday, April 22, at 8 p.m. Download the Chrome extension at . Check out @SustainableSU on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at 7:45 p.m. for the link to join. Activate the Netflix extension by clicking the “NP” to join the chat and watch in sync.

Over the duration of the competition, Sustainability Management will be on campus in various locations educating the campus community about proper recycling. Those who stop by the information table will have the opportunity to play a fun game for a cookie or cupcake. Recycling know-how will also be featured on digital screens across campus, including the Dome.

The University has competed the last several years and historically has done well against other Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) institutions, especially when focusing on total recycling efforts. Last year, ���ϲ����� topped every other ACC university in the total recycling category. In all, more than 300 colleges and universities across North America competed in the 2019 RecycleMania Tournament, and the University placed 40th nationally.

The RecycleMania competition is broken up into several different categories. ���ϲ����� participates in the main four: Total Diversion, Total Recycling, the Stephan K Gaski Per Capita Classic and Food Organics. Sustainability Management works with ���ϲ����� Haulers and the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) to keep track of the weight of all recyclables, trash and food scraps. In addition, all food donated through the Food Recovery Network and all of the bottles and cans collected after each game by ROTC are accounted for in the competition.

The Total Diversion category combines trash, recyclables and food organics to determine each institution’s percent of diverted items from the waste stream. The University has steadily increased its percentage by about one percent each year, ending last year’s competition with a 48 percent diversion rate. Put in perspective, Onondaga County has a diversion rate of 56 percent, one of the highest in the country.

The Total Recycling category recognizes colleges and universities with the highest gross tonnage of combined paper, cardboard, glass, cans, plastic bottles, jugs and dairy tubs. The University utilizes the single stream recycling method, meaning all recyclable plastic bottles, jugs, dairy containers, cardboard, aluminum cans, paper, juice cartons and glass can be placed into one bin and all trash in its own bin. For more information on proper recycling, view the Recycling and Trash on the Sustainability website, under the “Quick Links” section.

Over the course of the eight-week competition, the weight of recyclables divided by the campus population is measured in the Stephan K. Gaski Per Capita Classic. Last year, each person on campus averaged 23.5 pounds of recyclables during the competition. This number includes students, faculty and staff on campus and excludes any weights associated with trash and food organics.

All of the pre- and post-consumer food scraps collected from the dining centers and the South Campus Composting program are collected and reported in the Food Organics category. This also includes any food donated each week to the Rescue Mission by the Food Recovery Network student group. The goal of this category is primarily to reduce food waste, not just divert the food scraps from the waste stream.

The University complies with the Onondaga County Source Separation Law and has on-campus recycling bins for mandatory recyclables, such as paper, cardboard, specific plastics and cans/bottles. The University also recycles specialized items, including batteries, electronics, polystyrene cold shipping boxes, fluorescent light bulbs, scrap metal, compostable yard waste and construction debris.

For more information on sustainability and recycling efforts, visit the , follow @SustainableSU on Twitter and Instagram, and check out the Facebook page. Follow along with campus recycling efforts and join the fun by using #recycleright on social media.

To learn more about RecycleMania, visit .

According to Meg Lowe, sustainability coordinator and ���ϲ����� Bee Campus USA committee chair, “the University has already taken great care in providing native pollinator habits across campus with native plant species, minimal pesticide use and, most recently, the addition of the Pete’s Giving Garden on South Campus. More pollinator gardens are being planned for the future.”

Grounds Manager Pat Carroll takes pride in the University’s commitment to minimizing hazards to pollinators by using nearly no neonicotinoid pesticides, glyphosate herbicide or other potentially dangerous pesticides. “Here at Grounds we are very excited to support Bee Campus USA,” says Carroll. “By implementing Integrated Pest Management practices we have been able to reduce the number of inputs we make on campus. As grounds manager, I believe it is important that we provide a beautiful campus while being stewards of the environment.”

To raise awareness about the plight of pollinators, ���ϲ�����’s plans to publish a webpage on to disseminate information to the campus and external communities.

Lisa Olson-Gugerty, associate teaching professor in the Falk College, is excited about the opportunities for student research and service learning. “Honeybees are fascinating and amazing creatures, and I am happy to know that our campus is supporting their survival,” she says. “The Bee Campus USA certification reinforces the University’s efforts in supporting an environmentally friendly campus within an urban setting.

“The current generation of students are acutely aware of the state of our environment,��and this certification is a reflection of the University’s efforts to recognize these concerns and make positive contributions,” Olson-Gugerty says. “With the installation of honeybee hives on campus and the Bee Campus USA certification, all of us at SU can buzz and ‘Bee Orange.’”

Already faculty, staff and students have worked together to study and create pollinator habitat with native plants. Several courses already include pollinators in their syllabi.

and Bee Campus USA are initiatives of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, with offices across the country. Bee City USA’s mission is to galvanize communities and campuses to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free of pesticides. Pollinators like bumblebees, sweat bees, mason bees, honeybees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds and many others are responsible for the reproduction of almost 90 percent of the world’s flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume.

“The program aspires to make people more pollinator conscious,” says Scott Hoffman Black, Xerces’ executive director. “If lots of individuals and communities begin planting native, pesticide-free flowering trees, shrubs and perennials, it will help to sustain many, many species of pollinators.”

According to Bee Campus USA founder Phyllis Stiles, “Each certified campus must renew their certification each year and report on accomplishments from the previous year.”

For more information about ���ϲ�����’s Bee Campus USA program, contact Lowe at mclowe@syr.edu.

For more information about sustainability on campus, visit sustainability.syr.edu/. For more information about Bee Campus USA, visit . For more information about the Xerces Society, visit . For information about four simple ways to help pollinators, visit .

The 2019 RecycleMania competition featured more than 300 colleges and universities. Each year, the University competes in three different categories: Total Recycling, Diversion and the Per Capita Classic. Rankings are determined by the amount of recycling, trash and compost collected over the two-month competition period. Each week, gathered the information and submitted the amounts of recycling, trash, food scraps and donated food to be ranked with other colleges and universities.

Total Recycling recognizes institutions with the highest gross tonnage of combined paper, cardboard, bottles and cans. ���ϲ����� recycled 645,206 pounds of recyclables on campus during the competition, which secured the University’s national ranking of 19th out of the competing 251 colleges and universities. The University recycles using a single-stream system, meaning all recyclable materials—such as bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard—are combined into one bin.

The Diversion category combines trash, recyclables and food organics to determine the recycling rate. This year, the campus community held steady to a 48 percent diversion rate, which actually increased the University’s national ranking in the competition to 40th, up from 43rd in the 2018 RecycleMania competition.

The Per Capita Classic measures the weight of recyclable materials divided by the campus population to determine the amount each person recycled. With 23.5 pounds of recyclables per person over the eight-week competition, the University placed 28th nationally, an increase of six spots since last year.

Overall, the ���ϲ����� campus diverted 898,498 pounds of recyclables and food organics during the competition.

Some 300 campuses in 43 states competed in RecycleMania in 2019 engaging 4.25 million students and 900,000 faculty and staff for a total of more than 5.1 million participants.

From Feb. 3 to March 30, the participating colleges and universities recycled or composted (and donated to food banks and farms and used for biofuels) 65.5 million pounds of waste. In these eight weeks, the participants prevented the release of 99,254 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E) into the atmosphere,��which is equivalent to preventing the annual emissions from 20,895 cars.

Complete results for 2019 RecycleMania may be found at .

To learn more about how to recycle at ���ϲ�����, visit the .

For more information on sustainability and recycling efforts at the University, visit ; follow @SustainableSU on , and ; or email sustain@syr.edu.