Several Swem staff members recently worked on Green Fees grants, provided by the W&M Committee on Sustainability, and were awarded funding for their projects.
Martha Higgins and Lauren Goode teamed up to apply for a grant to purchase 500 reusable coffee mugs to be given away to students and staff in Swem. The mugs will be free but the person receiving the mug will be required to sign a pledge in which they will promise to use the mug when purchasing coffee drinks at Aromas in Swem and across campus.
The amount of waste created from coffee purchases in the library was apparent from the amount of trash generated in Aromas. Aromas provided information about coffee sales and it was estimated that 250 cups a day would be kept from the landfill with the distribution of reusable mugs.
“We hope that the mug give away will encourage students to be mindful about their consumption of resources,” said Higgins. “If half of the mug recipients use their mugs daily, we will keep a significant amount of trash out of the landfill and save the energy used to produce those disposable cups, sleeves, and lids.”
Goode added, “We wanted to be a part of a sustainability grant because Swem plays a major role in the lives of students and should be a model for sustainable practices. Based on the popularity of Aromas, coffee seemed like the perfect way to get our message across.” The mugs will be distributed on Dec. 1, beginning at 8 a.m.
Kathleen DeLaurenti, head of the Music Library, collaborated with the president of W&M Wind Ensemble, Lucy King, and the president of the a capella council, Dan Kent, to apply for a grant for two water bottle refilling stations in Ewell Hall. Previously, the Music Library had been providing filtered water to the 1,400 students a week in the building through one Brita pitcher.
The students created, administered, and analyzed data from a survey of students and faculty supporting the need for clean, filtered water in the building. In researching the grant, in addition to the importance of keeping singers hydrated, they found research about the importance of hydration in preventing musculo-skeletal injuries for instrumental musicians as well.
“The idea had been around since Swem had their refilling stations installed. The project’s success is really due to student leadership: Dan and Lucy did the heavy lifting for the application. They designed and implemented a student survey to garner support for the project and did all of the grant writing,” DeLaurenti said. “I helped with research support on hydration for musicians and getting quotes from facilities for the budget request.”
The campus Committee on Sustainability funded 19 projects for the fall 2014 semester. The COS supports environmentally-focused initiatives by funding proposals through the “Green Fees” application system, which focuses on how to best enhance the culture of sustainability on campus.