Clark University is making great strides toward reducing its environmental footprint by installing c...

1. Clark University making composting commonplace around
campus
Clark University is making great strides toward reducing its environmental footprint by installing
composting bins around campus, most recent in the Academic Commons at Goddard Library. This
high-traffic campus location was previously equipped with recycling stations for plastic, metal, glass,
paper, styrofoam, batteries and cardboard; however, Clark's sustainability experts knew there was
room for improvement.
"Composting is the perfect option for leftover food, paper napkins and coffee cups, which were
ending up in the garbage," said Jenny Isler, Clark's director of sustainability. "Our slogan is 'If it was
ever alive, you can compost it,' so we wanted to make it work in the Academic Commons where
there was a lot of opportunity."
The University presently diverts approximately 55% of its waste, up from less than 30% a few years
ago.
Clark first started composting food waste in the Higgins Cafeteria in 2007, following two years of
research spearheaded by a student. In 2011 the effort spread to the Bistro Cafe, which began
offering compostable containers and utensils. In the fall of 2013, Clark introduced composting bins
to the recycling programs in several residence halls and added composting to four more halls in
2014.
Clark Composts!, a dedicated student group, is the driver behind instituting and implementing
composting programs around campus. They receive support and guidance from Sustainable Clark,
Clark Eco Reps, the Student Sustainability Fund, Student Leadership and Programming, Physical
Plant, the Office of Residential Life, the Clark Sustainability Collaborative and the Clark Recycling
Crew.
"The students involved with Clark Composts! and the Recycling Crew make it their mission to get
more people at Clark to think about what they throw away and the affect their actions have on our
planet and our community," said Isler.
They have been successful at increasing composting locations on the Clark campus and have made it

2. incredibly convenient and easy for members of the Clark community to participate."
Changing routines and habits sometimes takes a
great deal of time and energy.
"These students are not only changing behavior,
they're changing hearts and minds along the way,"
said Isler. "They have demonstrated collaborative
leadership in sustainable change."
Clark Composts! will focus next on instituting
composting in the newest residence hall and in the
academic departments while increasing awareness among the Clark community. The University is
also taking steps to ensure this year's Spree Day is a "zero waste" event for the first time ever in
Clark history.
Clark won the MassRecycles award for three years in a row for its waste diversion success and has
been named an EPA Regional Champion in the Food Recovery Challenge for its composting
initiatives. Clark students routinely travel to other campuses and high schools to share the success
of our sustainability programs and efforts.
Founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University is a liberal arts-based research
university addressing social and human imperatives on a global scale. Nationally renowned as a
college that changes lives, Clark is emerging as a transformative force in higher education today.
LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) is Clark's pioneering model of education that
combines a robust liberal arts curriculum with life-changing world and workplace experiences.
Clark's faculty and students work across boundaries to develop solutions to complex challenges in
the natural sciences, psychology, geography, management, urban education, Holocaust and
genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. The
Clark educational experience embodies the University's motto: Challenge convention. Change our
world.
www.clarku.edu
http://news.clarku.edu/news/2015/02/26/clark-university-making-composting-commonplace-around-c
ampus/