Student Initiatives
The students at Princeton University have been, and continue to be, vital in the movement towards sustainability on campus, in our local community, and beyond.
Many student environmental groups and organizations have played a significant role in these efforts. The links to the left can bring you to information on many of these groups.
Described below are a number of the student-led initiatives that mark the Princeton University sustainability movement.
Greening Princeton “Guide to Living Green at Princeton”
Candice Chow and Jessica Hsu, the 2008 Green Guide interns, are responsible for updating the Guide to Living Green at Princeton, a publication prepared for students which consists of tips for living a more environmentally conscious lifestyle, updated accomplishments of University and student efforts, and ways for students to get involved in environmental progress on campus. The updated version of the guide consists of both a paper publication (on recycled paper of course!) to be handed out to students during orientation, as well as an extended online edition. Interns are responsible for working with the appropriate on-campus staff to compile energy and water use, transportation, waste reduction, and consumption information, and compiling the information in a stylistically appealing and easy-to-use format for students.
UBikes and Bike Co-Op Programs
The Office of Sustainability, in conjunction with other key members of the Princeton community, is intent on improving the walking and bicycling experience both on campus and to campus. There is much room for improvement: currently only 1% of campus commuters arrive by bicycle.
Promoting quality pedestrian and cyclist environments across the campus not only reduces dependency on vehicles and pollution in the air and on the ground, but also encourages increased physical activity for better health.
Numerous programs are being explored by Princeton students and staff to encourage walking and biking as a means of commuting including: bike-share and rental programs, financial incentives for commuters, enhanced bike lanes and walking paths (especially access routes to campus), the establishment of bike storage and repair facilities, and locations where staff bicycle-commuters can wash and change before work. Additionally, we are working with the Princeton borough and township to identify desirable bike routes within the immediate vicinity of the campus as well as access routes to desirable off-campus locations.
Farm2Fork Project
Student Organic Garden
The Garden Project is a student-led initiative to educate and impassion students about sustainable food through direct experience. Overseen by the Office of Sustainability since it opened last spring, the Garden has since provided produce to Forbes and Graduate College dining halls, a local organic pizza producer, and the farmers’ market cooking demonstrations.
The Garden Project fulfills its educational mission through lectures, dinners, films, and demonstrations relating to sustainable food and agriculture.
Organizers of the Garden Project were granted funding through the High Meadows Fund in the summer of 2008 to support the expansion of the garden into an additional 1.5 acres space where students will be able to harvest, prepare, and eat the food they grow. The new space will include a storage structure for garden tools, a composting area, and space for educational programs.
Greening Princeton Farmer’s Market
The Greening Princeton Farmers’ Market is the only student-run campus farmers’ market in the country. After three years of planning, the Market opened for five weeks in the fall of 2007 and for another five weeks in the spring of 2008.
The Market has been greeted as a great success by buyers, sellers and visitors. The Producers found it quite profitable, comparable to the Union Square market and top markets in northern New Jersey. It was convenient for community members, faculty, staff, and students to attend.
The Greening Princeton Farmers’ Market will open again in the fall of 2008. Support for the Farmer’s Market has been provided by grants from the High Meadows Fund.
CFL Bulb Exchange Program
The Princeton University Bulb Exchange program is an awareness and action-focused event at which University community members can exchange their energy-inefficient incandescent bulbs for more efficient products. The Bulb Exchange program was initiated by (then) Sophomore Class President Connor Diemand-Yauman with the support of the Office of Sustainability. The program has been handed over to Greening Princeton.
The first event took place in October 2007. Princeton University students were invited to receive free compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) for their personal lamps. Each recipient was also given information about CFLs and the positive impact that they were making by using these bulbs. Nearly 3000 bulbs were distributed over the course of the exchange along with information to allow the event organizers to contact recipients to obtain follow-up data (e.g., life of the bulb, disposal method). This information will improve the events to come and help make recipients more responsible consumers.
Future events will provide information on the issues associated with CFLs, such as the proper handling of the bulbs due to their mercury content and recycling options. Information and more sustainable alternatives to both incandescent and CFL bulbs will likely be featured as well (e.g., light-emitting diode (LED) lights) as these technologies become more accessible.
A grant from the High Meadows Fund will provide support for fall 2008 events.
Pull the Plug on Global Warming
The “Pull the Plug” campaign is campus-wide push to encourage students to reduce energy consumption in their dorm rooms when they leave campus for extended periods (i.e., holiday breaks) as well as encouraging more responsible energy behavior in the course of their daily lives. The first campaign was run by Princeton SURGE and the Eco-reps. The Eco-reps will continue to pursue this program.
The campaign began with awareness events (e.g., tabling in First and email solicitation) to encourage students to commit to turn off lights, unplug refrigerators and computers, turn down thermostats, and shut their windows to conserve energy. Data collection (and limited, Housing Department-approved ‘unplugging’) has taken place over intersession breaks in 2007.
The data showed that the commitment campaign has had a positive impact on energy savings and in bringing the message home to students. Future campaigns will allow comparison of energy consumption and commitment behavior to be tracked over time.
RecycleMania
RecycleMania is a nation-wide competition between colleges. Driven by the support of the University Building Services Department, Housing Department, and the Eco-reps and Greening Princeton student groups, Princeton has participated in the competition since 2005. In 2008, over 400 colleges participated.
The event’s main goal is to increase student awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization. Participating schools report measurements on a weekly basis over a ten week period. Campuses compete in different contests to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate. Ultimately, RecycleMania helps all participating colleges and universities make achievements in recycling and waste reduction.
Princeton placed 25th in the nation, and for the fourth year in a row topped the Ivy League in all categories. Over the past four years, Princeton has consistently improved its numbers, from 29% in 2005 to 31% in 2008. This annual competition is an excellent way for the University to gauge its recycling efforts on campus and promote recycling in general.
In the future, Eco-Reps will continue to promote the competition and strive to further improve Princeton University recycling rate.
FoodTASK
Despite significant efforts by Dining Services and concerned students to enhance the sustainability of food systems on campus, excess edible food is still made each day. Members of the Student Volunteer Council recognized the potential to put this resource to good use and subsequently formed Project FoodTASK.
On Tuesday and Friday mornings, pairs of volunteers collect leftover food from the Whitman, Wilcox/Butler, Rocky/Mathey, and Forbes residential college dining halls and drive it to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK). TASK is a non-profit organization that provides more than 3,000 free meals each week and advocates for the needs of the hungry in the Trenton area. On some weeks, Project FoodTASK has provided enough food for hundreds of meals.
During this past year, FoodTASK received assistance from the men's varsity lacrosse team in expanding the program to eating clubs. Members of FoodTASK are exploring options to expand the program to allow food collection more frequently and from more locations and events.
FoodTASK meets the resource conservation and civic engagement goals described in the university’s Sustainability Plan by demonstrating a wise use of resources in a way that helps a community in need.