May Edition
Earth Month Recap
Last month was Earth Month, and you joined us in sustainably celebrating with events like Weigh the Waste, Earth Day Trivia at Contra, and our Plastic Bag Exchange!🌎
Earth Day Contra Trivia
We held Earth Day Trivia at Contra Coffee & Tea! ☕🌍🤎
The Office of Sustainability featured all kinds of questions about the environment and ways keep it healthy!
This was a great way to let our community members test their sustainability knowledge, learn about our upcoming events, and support a favorite, local coffee shop!
Plastic Bag Exchange
We held our Plastic Bag Exchange event at the Attallah Piazza.
Chapman community members brought their single-use plastic bags and received a FREE reusable food container!
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They learned about the plastic bag life cycle and standard vs. plastic film recycling through displays, hands-on activities, and conversations with our staff.
Weigh the Waste
We also held Weigh the Waste, an educational program geared towards promoting food waste reduction. 🗑️
The Office of Sustainability and a team of volunteers collected food waste from people's trays during a single lunch period.
A total of 89.7 pounds of food, with an average of 0.10 pounds per person was calculated based on the number of people in the dining hall!
Waste Sorting Display
In celebration of Earth Month, Argyros Forum installed a vibrant collection of Earth Month-themed artworks alongside our Waste Sorting Display, an interactive and educational feature on how to properly sort waste into compost, recycling, and landfill.
Check it out!
Ditch the Dumpster & Donate
Staring Wednesday, May 21 through Saturday, May 24, the Office of Sustainability will be running Donation Stations at the Main Campus residence halls, The K, Chapman Grand, and Chapman Court, 8AM to 8PM each day. We are looking for furniture, household and kitchen items, clothing and shoes, decorations, and functioning electronics.
Check out the detailed list below of what you can and cannot donate! Donating gently used items helps reduce waste and supports a culture of reuse here at Chapman. Give your items a second life! ♻️
Please note: We cannot accept mattress pads, pillows, sheets, or blankets. 🚫
Community Garden Spotlight: Rosie
Meet Rosie, an Integrated Educational Studies major and Disability Studies minor at Chapman who grows tomatoes, rosemary, and bell peppers to share!
Check out her story below or on our Instagram to learn more!
Rosie's growing strawberries
Ready to start your garden and have your own spotlight?
Individuals and groups welcomed.
Free Food Alert App
In collaboration with the Student Government Association, we have launched the Free Food Alert program! Through email or the Free Food Alert app, students are notified of free meals that would otherwise go to waste.
Since launching, the program has gained 371 student subscribers and held multiple food giveaways.
Free Food Alert is open to students, staff, and faculty at both the Orange and Rinker campuses.
May Article Picks:
Vermont and other states are trying to hold oil and gas companies more accountable for damage caused by their long- and short-term emissions. Studies aim to find exactly which climate issues are linked to which fossil fuel companies. Although difficult to track, years of data are now prompting communities and lawmakers to turn to policy and action to fund environmental recovery, adaptation, and protection.
Natural fibers like cotton, linen, and wool come from plants and animals, while synthetic fibers, like polyester, are man-made and can shed microplastics when worn or washed. These often pass through water treatment systems and enter essential ecosystems and food chains. In response, some brands are using recycled fabrics, fiber-catching bags, and creating goals aimed at reducing the production of synthetic fibers.
Renewable energy relies heavily on minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt. These are essential for making magnets and batteries like those in electric vehicles. While renewables reduce carbon emissions, their production can rely on mining practices that damage ecosystems and local communities. This offers a chance to rethink not just energy supply chains but using less energy as a global community overall.
