End of Semester Newsletter
Take the 2024 Sustainability Survey!
You are invited to share your feedback on sustainability at Chapman! The survey is open now until Friday, November 22nd. By taking our survey, you can provide your input on sustainability initiatives such as energy conservation, waste management, transportation services, educational resources, and much more.
Attend our last event of the semester this Wednesday:
Eating Sustainably: At Home or On Campus
Eating sustainably, whether at home or on campus, helps reduce your environmental footprint. At home, choose locally sourced, seasonal produce, and opt for plant-based meals. On campus, the Caf offers sustainable options, including a plant-based vegan station with proteins like quinoa, hummus, and tofu. As well as meatless substitutions at other stations. Small changes in your eating habits can make a big impact on the planet.
Connect to Nature & Your Community with Gardening
As a reminder, garden beds are available at the Davis Quad. You are able to reserve a garden bed for up to 6 people for the academic year.
Join Orange Home Grown at their Education Farm, open every Friday from 9 AM to 11 AM, which offers hands-on education about growing and harvesting sustainable food. Orange Home Grown also hosts the Saturday Farmers and Artisans Market outside the K every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM.
Waste Reduction & Diversion
We're constantly working to improve Chapman's institutional waste sorting practices and reduce our contributions to the landfill, through efforts such as installing a food digester in the dining hall and sourcing compostable service ware for campus events. Below are some resources for how you as a member of the Chapman community can improve your own waste reduction and diversion efforts.
Recycling in Your Dorm Made Easy
If you are living in an on-campus residence hall, borrow recycling bin for room so you can easily and conveniently sort your recyclables and bring them to the trash room when you're taking your trash out. Bins are only available to borrow and must be returned to the trash room upon move out. Look for the below sign in your trash room, and grab a recycling bin from the stack!
Locate Water Refill Stations & Compost Bins on Campus
Bring your own refillable bottle to campus to decrease your use of single-use plastics. See the map on the left for all the locations on campus where water refill stations are located. Pro tip – Starbucks offers free water bottle refills!
Dispose of your food scraps and compostable service ware in one of the many compost bins located throughout campus to decrease your contributions to the landfill. See the map on the right for compost bin locations.
Download both maps from the Waste Management page on our website.
Sustainability Month Recap
October Campus Sustainability Month was a success! We hosted events all month long, including our booth at the Wellness Fair, our New York Times Games event, the SCC 400 class takeover, and Ecolympics, which will continue through November. Thank you to everyone who came out to show support at these events and for continuing to make Chapman a more eco-friendly campus!
Article Picks
Scientists have identified a newly discovered cyanobacterium, nicknamed “Chonkus”, with promising carbon-capture potential. Found in volcanic ocean vents, Chonkus absorbs CO₂ and forms a dense, “green peanut butter” consistency. Although the bacterium shows potential for low-waste carbon capture, challenges remain in modifying its DNA for broader industrial use. This discovery could lead to innovative, eco-friendly carbon sequestration methods.
In May 2022, Joshua Spodek disconnected from the electric grid in his Manhattan apartment and has been living unplugged ever since. How does he do it? Nearly every day he lugs four solar panels that he bought off Craigslist for $700 up to the roof of his apartment to be able to charge his phone, laptop, and pressure cooker for the day. Spodek’s story is an inspiring example of how one individual change can inspire others to do the same.
Resources for the Future provides an overview of the concept of the Social Cost of Carbon, which estimates the economic damage caused by each additional ton of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. It explains how the social cost of carbon is used to inform policy decisions related to climate change, such as setting carbon pricing or assessing the benefits of reducing emissions.
