Celebrating Sustainably
Wednesday, November 10 | 12 - 1 p.m.
Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the amount of trash produced in the United States increases by approximately 25 percent - that’s about one million extra tons of garbage each week!
Join the Penn State Great Valley Sustainability Committee to explore innovative ways that you can celebrate more sustainably this year. We’ll discuss new ways to approach décor, entertaining, holiday cards, gifts, packaging, and disposal.
Environmental Justice
Thursday, December 9 | 12 – 1 p.m.
Robert Bullard, the father of the environmental justice, defines environmental racism as “any policy, practice or directive that differentially affects or disadvantages (where intended or unintended) individuals, groups or communities based on race.” While we often think of places like Cancer Alley, Louisiana, and Flint, Michigan, environmental racism is present right here in the Greater Philadelphia region.
Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL - pronounced "circle") is a grassroots community organization that has been leading the environmental justice movement in Chester, Pennsylvania, since 1992. CRCQL formed in response to residents' rising concerns about the overwhelming number of waste facilities being built in Chester. Through community efforts and non-violent tactics, the group has spearheaded several successful campaigns to shut down different polluting industries threatening the waterfront and community.
Join CRCQL to learn about environmental justice, discover where your waste goes (remember - there's no such thing as throwing something away), and find ways to help.
The Problem with Recycling
Wednesday, January 12 | 12 - 1 p.m.
America leads the world in per capita waste production and it's increasingly clear that everyone — from manufacturers to consumers — "over-believes" in recycling.
Join the Sustainability Committee to explore responsible consumption. We'll watch NPR's "Is Recycling Worth It Anymore? People On The Front Lines Say Maybe Not" and discuss waste, responsibility, and how to make impactful change.
The Five Easy Steps to Home Composting
Tuesday, May 3 | 12 – 2 p.m.
Approximately 40% of food in the United States never reaches the table and much of this food ends up in landfills. Without oxygen to help the discarded food break down, organic materials buried in landfills release methane, a greenhouse gas that can trap 30 times the amount of heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Composting diverts food waste from landfills and creates an ideal environment for microbes to break down organic materials, expediting decomposition and restoring nutrients to soil.
Join Back to Earth Compost Crew's Five Easy Steps to learn how to turn your food scraps and yard waste into black gold.