Thank You for a Great Green Year! Green Panther Newsletter for May 31, 2019

May 31, 2019

Enjoy Your Summer!

Thank you for a wonderfully green semester Panthers! This academic year we hosted our very first Sustainability Month and green food fairs, which we hope to grow and continue for years to come. We had so much fun giving out reusable items like metal straws, bamboo toothbrushes, bamboo utensils and more! We also introduced the Green Panther Spotlight—highlighting Chapman students and alumni that have demonstrated leadership and involvement in sustainability and environmental action. You can read all of the highlights on our blog. The Sustainability Department appreciates your interest and commitment to creating a greener Chapman University. We’re excited for all that the next academic year has in store for sustainability at Chapman!

Plant Trees While You Search the Web

Ecosia is a search engine that uses their profits to plant trees. The number of searches you have performed with Ecosia is tracked—once you reach around 45 searches a tree is planted in countries around the world that need it most. So far, Ecosia has planted over 56 million trees! Learn more about Ecosia here and make it your default browser today!

The SMC Department Gets Conscious with Their Coffee

Due to both the convenience and the wide variety that is offered, coffee pods have become commonplace in office spaces. However, the environmental impact of these little pods is often overlooked. Since recycling these pods can be challenging (not all municipalities accept #5 plastic), almost all coffee pods end up in landfills. In 2014, there were enough K-cups sold that if placed end-to-end, they could circle the globe 10.5 times (The Atlantic).

Thanks to Nicole Schmidt and Stephanie Brewer’s initiative, Chapman’s Strategic Marketing and Communication Department is now working with a company, called TerraCycle, that ensures proper recycling of coffee pods. Following the SMC Department, Chapman’s University Advancement team is the newest department that has purchased a TerraCycle Box!

Nicole and Stephanie answer questions on why they wanted to take action on this issue and what the implementation process was like. We hope they inspire you to help make your own department more sustainable! Read the interview here.

Staff Summit Sustainable Gift (For Chapman Staff Only)

The Staff Summit is a week-long program focusing on professional and personal development, networking, and staff appreciation events. To celebrate you, the Office of Sustainability wants to show our appreciation by gifting attendees a free reusable utensil set! These sets include a bamboo spoon, fork, knife and chopsticks as well as a metal straw and straw cleaner. With these, we hope they provide you an added convenience of always being prepared—allowing you to avoid single-use plastics. To pick up your set, stop by our table at Memorial Lawn on June 3rd, starting at 1:00pm and until supplies lasts.