What is E-Waste? 

Take a second to think about the number of electronic devices you use on a daily basis. Electronic devices go beyond your smartphone or computer– these devices include nearly anything that has batteries or is plugged in to an outlet. As we become increasingly dependent upon these devices and the electronic devices reach the end of their life span, “E-Waste” can pile up. These items cannot and should not simply be thrown in the garbage, as electronics can contain toxic elements that can pollute the air, water, and soil. Some of these elements are considered valuable and can be reused in other electronic devices and should be recycled. By recycling these materials, you are preventing further mining of raw materials. Recycling of eligible e-waste is required by the NYS Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act.

Recycling E-Waste at Colgate

Recycling your e-waste is an easy and effective way to mitigate continued environmental damage, but it can be confusing as to what is recyclable and where to take e-waste. Previously, the Office of Sustainability picked up small, business-related e-waste from multiple locations across campus. As a new benefit for everyone at Colgate, we are piloting a new system called E-Waste Day in which we have one day per semester when Colgate community members can drop off all personal e-waste at a convenient location. While the sustainability office will no longer be collecting bins from their satellite locations, Colgate community members can now recycle e-waste from both their offices and homes. 

Remember, any electronics that belong to the University can not be dropped off on E-Waste day; if the item could be reused or salvaged, contact Salvage/Purchasing (x7838). For computers and printers, call ITS (x7111). This semester, E-Waste Day will be on April 14th at Donovan’s Pub. If your items are large or you need assistance in delivering them, please place a work order with Buildings and Grounds. We only ask that you take a look at the qualifying items below. For more information on e-waste disposal at other times during the year, please visit this site to learn where you can take your e-waste.

What E-Waste is Recyclable

Acceptable E-Waste

• Business Machines
• Cell Phones
• Computers
• Copiers
• Electronics Scrap
• Fax Machines
• Laptops
• Mainframe/Midrange
• Medical Electronics
• Monitors
• Networking Gear
• Printers
• Scientific Equipment
• Servers
• Telecom Equipment
• Televisions
• Typewriters
• USPs
• Wiring & Cabling

Not Acceptable Items

• Dehumidifiers
• Hazardous Waste
• Liquids
• Smoke or CO Detectors
• Wet Cell Batteries
• PCB Ballasts
• Small Appliances (toasters, etc.)
• White Goods (refrigerators, etc.)

*Printer toner can be sent back to the manufacturer or given to your Staples representative

What Happens to E-Waste?

After you drop off your small electronic waste, we deliver it to EWASTE+ in Rochester, NY. EWASTE+ is R2/Rios and NAID AAA certified, which means that your e-waste is handled responsibly. This also ensures that all data is wiped and circuit boards are destroyed through a metal shredder. Therefore, your data and privacy is not compromised. 

As technology advances and the consumer demand for electronics increases, we have to remain diligent in our choices that have major environmental and social consequences. Recycling e-waste is an easy way to minimize human impact and ensure sustainability into the future. If you have any further questions regarding e-waste, please contact the Office of Sustainability at sustainability@colgate.edu. 

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Caylea Barone ‘21

Caylea Barone is from Lagrangeville, NY and is an Environmental Studies and Art History double major. Caylea loves hiking, traveling, cooking, and making environmentally-focused art. She was abroad in Australia in the fall and spent her time traveling throughout the country and the region. She enjoys writing and editing for the Maroon-News Arts + Features section, and working at Career Services on campus!

Nicole Dienst ‘22

Nicole Dienst is an Environmental Economics and English double major from Westport, Connecticut. During her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, and walking her beloved golden retrievers. She is passionate about zero waste, environmental justice, and renewable energy.

Sarah Christner ‘21

Sarah Christner is an Environmental Studies major and minors in geography and art history. She likes to play the guitar and dabble in writing music. She visits a lot of art museums whenever she visits a new city or when she is home in Maryland.

Skylar Jeveli ‘21

Skylar Jeveli, from the San Francisco area, is an Environmental Economics and Spanish double major, returning this spring from abroad. (She was in Spain!) She loves sailing, hiking, skiing, cooking, traveling, and exploring the outdoors. She is passionate about protecting our planet from climate change and is interested in green technologies.

Willa King ‘22

Willa King is a Geography major and intended Economics double major from New York City. Willa really enjoys baking in her free time. On campus, she is also involved with the Link Staff, the Hamilton Fire Department, the American Heart Association, and ETC, the sketch comedy group. She is really passionate about national parks and the issue of food waste.

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The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s annual conference took place in Spokane, Washington from October 27-29. Two interns from the Office of Sustainability, Cecilia Kane and Makenna Bridge, along with the Assistant Director of Sustainability, Pamela Gramlich, attended the conference, presenting on Colgate’s sustainability efforts and gaining valuable insights from the sustainability community. Here is a word from Makenna Bridge about her experience at AASHE:

“This past weekend I was able to attend the annual AASHE conference in Spokane, Washington as part of my internship with the Office of Sustainability. The acronym for the “Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education”, an organization that focuses on inspiring students and staff alike to “be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation.”  

The overall theme of the conference was “co-creating a sustainable economy,” with many sessions and poster presentations centering around a circular economy framework, where waste is eliminated and resources are continually reused and managed sustainably. Sessions over the five-day conference varied greatly in focus and scale, covering all realms of sustainability from how to start composting on your campus, to how to use an intersectional lens when addressing climate change. I presented a poster on the successes and challenges of collegiate farming, sharing my own experience working with the community garden. My friend and fellow intern, Cecilia Kane co-lead a session on peer-to-peer learning, using or S-Rep program as a case study for how to effectively manage a first-year sustainability group. 

Overall, the AASHE conference was a blast! I traveled to the Pacific Northwest for the first time, met a lot of cool folks and returned to Colgate feeling reinvigorated and ready to make changes in my final year at Colgate!”

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Take a second to think about the number of electronic devices you use on a daily basis. Electronic devices go beyond your smartphone or computer– these devices include nearly anything that has batteries or is plugged into an outlet. As we become increasingly dependent upon these devices and the electronic devices reach the end of their life span, “E-Waste” can pile up. These items cannot nor should not simply be thrown in the garbage, as electronics can contain toxic elements that can pollute the air, water, and soil. Some of these elements are considered valuable and can be reused in other electronic devices and should be recycled. By recycling these materials, you are preventing further mining of raw materials. Recycling of eligible e-waste is required by the NYS Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act.

Recycling your e-waste is an easy and effective way to mitigate continued environmental damage, but it can be confusing as to what is recyclable and where to take e-waste. At Colgate, we are fortunate to offer convenient satellite drop-off locations across campus for you to dispose of your e-waste. If possible, please drop off your items at the main collection center in the McGregory sub-basement. If your items are large or you need assistance in delivering them, please place a work order with Buildings and Grounds. We only ask that you take a look at the qualifying items below and do not bring in your e-waste from home. For more information on your home-generated e-waste, please visit this site to learn where you can take your e-waste. 

Here is a list of items which can be recycled:

Accepted Items:

Business Machines

Cell Phones

Computers

Copiers

Electronics Scrap

Fax Machines

Laptops

Mainframe/Midrange

Medical Electronics

Monitors

Networking Gear

Printers

Scientific Equipment

Servers

Telecom Equipment

Televisions

Typewriters

UPSs

Wiring & Cabling

Not Accepted:

Dehumidifiers

Hazardous Waste

Liquids

PCB Ballasts

Small Appliances (toasters, etc.)

Smoke or CO Detectors

Wet Cell Batteries

White Goods (refrigerators, etc.)

*Printer toner can be sent back to the manufacturer or given to your Staples representative.

To recycle Colgate-owned electronic devices, such as a computer, monitor, printer, or television: 

 If the item could be reused or salvaged, contact Salvage/Purchasing (x7838). For computers and printers, call ITS (x7111). 

To report a full e-waste bin in your department, please fill out this google form. 

After you drop off your small electronic waste, we deliver it to EWASTE+ in Rochester, NY. EWASTE+ is R2/Rios and NAID AAA certified, which means that your e-waste is handled responsibly. This also ensures that all data is wiped and circuit boards are destroyed through a metal shredder. Therefore, your data and privacy is not compromised. Please note that our e-waste bins are for small electronic waste only. All large (the size of a microwave or larger) electronic waste will require a work order.

As technology advances and the consumer demand for electronics increases, we have to remain diligent in our choices that have major environmental and social consequences. Recycling e-waste is an easy way to minimize human impact and ensure sustainability into the future. If you have any further questions regarding e-waste, please contact the Office of Sustainability at sustainability@colgate.edu. 

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-Jailekha Zutshi ’21

A week after the spring semester ended, I left Hamilton for Puerto Rico on a service learning trip organized in conjunction with the COVE. Ten of us had taken Core Puerto Rico or Core Latin America in the last three years with Professor Barreto, who accompanied us  along with Professor Humphrey. Altogether, we spent nine days in Puerto Rico – the first week at Plenitud PR in Las Marías, and an afternoon in Mayagüez interacting with farmers, artists, and activists, The last two days were in Caguas with Tara Rodriguez Besosa, a queer rural activist, largely on her farm. At Plenitud, our mornings were spent working on the farms, and the afternoons participating in cultural activities, attending workshops, or doing household tasks like shelling lentils, processing spices, or helping with meal prep. The vast majority of the produce we worked with, and a large part of what we ate, was  grown on the farm itself. 

Working on the farm, and listening to Tara and folx in Mayagüez, we learned that farmers in rural areas who worked together to create contingency plans before Hurricane Maria hit were able to minimize the long-term impact of the storm. Creating environmentally and economically sustainable methods of agriculture coincided with ensuring self-sufficiency as folx living in a colony in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The agricultural methods involve growing several plants together so that  they naturally return nutrients to the soil, unlike monocrop agriculture which depletes naturally occurring nutrients from the earth. Growing their own food, exchanging services, and creating art to sustain their social networks meant that in a lot of cases, they were able to distribute food and help survivors of the hurricane well before the administration could reach the western part of the island. Thus, farms were part of the movement to create and sustain communities after the trauma of Maria. As a result, farms like the ones we visited serve as a model example of environmental, economic, and social sustainability. 

In the urban sprawl of New Delhi, India, where I grew up, we were taught that urban areas were more developed than their rural counterparts. This trip made me question this  claim and reevaluate the meaning of ‘development.’ Development without sustainability inevitably leads to vulnerable groups being adversely impacted by climate change, capitalism, and colonialism. Reimagining development as sustainable development, where folx could fend for themselves and others with a degree of agency I could not in the city, I thought through new ways to link self reliance and agriculture, climate change and colonialism, and food and resistance. I will always carry these lessons on the most authentic form of sustainability I have seen, eaten, heard, and touched, and will use these to advocate for a more decolonized, sustainable, and equitable approach to addressing climate change. 

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Last month over 3,500 alumni, family, and friends gathered on campus for the Bicentennial All-Class Reunion. The Office of Sustainability coordinated efforts with the Office of Alumni Relations to make Lunch and Dinner on Friday as low waste as possible. In addition to obtaining biodegradable plates, napkins, utensils, and cups, zero waste stations were set up across Whitnall Field.

To set up, help guide, and educate alums of our efforts, the Sustainability Office had student and staff volunteers stationed at the various zero waste stations. These zero waste stations had three bins: one for compost, for bottles and cans, and one for landfill waste. The goal of these stations was to reduce the amount of general landfill waste by recycling and composting. We were proud to see much of the food waste being correctly placed in the compost bins! All of the food collected in the compost bins was placed in the office’s composting plot.

Reunion Weekend also featured a number of other sustainable initiatives:

• Email is the primary method for marketing Reunion, reducing the amount of paper used
• Local produce and products are integrated into meals
• Water coolers are provided around campus in place of one-time use disposable water bottles
• Golf carts are used for transportation (instead of vans) around campus to reduce greenhouse emissions

For almost a decade, the Office of Alumni Relations and the Office of Sustainability have worked to reduce waste in support of campus sustainability and carbon neutrality goals. Colgate is working toward being a zero-waste campus by 2025 and minimizing waste at events like Reunion is a great step in this direction. 
Read more about our journey to become carbon neutral here.

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-Isabel Dove ’19

Every year, the Office of Sustainability hosts the 13 Days of Green to celebrate and promote sustainability on campus. One highlight of the 13 Days of Green is the Oak Awards, which are presented to a student, faculty member, staff member, and organization who have made an impact on Colgate’s campus sustainability.

The Oak Award winners were announced at the Green Summit on Tuesday April 11.

The student winner is Marielle Scheffers ‘19, an environmental studies major and co-president of the Beekeeping Club. Marielle has worked as the environmental studies office assistant since her sophomore year and also worked as a summer intern with the Office of Sustainability. When asked about her involvement in sustainability at Colgate, Marielle responded, “When I came to Colgate, I was very excited to see they had such an active sustainability office, and I just wanted to participate in everything! It has been such a great opportunity to learn from faculty and students who participated in sustainability over the years.”

The faculty winner is Margaretha Haughwout, assistant professor of art and art history. Over the last two years, Professor Haughwout has worked with students and faculty to create 6th E. Street, a series of murals in the tunnels connecting Olin, Wynn, and McGregory that depict the anthropocene, our choices and Colgate’s role. Additionally, she organized the Grafters X event in April and created a  Food Forest Studio at Colgate last year.

The staff winner is Kat Pritts, junior designer for communications. Kat was instrumental in creating programs for the New York State of Sustainability Conference, which Colgate hosted in November. She is also a frequent volunteer at the Community Garden.

The organization winner is ITS. In an initiative led by Ahmad Khazaee and Bill Miller, the ITS department worked with SGA to reduce the paper waste associated with printing. ITS has moved printers next to each other in the library and have plans to work with their programming team to explore how to make Web Print more accessible and customized to student settings and preferences.

We thank our awardees for their dedication to promoting sustainable action at Colgate.

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Everyone’s favorite time of year is now upon us. 13 Days of Green begins this Wednesday April, 10th and we are excited! This year marks Colgate University’s 10th annual 13th Days of Green, a tradition where the Office of Sustainability hosts programming throughout the 13 days leading up to and including Earth Day.

The first Earth Day in 1970 grew out of the counterculture energy that pervaded America and served as a response to physical environmental harms such as air and water pollution. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets to demonstrate for a healthy and sustainable environment in coast to coast rallies. This was an important moment in the environmental movement because it represented groups coming together to fight for shared values. In 1990, Earth Day went global, and activists mobilized to lift environmental issues onto the world stage.

Today, Earth Day is now the largest secular observance in the world, as it is celebrated by more than a billion people every year. The day represents decades of activists fighting for change, transboundary solidarity, collective demand for action, and hope for the future. University and college students have always been at the forefront of the environmental movement, so it was only fitting that 10 years ago, Colgate University launched 13 Days of Green in an attempt to do its part and be part of national and global action.

This year, there are many exciting events planned for the 13 Days of Green. Highlights include the Kickoff Celebration on April 10th, the Green Summit and Oak Awards on April 11th, the Day of Service on April 20th, and the Carbon Neutrality Celebration on April 22nd. All of these events are geared towards engaging the student body in environmental action and awareness, as well as bringing a sense of excitement about sustainably to the campus climate. The full 13 Days of Green Calendar can be found here.

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By: Matt Chistolini ’21

Over the 2019 winter break, I spent ten days with Professor Tseng exploring the water climate in Italy.  On our sojourn, Professor Tseng and I traveled together across the geographic spine of the country. Our journey started in the northern city of Florence and we traveled down the country to the port city of Naples. Along the way, we collected samples from public water fountains, met with colleagues from several Italian universities, and explored the wonderful world of Italian food and culture.

I started conducting research with Professor Tseng after taking her core water class in the spring of 2018. The class opened my eyes to the plastic water system endemic and motivated me to raise the further question as to what environmental impacts this might have. In the fall semester, with the constructive guidance of Professor Tseng, I conducted an experiment to understand on a deeper level how hydrophobic chemicals (particularly how personal care products and pharmaceuticals) bond to plastic strands. Working on this experiment was thrilling and motivated me to continue working on this project this coming summer. This summer, thanks to many of Professor Tseng’s connections in Italy and our information-gathering trip over winter break, I hope to continue this project in Ancona, Italy as I explore some connections between microplastics and wastewater.  

Our journey started at the baggage gate in the Florence airport, gratefully meeting after hours of flight delays. Soon after, we settled in Florence for the night, and the next day I began gathering samples at public fountains scattered throughout the city.

I was provided with a map of the fountains, and from there it was a treasure hunt to collect water at each location. Not only did I enjoy traveling across the city in this manner, but I also gained a deeper understanding and appreciation than what would have been possible as a tourist. The fountains were located in both heavily trafficked parts of the city and more residential parts.  

The main aim of obtaining water from public fountains in Italy is to understand historical patterns of the quality of the drinking water. Professor Tseng has been running this experiment annually for several years, hoping to observe and catalog any trends in the chemicals present in the public Italian fountains. This experiment aims to provide a metric for understanding water contamination in Florence.

The main aim of obtaining water from public fountains in Italy is to understand historical patterns of the quality of the drinking water. Professor Tseng has been running this experiment annually for several years, hoping to observe and catalog any trends in the chemicals present in the public Italian fountains. This experiment aims to provide a metric for understanding water contamination in Florence.

After collecting all the samples we needed from Florence, we took the Frecciarossa to Ancona where we met up with several academic colleagues who study microplastics at the Marche Polytechnic University. It was inspiring to learn about all of their different projects relating to microplastics and how the European and mainly Italian educational system works closely with companies to research and develop new technologies. It was shocking to hear from Professor Francesco Fatone, the project leader in Ancona, that almost no basic research was being conducted in the engineering department of Marche Polytechnic University. While in Ancona, our visit overlapped with the University’s recent shipment of Antarctic sea creatures. It was extremely exciting to see in person creatures that had never left the Antarctic climate.

Once we had finished learning about the projects that the Francesco Fatone’s team were involved with we headed back north to Bologna to spend the weekend. Bologna was an absolutely beautiful city, rich in history and art and quickly became one of the highlights of the entire trip. Over the weekend I visited several churches and a myriad of museums ranging from modern to very historic.

Our final stop on the journey was to the southern city of Naples to visit several professors and graduate students at the University of Naples. This university was an excellent opportunity to meet even more scientists interested in the wastewater and natural water systems. As the University of Naples is much larger than Marche Polytechnic University, I had the privilege to learn about many more projects with a much broader scope of focus of water issue.

I am incredibly thankful to Professor Tseng, the ENST Department and Colgate University for making this trip possible. I was able to take so much of what I learned in Italy over those ten days and bring it back to Colgate. I am beyond grateful for all of the opportunities I had to learn from professors and graduates students. One of the biggest takeaways from the entire trip was learning about the importance of international collaborations and how to develop professional academic networks. I had never explored this learning outcome prior to this trip but with this new found knowledge I hope to continue developing these skills as I explore water-related issues further.

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The Office of Sustainability is pleased to announce that applications are now open for paid internship positions with the Office and the Community Garden.

The Office of Sustainability is hiring interns for the summer of 2019 to work on a wide range of projects to advance sustainability at Colgate. This is an exciting opportunity for Colgate students to get hands-on experience putting sustainability into action, working to support the Program Coordinator and Director of Sustainability. The internship requires up to 40 hours per week, starting in late May and ending in early August. Work schedules are flexible and will allow for vacation time, however a total of 10 weeks of work during the summer is required.

“The summer Sustainability internship has many components to it, which makes it even more fun and exciting,” says summer ’18 intern Luvna Dhawka. “I had the opportunity to participate in the Foundations of Sustainability course for staff led by John Pumilio, the Director of the Office of Sustainability, who really drove the point home that somebody, somewhere has to act differently for change to happen, and it might as well just be me. Another aspect of the internship that I really enjoyed was managing a vegetable plot with the other interns at the Colgate Community garden where we would volunteer for an hour every week – a nice break from office work and ideal to enjoy the beautiful summer weather of Hamilton.”

To apply for this position, please email your resume and cover letter to pgramlich@colgate.edu by April 14th. More information about the position and application is available on the portal.

The Colgate Community Garden is hiring two interns starting in early/mid May 2019 until mid/late-August 2019. Garden interns will help manage and promote the organic community vegetable/herb garden on campus. This is a physically demanding, yet very rewarding job. Work includes long days and exposure to outdoor elements (e.g. heat, sun, rain, etc.). The student interns are expected to coordinate and organize volunteers and community work parties, as well as carry out an independent garden project from conception to completion. The Garden interns will report directly to garden manager Beth Roy. Interns will work in close collaboration with other Colgate students, faculty, and staff to plan and manage the garden. The student interns will gain life-long skills and knowledge in planting and maintaining an organic garden, organizing events, and supervising volunteer workers.

According to former Garden intern Mak Bridge ’20, “I loved being able to see the entire agricultural process from start to finish. Working at the garden is one of the only opportunities students have to get involved with agriculture, and as Colgate is set in such a rural environment, I think it really helps to give the interns a sense of place.”

To apply to be a Garden intern, please email your resume and cover letter to eroy@colgate.edu by April 14th. More information about the position and application is available on the portal.

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