ZERO Waste MOVE OUT! Let's do this!

Housing*Dining*Hospitality would like to remind you.....

Please watch the attached 'Room Raiders' video clip made by the
Housing*Dining*Hospitality EcoNauts.
It is a demonstration on how to have a Zero-waste move-out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfxqg0r375g

Most of your move-out items are reusable or recyclable!

*Reusable items (clothes, books, furniture, household appliances, and anything with a cord/working/non-working electronics) go into the white Disabled American Veteran (DAV) donation bins located in all six colleges and the Village.

All electronic waste (ink cartridges, batteries) can go in as well.

*All Recyclables (paper, bluebooks, newspaper, cardboard, paperboard, aluminum, glass, plastics, steel) go into the recycle bins.

*All non-perishable food (dry food like cereal, canned food, anything that doesn’t have to go in the refrigerator) can be donated in the Hand Up Food Pantry Bins located in Warren SAC & Res Life offices at each college and the Village.

*All dishes from dining restaurants should be returned to Toby’s Spots.

**Once an item is placed in a donation, recycle, or trash bin, it cannot be taken out. Please do not take any items out of the bins! Failure to comply will lead to disciplinary action.

-->Please go to the hdh.ucsd.edu/majorplanet website to find answers to your move-out questions.

-->Also, refer to the EcoNaut’s educational ROOM RAIDERS video, demonstrating how to move out in a Zero Waste fashion!

Email any questions to majorplanet@ucsd.edu.

Let's make move outs zero waste!

Thank you! Have a great week!

Sincerely,
The EcoNauts


and...*Hilary : )

End of the Year Parties and Events!! GET READY FOR MOVE-OUT!!

Hey people.

The end of Spring Quarter is fast approaching!!....and you know what that means... MOVE OUT!

To help you prep for Move Out, the EcoNauts are going to stop by RA events at all six colleges and The Village next week... to give them a heads up on the ZERO WASTE MOVE OUT PLAN.

FYI: These Zero Waste Move Out talks are for Res Life Staff only, but please feel free to ask them questions you may have after Tuesday of next week. ;)

The meetings will take place Tues. May 25th at these times:

7:00 pm- ERC

7:10 pm- Warren

8:00 pm- Village

Marshall

Sixth

8:30 pm- Revelle

so.... bug your RAs about MOVE OUT details, so you're ahead of the game!

p.s. CHECK OUT OUR "Recycling Box" MUSIC VIDEO DEBUTE starring the ECONAUTS! It's a spin-off of an SNL skit... enjoy ; )

Plastic in a Box

Help make UC San Diego zero waste!

oh and.... come hang with the Villagers and the rest of UCSD at the Village Block Party 2010

Facebook event: click below
Village Block Party 2010

Date:	Friday, May 21, 2010
Time:	1:00pm - 5:00pm
Location:	The Village

Description

FREE BBQ lunch, tie-dye your own shirt, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, carnival games, a giant slip n slide, inflatable twister, bouncy boxing, featuring music from DJ Colourvision!!

Tabling from your favorite UCSD transfer orgs.

Celebrate the end of the first year of the Village! We were here first!!


Live it up!

*Hilary

Earth Week adventures!

Hey Tritons,

Earth Week has been a good time!
I ventured over to the Marshall Lowers last weekend (Sun. April 18th) to check out the cool trial run of the laundry racks being funded by HDH's very own Green Grants! woohoo

The lovely interns from Green Campus, Susan Kram and Jennifer Hull, had the event at Marshall RA, Jennifer Truong's apartment.


The event was a success, as residents from six Marshall apartments came by to collect their laundry racks. Two racks were designated per apartment, and by the end of the quarter, the Green Campus reps will send the recipients a survey asking for feedback regarding their experience using the racks.This is just another great way that HDH is helping to fund the many ways UCSD students want to green the campus, and impact the lives of their peers.



In other news, in case you guys missed it, there was a massive trash sort in Town Square this last Monday (April 19th) stemming from UCSD's Recyclemania results.

Videos: UCSD kicked off its annual Earth Week festivities with students digging through more than 1,000 pounds of trash to demonstrate how much could have been recycled.
UCSD digs through 1000 lbs. of trash to kick off Earth Week
Source: sdnn.com

The photo below is the aftermath of the sort.
Krista Mays, Truman Mak, and Kimberly Tran took a breather after an intense day that lasted from before 8am until after 12pm.
We collected bag after bag of recyclable material from the trash sort as seen here in the blue bags by Truman's feet.
I was proud to represent The Village, being that they placed first out of all six colleges, with a Recyclemania waste diversion rate of 31%.


The Earth Day pre-party went down today in Price Center East! The EcoNauts were out celebrating the Earth, while rockin our tye-dye Ts and "EcoNaut Approved" tats.

We had bubbles, face paint, temporary tattoos, and Recyclemania results!! woohoo
If you guys happened to be at any of these events, tell me what you thought of them!
hwilhelm@ucsd.edu

See you at Muirstock!....Fri, April 23rd, Muir Quad, 2-5pm!

Happy Earth Week!
* Hilary

RECYCLEMANIA is ON at UCSD and ACROSS the NATION!

It's going on now! Here is an excerpt from the website: http://recyclemaniacs.org/index.htm

"Sunday, January 17th marks the beginning of the 2010 competition. Runs until March 27th!

Over a 10-week period, schools report recycling and trash data which are then ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate. With each week’s reports and rankings, participating schools watch how their results fluctuate against other schools and use this to rally their campus communities to reduce and recycle more."

WHEN THE WASTE IS COLLECTED, THE AMOUNT IS COMPARED TO OTHER SCHOOLS AND RECORDED EVERY WEEK!

Here's the latest update from the website...

"RecycleMania Passes Halfway Point: The 2010 RecycleMania is off to another great start with over 600 colleges and universities participating across the United States, Canada and as far away as Qatar. With each bottle or piece of paper they place in a recycling bin, over 5 million students and 1.3 million staff and faculty are participating in this year’s competition. To see the full list of colleges and learn more about each, visit the Participating Schools section and click on specific school’s names to see their profile."

Just to reiterate, all this info can be found at http://recyclemaniacs.org/index.htm !

Woohoo! It's on Tritons : )

Step up to the challenge!

~ Hilary

Produce Patch Keeps Gettin Better!!

Hey hungry Tritons!

The patio of Cafe V was the setting for Farm 2 U today.
Nancy Filtz, Retail Manager of the UCSD Place and Markets, came out with yet another gorgeous display of local and organic produce. Woohoo!The samples keep getting better and better! Today there were three beautiful glass dispensers filled with incredible naturally infused waters.
To the left was pineapple water with orange slices, in the middle was water infused with cucumber and mint leaves, and finally (my favorite) cantaloupe water to the right.
They were the most delicious natural flavor combinations when paired with ice cold water!

The Villagers are familiar with these Chico bags, but for those of you who don't live in the transfer housing, these bags are awesome! They are made from several recycled plastic water bottles (7 I believe).
They're cool because they collapse into themselves to fit into a little bag (seen here), and can be pulled out to the size of a book bag. They come equipped with a carabiner, so you can hook the bag onto your key chain. Yep, HDH hooks it up!

Gotta love samples....slices of organic grapefruits, oranges, and lemons were free to try.
I sampled the Pink Lady Apples because I had never heard of them before. They were amazingly crisp and sweet!
Nancy was being the gracious host that she is, by offering to cut up some lemons for me to try. She's the greatest!
Check out how the setting sun highlights the broccoli.......so fresh and so green green. : )

The freshly picked local flowers were bursting with color. I was told the organic strawberries to the left were selling fast!
I sampled the free hummus that complimented the three different pita chip samples, which all can be found in your local Place and Market on campus. The pita chip variety consisting of cinnamon and sugar, cilantro and jalapeno, and garlic were all incredible!
Dining dollars go a long way at these farmer's markets because you get incredibly fresh produce, and the comfort of knowing you're contributing to fair-trade practices in support of local farmers.
These venues provide a chance to come hang out, and enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having. Today we had the privilege of experiencing the incredible sunset on the Cafe V patio.
Come out next Wed. the 24th to Foodworx Place and Market (3:30-6:30pm), where you can expect more Farm 2 U treats.

Housing and Dining truly loves to see UCSD students and the surrounding community happy and thriving! Keep up the great work HDH!

Wishing you health and happiness Tritons. : )

~Hilary

This gift that keeps on giving!.....& recycling

Just when you thought this campus couldn't get much better, the awesome people at Housing and Dining went ahead and bought gifts for all on-campus residents!

The best thing about this item... you will get a lot of use out of it. SO WHAT IS IT?!
YAY! YOUR VERY OWN UCSD RECYCLE BAG!

Each resident has their own, it's washable (rinseable), and it helps UCSD meet its ZERO WASTE goal!

You can put all recyclable items in this bag, and take it to your nearest recycle dumpster or down the hall to the recycle shoot (if you're a Villager). 

; ) Not sure what to recycle? They've got you covered.

There's a complete list of all possible items to recycle, as well as items that can't go in the recycling bins on campus.

P.S. See the big plastic bag stuffed with contents in the background of this pic? My roomies and I improvised by using that before we got the recycle bags. We still use it as our community recycle bag, and just empty the recyclables and reuse the bag.
So when you don't have your very own recycle bag provided to you, get creative! IT'S EASY BEING GREEN.

Non-recyclables include hazardous waste aka e-waste, such as microwaves, cell phones, batteries, and light bulbs. Trash, styrofoam, and plastic bags won't work either.

The bag even gives a shout-out to Toby's Spots. Please use Toby's Spots, residents! They're there for YOUR convenience. : )

One last super feature that I absolutely love is...the handle on the bottom of the bag, so you can easily dump out its contents. Sweet!

Happy recycling!

Please let me know if you, your res hall, or your building has not received RECYCLE BAGS yet. I will be happy to make that happen for you. : )

hwilhelm@ucsd.edu

-Hilary

Two more days, and we're done with FINALS!! Finish strong Tritons!!!!

Don't be a Turkey......Keep your res hall/apartment "green" even when you're not there!

Hey everyone!

So our first holiday break of the academic year is coming up next month...Thanksgiving! That means turkey, pumpkin pie, family, and energy efficient res halls...wait, what?

Yep...I'm talking about doing that "little extra that saves a whole lot" before you leave campus for the holiday. By keeping your electronics, appliances, and chargers unplugged, you can enjoy your break knowing that those items aren't sucking up energy while you're away.Remember that even when your TV or desk lamp is turned "off", if it's plugged in, it's still using energy. By taking the time to unplug things that aren't being used, you're ensuring that those items are off the power grid.

Power strips are another great item to have when your gadgets outnumber your outlets. Having your laptop, cell phone, and digital camera charger all hooked up to one power strip, makes it super easy to switch off when you leave the room!

But why wait till Thanksgiving break to start being energy efficient? When you leave a room, you switch off the lights right? Well go ahead and switch off that power strip while your at it! *Tada* You're livin GREEN!

And while you're not using your computer, set it to "sleep mode", so it uses less energy!

Want more tips on how to "green" and maintain your res hall?

Check out HDH Maintenance and Custodial Services at: http://hdh.ucsd.edu/maintenance/

Maintenance Services are available 24/7 through their Customer Service Center at 858.534.2600

as stated on the website:

You can assist them by…

• Taking your trash and recycling materials out to the designated receptacles.
• Immediately reporting any necessary maintenance or cleaning needs, such as fresh carpet stains, dripping faucets and showers, etc., to 858.534.2600.
• Returning all Dining Services food trays, dishes, and silverware back to the campus restaurants or designated Toby’s Spot.

LET'S TALK E-WASTE
While Angela and I were doing a "Trash Talk" at Roger's Place in Revelle Plaza, two students approached us about the proper disposal of batteries......
We told them about some of the battery disposal bins located around campus:
UCSD Bookstore, Earl's Place in Warren College, MOM at Muir College
For more info on how and where to recycle e-waste (computers, cell phones, printer cartridges)
go to: hdh.ucsd.edu/majorplanet
then click on What You Can Do found on the left side of the page
then click What is E-Waste, and How Can I Recycle it? as you scroll down the page


Hope all this helps : )

Have a spooky, fun, and safe Halloween!!!

~Hilary *Compost Queen*

Puttin your waste in its place? ....Come to Revelle's "Eat Local" event!

Hey students!
Been eating in the dining halls lately? Then you've probably been approached by students in black shirts who aren't afraid to "talk trash" to ya!
No these aren't over-studied and over-midtermed students ready to chew you out........they're your super friendly and incredibly helpful EcoNauts! If you haven't been graced by our presence yet, be on the lookout for us because we're here to help you reach your ec0-goals, no matter how "green" ; )

We approach you guys while you're eating (sometimes mid-bite) because we want to let you know how easy it is to compost and recycle before you head to the waste receptacles.

Be on the lookout for signs like these:


Some signs will have pictures and some will have words describing what waste item goes where. It's that easy people! But it's up to you to make it work!

So PLEASE take the time to look at the signs before you toss out your leftovers!
This looks more like a compost/trash bin than one for recycling : (

Wanna have some eco-fun! If you aren't doing anything from 4pm-6pm this Thursday night (10/22/09), then come out to "Beyond the Bite" at the anchor located near Plaza Cafe in Revelle!

This awesome event, which is geared toward UCSD students living both on and off campus, will focus on the benefits of eating fresh and local food from local growers.

The Revelle RAs are planning this fun-filled event that will include food, fun, music, and a chance for you to meet some of the EcoNauts! Kim (water conservation), Jessica (vegan and vegetarian tips), and I (Hilary aka composting queen) will be there to support the event and invite you to get to know us and all the initiatives we advocate for as EcoNauts. : )
Hope to see you out there tomorrow!

Otherwise, be on the lookout for us in the dining halls.

~Hilary *Composting Queen*

When you put your waste in the right bin, we all win!

New movers and shakers in The Village!

The Villagers are coming! The first Village Council Info Meeting was held Wednesday night (Sept. 30th). Residents came out to rep the Village's eight buildings, and their excitement for the chance to create tradition and community spirit at their awesome new beach front home. Res Dean Susan and Assistant Res Dean Andrea led the meeting as ideas flew around the room from residents eager to voice their opinions.

A total of five councils were created to handle all the wants and needs of the Villagers. Both students and staff spoke up about the lack of recycling bins and facilities in the community. It warmed my heart to hear that sustainability was a main focus for the residents as they create their new lives at UCSD. : )
Speaking of facilities, who better to be in charge of utilizing and advocating for improvements than the Facilities Council! With efficiency and conservation in mind, they are working on getting window screens for every floor, and more bike racks for residents. Yay!
Then there's the One-Time Events Council. Their dream is to organize student orgs and traditions from a Villager's perspective. Who wouldn't be up for an Open Mic Night, Sidewalk Bowling, or an Outdoor Movie Night?!
The Ongoing Activities Council has the goal of creating a fun, social, and inclusive community that's all about monthly bonfires, courtyard camping, monthly potlucks, and even a little spin on the o-so-over-done "undie run". But sshhh! It's a secret until the perfect substitute "run" is decided.
The Social Networking Council has big dreams of distribution information that's accessible to all students, yet centralized around Village Life and events. With a website, e-newsletter, and informational desk in the works, this council will strive to create a forum for the Villagers. This forum style in the community will allow everyone to get to know each other because as one of the Council members stated, "We want to know our neighbors!"
Last but not least, the Spirit and Pride Council wanted to put an emphasis on individual and community identity. Not too shabby! There is hope that the Village will carry on the tradition of other colleges, by taking part in the act of dropping "something" off of the tallest building in that college. If we get that privilege, the Tower (building 1) in The Village will be our drop site! : )

It turned out to be a legit operation, as the majority decided that the Village Council would have Building Reps, Chairs, Senators, the whole nine yards. We still haven't found a place for our "Village Idiot" yet. On the council perhaps?...For now he/she is our inspiration : )

If you missed this week's groundbreaking meeting, have no fear, you can go next week on Wed. Oct. 7th at 9:00pm. They will be meeting on the bottom floor of Building 2 in The Village.

~Hilary *Composting Queen*