Monthly Newsletter
May 2019
Thank you to everyone for celebrating Earth Month with us!
Over 30 events and activities took place during the month of April including those pictured above: (from top left) Conservation Society's Earth Day 5K; Career Services started composting; Outdoor yoga at Forbes College; Earth Day Origins Dinners featuring Jackfruit; Mend Mondays with DIY jean patching; the Princeton University Farmers' Market; Coffee Chats with Sustainability Groups; nature walks and film screenings, and much more!
Sustainability Action Plan Released
Princeton University sustainability plan aims for
net zero emissions by 2046
by Emily Aronson

Princeton University’s new  Sustainability Action Plan  sets bold targets to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and outlines innovative strategies to engage all faculty, staff and students in creating a sustainable campus and future. Princeton will aim to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2046, which is the University’s 300th anniversary.

Did You Know?
The Princeton Farmers' Market begins May 16 and runs weekly on Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Hinds Plaza, outside the Princeton Public Library.
Princeton University's on-site composter has a new name!
The S.C.R.A.P. Lab or Sustainable Composting 
Research at Princeton Lab.
News and Updates
Facilities Working Group Formed to Improve Recycling
In an effort to improve recycling at Princeton, a Facilities working group was recently formed with representatives from across the organization. The group’s first objective is to develop a comprehensive plan to increase campus-wide recycling and reduce contamination through strategies ranging from effective container messaging to staff training. As the work progresses, outcomes will be shared widely in order to promote consistent practices across campus.

To help facilitate this effort, we welcome your feedback in a brief survey regarding the challenges you face with recycling.

Learn more about this initiative on the Facilities website .
EcoReps Host Successful End-of-Year Clothing Swap
Princeton's EcoReps hosted their annual Spring Clothing Swap this past weekend.
The event was an overwhelming success, as nearly 100 Princeton students participated in exchanging over 1,000 items, totaling approximately 500 pounds of clothing! The goal of the event is to spread awareness about fast fashion as well as to provide a fun and no-cost opportunity for Princeton students to revamp their wardrobes. All leftover items were donated through campus partner, HELPSY .
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski
Tiger Chef Challenge 2019 Features Jackfruit
Student teams from the six residential colleges faced off April 3 in the fourth annual Tiger Chef Challenge in Dillon Gym. Each team had 45 minutes to prepare dishes that featured jackfruit, a high-protein plant that’s become popular as a meat substitute. Taking home the trophy was Butler College’s Bloomburgers with Fries team, which prepared four dishes: tacos with lemony jicama and jackfruit slaw; jackfruit fries; jackfruit smoothies with blueberries and mango; and a traditional Vietnamese dessert with jackfruit, lychee, mango, and apple topped with toasted jackfruit seeds.
3rd Annual Sustainable Cap and Gown Collection
The cap and gown for bachelor’s degree candidates and the standard cap and gown regalia for graduate degree candidates is made from 100% recycled and recyclable materials. Each item can be recycled after graduation only at designated sites throughout campus. Look for boxes marked with the Tiger Grad!

Sustainable Princeton's First-Ever GreenFest
Join us at Sustainable Princeton's GreenFest , a celebration of sustainable living, on Saturday, May 11, 11 a.m. -3 p.m. at the Princeton Shopping Center Courtyard. Our office will be one of more than 30 sustainably-minded organizations participating in this inaugural event. The event is free and everyone is invited to attend. While not necessary, pre-registration helps Sustainable Princeton plan for the event.
Breakfast for Bikers Returns on Friday, May 17
Celebrate Bike-to-Work Day with Breakfast for Bikers on Friday, May 17 at Firestone Plaza, rain or shine. Stop by on two wheels and receive a FREE grab-and-go breakfast and coffee. Have a few minutes? Stop to talk about campus biking resources, local bike routes, regional bike planning, and sustainability efforts, plus pick up a few bike repair pointers from the Cyclab bike mechanics.
Get Ready for Greening Move Out
Every spring, the Office of Sustainability and its EcoReps Greening Move Out team collects a variety of used items to resell at the fall Move-In Resale or donate to local charities and organizations. We encourage all students to bring unwanted items to a donation station between May 20-May 25 and June 4-5. Donation stations will be located across campus and staffed with EcoReps. Abandoned items left on campus  will be sent to the landfill , so please bring them to the closest EcoReps Donation Station!

Accepted Donations include:
  • all clothing
  • linens (sheets, comforters, towels)
  • furniture (couches, chairs, tables, lamps)
  • electronics (TVs, computer monitors, chargers, etc.)
  • electrical appliances (mini fridges, microwaves, fans)
  • dorm essentials (desk lamps, rugs, shoe racks, shelves, hangers, mattress toppers, shower caddies)
  • new or barely used school supplies (notebooks, pens, pencils, unused notebook paper)
  • unopened toiletries (mouthwash, toothpaste, toothbrushes still in packaging)
  • unopened food
  • books (textbooks, paperbacks, etc.)
May 20-25
Undergraduate Donation Stations:
  • Forbes front lawn
  • Rocky/Mathey Courtyard
  • Butler/Wilson Courtyard
  • Whitman Courtyard
  • Butler Courtyard
  • Pyne/1901
  • Foulke-Henry
  • Little/Edwards
  • Dillon Gym back court
June 4-5
Senior Donation Stations:
  • New South Courtyard
  • Pyne/1901
  • Foulke/Henry
  • Little/Edwards
  • Dod/Art Museum
  • Scully Courtyard
Campus as Lab Corner
Five projects will explore sustainability using the Princeton campus as a laboratory
by Catherine Zandonella

Research projects that explore energy-saving technologies, sustainable farming, and resource reuse have been selected to receive Dean for Research Innovation Funds for the Campus as a Lab.

Updates from the S.C.R.A.P. Lab!

The S.C.R.A.P. Lab recently welcomed Princeton’s newest coffee shop, the Coffee Club , to their growing list of partners!
Located in the taproom of Campus Club, the student-run Coffee Club held its grand opening on April 14.
With sustainability being one of its core values, collecting coffee grounds for composting at the S.C.R.A.P. lab is now one of the Club’s initiatives. Additionally, the club sources pastries and roasted coffee beans from local vendors, and is committed to maintaining affordable — if not the lowest — coffee prices both in and off campus to foster an inclusive environment.
In just under two days, the Coffee Club produced 25 lbs. of coffee grounds, which will provide nitrogen-rich material to our feedstock, and a good source of energy for the microbes that convert the organic matter to compost.
Fun fact: Contrary to belief, coffee grounds will NOT lower pH and make compost more acidic. While fresh coffee grounds may be acidic, once brewed, they are closer to pH neutral. Since acid is water-soluble, any acid in the beans would have already leached into your cup of Joe.

For more updates, visit the S.C.R.A.P. Lab website and subscribe to receive the Weekly ComPOSTer.
Alumni News
Coming to Reunions? Help us make Green the new Orange
Princeton University is striving to make Reunions a sustainable event. The University is developing a multiyear transitional plan to help us get there, and we need everybody’s engagement to make this a real ity. The big change is that mixed and soiled materials are no longer accepted in today’s recycling markets. Our first objective is to move toward a culture of reuse where single-use disposables are a thing of the past.

Here’s how you can help advance sustainability at this year’s Reunions:
  • Bring Your Own (BYO) water bottle, travel mug, utensils, cups
  • Participate in a Sustainability Event at Reunions 2019
  • Apply to become a founding member of the newly-proposed Reunions sustainability committee
  • Serve as a Reunions Sustainability Chair for your class.

Contact  greeningreunions@princeton.edu  to learn more or get involved.
Summer Opportunities
Apply Now for Summer Positions with the Office of Sustainability
This summer, the Office of Sustainability is hiring a few paid positions:

  • Two part-time Move-In Resale Assistants
  • One Sustainability Assistant with flexible part-time hours

Positions are open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

The Pace Center for Civic Engagement Launches New Trenton Summer Fellowship
The Pace Center for Civic Engagement invites all Princeton University undergraduate students working, interning, or researching in Trenton or Princeton this summer to apply to the inaugural
Through this fellowship experience, students will have the opportunity to meet with community partners, visit museums, attend performances, sporting events, explore restaurants and engage in other activities in or around the city of Trenton. Events will be scheduled to accommodate students’ work hours and is supplemental programming to requirements of your University sponsor program. Transportation will be made available with arranged meals and admission fees covered by the Trenton Summer Fellowship program.

Interested? Apply Online
Questions? Contact Elsie Sheidler, sheidler@princeton.edu
Upcoming Events
Thursday, May 9
Location: Frist Campus Center

Saturday, May 11
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: 301 N. Harrison Street, Princeton Shopping Center

May 20-25
Location: Princeton University Campus

June 4-5
Location: Princeton University Campus

Bike to Work Day
Friday, May 17
8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Location: Firestone Plaza
Social Media Spotlight
A group of  @Princeton  students planted two magnolia trees on campus with Facilities Grounds Crew for Earth Month and Arbor Day. This particular tree will be trained as an espalier, growing flat against the wall. #PUEarthMonth2019