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Webinar: Building the Equity Loop: From Campus Move Out to Community Action
October 25, 2023 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT
As outlined in the Climate Action Plan, Lafayette is committed to achieving a 40% diversion of waste to landfill by 2030 and a 60% diversion rate by 2035. Green Move Out and the West Ward Sale are Lafayette College’s campus-wide sustainability and community service efforts where students recycle their unused or gently used household items by donating them to local organizations, a pay-what-you-can community sale and an on-campus Thrift Store. This closed-loop material circularity is emblematic of Lafayette’s approach to aligning campus impact with zero waste and equity goals.
Since 2008, the poundage of items (clothing, books, household goods) collected after the spring semester has grown from 6,000 pounds to 20,000 pounds in 2022, an increase of 215%. In 2022, approximately 50 students, faculty and staff volunteered to collect and sort donations, contributing over 500 hours of time. After sorting the donations were shared with local non-profit organizations, through a sale to the community (in the West Ward, a historically disadvantaged neighborhood in the city of Easton), and any remaining items were incorporated into an on-campus thrift store to provide items to students who need them. In this session, we will share details on our operational processes to execute this growing effort and how this program is a key relationship builder with our local community.
For members: archived webinars on demand Upcoming webinars
Presenters
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Melissa Adamson, Climate Action and Circularity Manager, Lafayette College Office of Sustainability Melissa Adamson is Lafayette College’s Climate Action and Circularity Manager. She leads efforts to monitor, report and manage operational progress toward Lafayette’s carbon neutrality goal of 2035 and track broader sustainability performance. Adamson works to integrate low carbon, regenerative and closed loop materials into campus operations and business practices while also supporting experiential learning opportunities for students. She also leads the student interns who are focused on metrics essential to tracking progress towards carbon neutrality and the development and implementation of programs. Adamson works cross departmentally at Lafayette and understands the importance of creating partners in different departments to operationalize programs like Green Move Out. Prior to her current role, she has a professional background in climate change policy, urban planning and design, and innovative mobility. |
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Delicia Nahman, Director of Sustainability, Lafayette College Office of Sustainability Delicia Nahman is the Director of Sustainability at Lafayette College. Nahman brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education and the nonprofit sectors, where she serves as a strategist and change agent. In her current role at Lafayette College, she guides the college’s effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2035 and fully integrate campus-wide sustainability efforts within the academic mission, campus life and operational business units. In recent years, Nahman’s focus is leveraging her ESG expertise to support portfolio transition and management with net neutrality and climate justice at the center of investing strategies for institutional investors. |
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Samantha Smith, Sustainability Outreach and Engagement Manager, Lafayette College Office of Sustainability Samantha Smith is Lafayette College’s Sustainability Outreach and Engagement Manager. She develops and executes educational programming, events, communications, and behavior change initiatives that help us institute a culture of sustainability and actions that will lead to achieving our campus goals. Smith also manages the Eco Reps Leadership Program with over 30 peer-to-peer sustainability leaders in residence halls, greek houses and off-campus houses throughout campus that work to educate residents and help foster sustainable habits and life-long behavior change in Lafayette’s living communities that also contribute to our campus goals. Smith also is a key contributor to Green Move Out, the West Ward community sale, and the campus thrift store. Previously, Smith worked in transportation and consulting on sustainability and community engagement efforts. |