The end of the academic year is a flurry of activity for students, from final exams to packing up their belongings before heading out for the summer. This is often when students jettison unwanted clothing, decor, and small appliances - creating potential waste.
During Richard Johnson’s Environmental Issues course, a group of students proposed an alternative and sustainably minded solution to help students responsibly discard unwanted items. Adrienne Bradley, Viviana Contreras, Yea Won Lee, Ellie Schweiker, and Destinie Sharp’s semester-long project came to fruition when the Office of Sustainability hired Bradley and Sharp as interns. Together the team brought the recycling solution to life, leveraged the campus as a living-learning lab, and provided an opportunity for the community to contribute to the University’s sustainability goals.
The "Give a Hoot! Donate Your Loot!" campaign offered a sustainable alternative to sending unwanted items to landfills. Rice partnered with Green City Recycler (GCR) to place collection containers at convenient locations across campus. Students diverted 8,922 pounds of durable goods from landfills this year, nearly doubling the 4,943 pounds collected in the program’s inaugural year.
Inspired by this sustainable student solution? Here are some ways to responsibly dispose of clothes, shoes, decor, and other durable goods:
- GCR has multiple collection bins across the city, accepting clothes, shoes, decor, and more.
- For clothing donations, consider one of the following options:
- Rice Center for Career Development’s pop-up Career Closet; contact Dasha Musil at dm123@rice.edu or 713-348-4055 for more information.
- Dress for Success
- Career Gear
- Friends of Phyllis Wheatley High School, a nonprofit organization created by former Rice professor Dr. Diane Wolfthal
Visit the Office of Sustainability’s website to learn more about Rice’s sustainability efforts and to find out how to get involved.