The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus recently received an award that is the first of its kind! Fill It Forward(formerly Cupanion), is the program that our Choose, reUse, and WIN! initiative functions through. Fill It Forward has recently awarded us the Changemaker Award! You may be wondering, what does this award mean and how did our school earn it?
The Changemaker Award is received by a school or company participating in the Fill It Forward program that has diverted over 100,000 single-use bottles. This means that the University of Minnesota, which has participated in the program for 2 ½ years, has prevented the use of 100,000 disposable containers through the act of reusing! Here’s some interesting facts about what this means. The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus:
- Prevented 600 pounds of pollution
- Saved 17,100 pounds of emissions
- Saved 56,000 kilowatt hours of power
- Diverted 3,000 pounds of waste
So on behalf of the Choose, reUse & WIN! program, congratulations Gophers, and way to make a difference through the simple act of reuse! This award should act as inspiration for all of us moving forward. If we were able to divert 100,000 single-use bottles in 2 ½ years, how many more can we do in another 2 ½ years? We can always strive to reduce and reuse as much as possible to prevent items unnecessarily ending up in our waste stream. We encourage all of our students, faculty, and staff to keep working to make our campus as green as possible!
Never heard of the Choose, reUse, and WIN! program before? That’s okay, it’s never too late to join! Simply pick up one of our stickers, place on a reusable bottle or mug, and start scanning! Download the “Fill It Forward” app in the App Store to get started. You’ll earn points simply for refilling your water bottle on campus. Collecting points gets you prizes, so it’s a win-win. Learn more here and start reusing today!
April is Earth Month! Check out our frequently updated list of events to get involved. Check it out.
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is hiring a Sustainability Data and Project Manager! Search Job ID # 360205 at hr.umn.edu/Jobs/Find-Job for more information and to apply.
Join us Friday, March 22nd from 10-11am for a chat from sustainable aviation fuel experts!
We'll be hearing from three speakers, Pat Gruber, CEO of Gevo, Shiri Ramaswamy, professor in Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at UMN, and William Northrop, professor in Mechanical Engineering at UMN.
Apply today for the Student Sustainability Communications Assistant position! Learn more
Join the Twin Cities Sustainability Committee (TCSC)! The committee was launched in the fall of 2021 with a charge of guiding the MPact 2025 goal to “Build a fully sustainable future” as stated in the Systemwide Strategic Plan. Moving forward, the committee’s work will advise the Twin Cities Office of Sustainability on all activities, inclusive of operations, teaching, research, and outreach. This committee is open to staff, faculty, undergraduate & graduate students. Apply by 4/1.
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University of Minnesota Twin Cities has won the 2023 GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge in the Food Organics Per Capita category!
This achievement underscores our commitment to waste reduction, putting sustainability at the forefront of our athletic spaces.
The 2023-2024 Systemwide Sustainability Report for the University of Minnesota Board of Regents is now available!
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is aiming to make public buildings like hospitals and schools more resilient against future disasters by paying to install solar panels when they are rebuilt. Read more
Join us for the Climate Resilience & Adaptation Open House!
Wednesday, February 21st, 2024, 3-5pm
1425 University Ave, room 175
Your opinion matters! Join the Office of Sustainability on Wednesday, February 21st from 3pm to 5pm at 1425 University Ave to review and provide insights on the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan objectives and strategies. We want to hear what you think - tell us what we missed or what resonates with you. Open house format - come and go as you please. Light refreshments provided.
Fall 2023 Sustainability Advocates from SUST3480 conducted a recent Campus Engagement Project at the University of Minnesota aimed to improve the satisfaction and sustainability of the campus transportation system (Gopher Trip). They distributed a Sustainable Transportation Survey, gathering responses from 57 students to assess current challenges and future possibilities.