Two student teams working on sustainability initiatives have merged to improve efficiency and focus. In the past, Dining Team Green has been responsible for many sustainability events on campus, such as the Zero Waste Dinner, the Hackathon, and Douglass Community Kitchen events. Likewise, Facilities Team Green has traditionally planned events that promote the Campus Race to Zero Waste, E-Cycle Day, Move-Out Cleanout, and more. Now that the two teams have combined, these key events will receive more support.
This semester, the new “Team Green” has already coordinated two community kitchen events, two Zero Waste Dinners, and a Face Your E-Waste Fears event to help support the mission of the annual E-Cycle Day. With more students available to collaborate on planning and executing events, the Sustainability Office foresees higher productivity and engagement with the University community.
“Having one student sustainability team that is dedicated to supporting and promoting sustainability at the University helps bring operational consistency, creates less duplication, and cultivates a more unified approach to meeting University-wide sustainability goals,” said Sustainability Senior Manager Amy Kadrie.
Kadrie looks forward to seeing what the new team will accomplish. “So far this semester, it has been really great to see the students from both teams come together to create new synergies that will strengthen the work we do and better serve our mission to support and promote efforts towards a sustainable and equitable future.”
This semester is being viewed as a pilot for the new team as Kadrie works with members to evaluate various roles in which students can cultivate a sustainable culture as initiatives move forward. While roles may change in the future, student employees now work on one of three teams:
- Marketing and Communication: While these roles are not new, duties from both teams are now combined.
- R5 Zero Waste: The previous coordinator roles have shifted focus to zero-waste under the direction of Waste Minimization Specialist Philip Piedmont.
- Education and Engagement: This team is a brand-new addition that liaisons with important sustainability groups at the University of Rochester and increases overall campus engagement with sustainability initiatives.
Alan Rojas ’24, T5, who previously worked as the manager and co-sustainability coordinator at Dining Team Green, now serves as the student sustainability manager for the new Team Green.
“Both Amy and Phil have encouraged me to share insights about [Team Green] and provide feedback on the team’s current structure,” says Rojas. “They have been very receptive to my input, and I truly appreciate that.”
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Written by Carmen Marshall ’25
