May 13, 2008
“It’s very exciting to be in the vanguard of St. John’s
recycling efforts to sustain our environment,” says student
Sustainability Coordinator Ivelin Spasov. A Tobin freshman, Ivelin
is being trained by Facilities Department Director of Environmental
and Energy Conservation Tom Goldsmith to introduce administration,
staff, faculty and students to St. John’s sustainability initiative
(STJSI).
Students at the Forefront of Campus
Recycling Campaign
Ivelin is one of seven student Sustainability Coordinators who
worked in unison with Residence Life under the guidance of the
Office of Recycling and Education Council on the Environment of New
York City to orchestrate the University’s inaugural Move Out Dump
and Donate Day. The May 5 event was a huge success netting 900
pounds of clothing and 300 pounds of non-perishable food which were
donated to Wearable Collections and City Harvest for distribution
to the poor. Unusable clothing is being recycled back into the
textile industry to create new materials.
Says Jon Klar, NYC Queens Recycling Outreach Coordinator. “If
this becomes a yearly event, I’m sure those numbers will only
increase as students become more aware of the program.”
Partnering with the City
In August, all entering students will receive packets explaining
how to recycle in accordance with NYC rules, and will be made aware
of the fact that recycling is expected of all St. John’s students.
The City’s Outreach and Education Council will train RAs, Housing
Directors and Sustainability Coordinators in the essentials of
recycling and will take an active and ongoing role in helping to
guide St. John’s sustainability efforts. “This program is giving me
a great opportunity to educate our students about NYC’s recycling
laws,” says Sustainability Coordinator Gabriele Papdopolous.
Gabriele like Ivelin is a freshman at Tobin.
Carrying out the University
Mission
“STJSI is aligned with the University’s mission to help the
underserved ” says Goldsmith. “As part of STJSI we are being guided
by the four R’s: reduce, recycle, reuse and unique to St. Johns, by
the concept of responsibility.”
Goldsmith notes that one of STJSI’s priorities is to integrate
and harmonize the contributions of administrators, staff, faculty
and students. He sees this initiative as a paradigm for how future
St. John’s initiatives can effectively merge the University’s
commitment to collaborating with metropolitan communities with the
objective of providing an intellectual and moral education. “It
extends St. John’s commitment to participating in Mayor Bloomberg’s
challenge to reduce our carbon footprint, and includes a multitude
of EPA Green programs,” says Goldsmith.
An Added Bonus
One of the University’s Sustainability Coordinators, Kristina
Miltcheva, has been further buoyed by her role in this project.
Kristina, another Tobin freshman, is seeing the fruits of her
recycling training benefiting her home town in Bulgaria as well. In
a surprising turn of events, it seems that her mother, Mayor of a
small Bulgarian village, is adapting St. John’s recycling program
to provide environmental solutions in her country.