RecycleMania Kickoff at Bert's!

     This Wednesday, stop by Bert's Cafe on Central Campus at the Shapiro Undergraduate library for a RecycleMania Kickoff event!  We'll be handing out FREE travel mugs, and you'll be able to stop by Bert's for free coffee afterwards.  Check it out, learn a little more about U-M's participation in the RecycleMania competition, and get some free stuff from 10 am - 1 pm!  Our identical event at Mujo's last week was a great success, and the mugs went like wildfire, so make sure to come by earlier rather than later! 

Follow us on Twitter @UmichRecycling for some quick updates and other info!  

RecycleMania Kickoff at Mujo's!

 This Wednesday, stop by Mujo's Cafe on North Campus at the Duderstadt Center for a RecycleMania Kickoff event!  We'll be handing out FREE travel mugs, and you'll be able to stop by Mujo's for free coffee afterwards.  Make sure to check it out, learn a little more about U-M's participation in the RecycleMania competition, and get some free stuff from 10 am - 1 pm!

  And don't fret if you can't make it to North Campus on Wednesday - we'll be hosting an identical event on Central Campus at Bert's Cafe in Shapiro Undergraduate Library next week on February 13th.

Being Green in 2013, Week 2

Being Green in 2013: Week 2

        Now that January has swiftly flown by and is coming to a close, we'd like to ask, how are your resolutions for 2013 coming along?  We know you may be thinking, if this is only one month and I've already begun to fall back to old habits, how can I last the whole year? Well, fret not, we're here to help motivate you and keep you on track - especially when it comes to keeping your life green this year and creating good, lasting habits.

       We thought we'd give an interesting twist to a common New Year's resolution - combining the idea of working out/getting healthy and keeping your exercise routine easy and eco-friendly.  If you're just getting back into the workout routine and are buying equipment, try to find used items - like exercise bikes and weights.  And when you're treating yourself to some workout gear to look good and stay motivated, maybe take a look into companies that practice and promote sustainability, such as REI, Patagonia, and Nau.  Make sure to avoid plastic water bottles, and try something more reusable to cut down on extra unneccesary waste (if you have an aversion to tap water, try out a Brita filter to fill your reusable bottle!).

      With the weather at a whopping 50+ degrees at the end of January here in Ann Arbor, its hard for us not to say unplug from the indoors and take your workout outdoors - although we know it may not last that long.  Still, when the warmer months roll around, think about moving outdoors for walks, runs, hikes, or even grab your yoga mat and enjoy the environment around you.  We know you'll be keeping at this resolution, just like us, so in a few months make sure to recycle those old worn out running sneakers if you're buying a new pair.

Here's to a new year and new habits! Keep up the good work!

(photo cred: http://media.treehugger.com) 

Being Green in 2013, Week 1

Being Green in 2013: Week 1 

         Being "green" doesn't mean you have to drastically change up your entire lifestyle (although it is possible) or spend an extravagant amount of money on better appliances or green technologies.  For 2013, we at the Waste Reduction and Recycling Office propose that each week you make one small environmentally friendly change for the better in your daily habits.  These little shifts in habit will be low cost, and only require your attention to following them.  

        This week we're going to make sure we REDUCE our personal paper demand.  Think about how much paper comes through your mailbox - whether it be catalogs, Yellow Pages books, paychecks, and all sorts of bills.  With most companies offering opt-out services, it is pretty simple to request that you stop the service on free catalogs and Yellow Books.  If you still want to receive news, sign up for email newsletters and online catalogs.  And while moving towards online bills and direct deposit may be a bigger and more noticeable lifestyle shift, it is definitely worthwhile.  You can still keep track of your bills and book keep using an online based system.  Setting up a folder on your computer for different bills and your direct deposit will allow you to download PDF files and save them here, while staying organized.  Lastly, another easy way to reduce your paper use is to reuse paper you are done with (and would normally head to the recycling) for notes and scraps.  Forget about notepads and post it notes, just cut your used paper into quarters and use the blank side for reuse.  You'll maybe even save some money with this one! 

       All in all, we intend for our tips to be costless and painless for you!  Make a few changes and make a difference in 2013!

(Picture credit: www.businessbloghub.com)

Recycling Programs to Look Forward to in 2013

        Happy New Year from the Waste Reduction and Recycling Office at the University of Michigan!  We are excited about 2013 to make even greater strides in reducing waste on our campus and spreading new ideas about recycling.

       There is already exciting news on the horizon for February, as H&M has announced an exciting clothes exchange program.  Working with a global recycling company, I:Collect, H&M will be taking used garments from any brand in exchange for a voucher.  This program will be the first global initiative of its kind, and H&M looks to reduce the environmental impact of clothes throughout their life cycle.

To read the article in full about the pros and cons of such a sustainability initiave, follow the link below:
http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/12/sustainable-hms-new-global-clothes-collecting-initiative/

Greek Life Sustainablity Team: GLIST

GLIST Maize Page

GLIST is a sustainability initiative which intends to implement a structure of sustainable leadership in each Greek house on campus, creating a social culture around sustainability within Greek houses.

This new organization has popped up on campus with goals to promote sustainability first in the smaller Greek community, so that it can be focused on and then spread throughout the entire campus.  Here at the Waste Reduction and Recycling Office, we applaud this effort by the Greek community to initiate a program focused on sustainability and creating environmentally friendly initiatives.  

Follow their MaizePage site here: http://maizepages.umich.edu/organization/glist

Mbay!

Introducing Mbay (our very own ebay-like program here at Michigan!)

Do you have office supplies or other items that your office or department no longer needs, but could be of use to others on campus? Are you looking to purchase items for your office, but want to go green and chose reuse? The University of Michigan Health System has created MBay, an online trading system to facilitate the exchange of items, and it's now available to the entire U-M campus to use!

Mbay is an open forum to facilitate the exchange of items. This internal web site has been set up to coordinate hand-offs to other departments or units - these items are FREE.

Items listed on Mbay will be posted for a maximum of 2 weeks. To add items, remove an item, or view current listings, click on a button to the left.

For the sale of University property, contact Property Disposition for appropriate handling. 

Check out the website and make sure to take part in this great opportunity for reuse!


Please take note that in order for access to Mbay, you will need to be on a U-M computer for now.  Right now personal computers' IP address is being blocked from the site.
https://www31.med.umich.edu/hos/mbay/index.cfm