Moving+Towards+Zero+Waste

__**Goals for Meeting 2/23**__
1. Create a mission statement for our group 2. Outline a proposal/plan for what we want to accomplish this semester in terms of the building waste 3. Draft an email to send out to people who may be interested in the old furniture 4. Select a date/time to conduct a waste sort audit (a.k.a. dumpster dive) to obtain data on what building is throwing away. (added by Erica) 5. Create a waste-audit "checklist" to inspect each room/floor of building (added by Erica)

//Please add any more goals you want to accomplish for this meeting! Meeting up at 6:30 in student lounge of Aiken.//

Team Members:
1. Shannon Scarbrough sscarbro@uvm.edu 2. Cara Rudnicki Cara.Rudnicki@uvm.edu 3. Kerry Wilson kwilson3@uvm.edu 4. Maria Dominguez madoming@uvm.edu 5. Annie Procaccini aprocacc@uvm.edu

Mentor
 * 1) Erica Spiegel, UVM Recycling Office, erica.spiegel@uvm.edu

IMPORTANT DATES AND MEETING TIMES FOR REMAINDER OF SEMESTER:
**Thursday, April 12, 6:30 pm group meeting** need to go over Audit results, get posted on Wiki site, and start draft of PPT poster There is a sample poster template to follow here: http://greening-aiken.wikispaces.com/Poster+Instructions other examples were shown in class last Monday, hanging on wall. start writing "Zero Waste" policy or mission statement for Rubenstein School start making better signs for trash/recycle/compost stations around building (Kerry originally offered to work on this) plan a "field trip" down to ReBuild and Waste Not Wood products (Pine St)

**Friday, April 13, 4:30 pm** **group meeting** prepare final draft of PPT poster which is due Monday in class continue tasks from day before.

**Monday, April 16, 5:00 pm Class Time** someone from group must show the final draft of poster to class

**Thursday, April 19, 5:30 pm group meeting**

**Monday, April 23, 5:00 pm Class Time** someone from group must show FINAL draft of poster to class

**Thursday, April 26 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm mandatory final group presentations in Solarium**

Websites for all to explore about the "Zero Waste" concept:
Zero Waste Alliance: [] Grassroots Recycling Network ZW:[] GAIA alliance: [] Sierra Club: []

watch an EPA webinar on the topic: []

Read about Terracycle, for collecting "odd" materials for recycling: []

Sample ZW policies, could you write one for Rubenstein School?? [] []

Resources for How to Conduct a Waste Audit of building (note, a waste audit or assessment in Aiken does not need to be this elaborate, but good data sampling and measurement is important!)
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Group's goal is to find a "creative reuse" for some of the leftover furnishings from old Aiken building. these furnishings are in storage unit out in Colchester VT at the moment. **click here for the photos of Surplus Furniture**

Resources for Furniture Reuse, Refurbish, Rebuild

 * ** some local wood-workers, maybe they'd partner on a "creative reuse" project?? **
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 * Here's some pretty high-end stuff made out of old wood. Imagine the possibilities! **
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2/22/12 update on furniture from Erica: Steve Libby from U-Heights Greenhouse Guild is interested in a summer workshop on wood furniture reused bench-making. He is working with a local architect on this. Erica & UVM Surplus will arrange to have the storage trailers moved closer to UVM campus so that we can more easily access and inspect the contents of the trailers.

__**2/23 Meeting Notes**__
//Furniture Notes:// -Annie - contact rebuilding people on Pine Street -Furniture will be at Wheelock Barn (Spear St & Swift St) the week of March 5 -Following week (week of March 12, maybe Tues., March 13?), invite non-profits to come check out our furniture! -Another furniture project - Duncan Johnson. Art for the walls?

//Building Waste Notes:// Analysis: -Take a day and sort through trash - categorize & weigh what kind of waste came out of the building -OR, take a qualitative look in the trash, observe what's in there. See if people are recycling properly as well -Set up compost? Erica has extra bins, what would we need to do to implement them? Maybe wouldn't be the responsibility of custodial, but our responsibility What would it take to take trash cans out of classrooms?

Survey: -We want to know - what's being thrown away, who's throwing it away, where are things being thrown away. Target areas that are being the most wasteful > Find out who are audience is, how to target them -- make a matrix for different groups, what we need for them to change > Need to make a change on a behavioral level. > Talk to classes in the building about our mission Find the source of the waste, figure out how to stop it -Interview custodial staff to find out what's being wasted,where -Maybe make up a survey to ask people about their waste habit?

-Come up with a pledge for people to sign up on - "I will use a reusable cup every time" "I will pack my lunch in a more environmentally conscious fashion" -Make our own sign to put up over waste/recycle bins Dave Manago - person who's doing Terracycle in library - maybe get in touch with him and see about how he set it up?

WHAT TO DO Waste Audit: Wednesday, 3:00 (Annie, Shannon, Kerry, Maria). Meet in Aiken Lounge. Wear clothes to get dirty... -->Get a checklist to see what's in the bins Make (temporary) signs for garbages & recycling: Annie, Kerry Erica: get "green bins" in place for after spring break --->we will monitor it for the first week, see how fast it fills up

Click Here for Zero Waste Station Set-up Plan


 * Greening of Aiken Meeting Monday, Feb 27, 5:00. Aiken, 103**

//Mission Statement (dynamic, change as you see fit):// We strive to be environmentally friendly, which includes moving towards zero waste. What does zero waste mean? Cutting waste at the source....

Check out this sticker design from Gary.