Divinity School Green Team Aims to Conquer Waste

A step-wise approach

First things first

The Harvard Divinity School (HDS) Green Team is on a quest to reduce the school’s waste as much as possible, and they have made huge strides toward reaching that goal through a multi-pronged plan.

The first step in the process was to grow and strengthen the recycling program. Through the tireless efforts of Roy Lauridsen, Jyoti Rana, and the rest of the Facilities & Operations staff, that goal was reached this past summer.

The group bought new recycling bins including ones for SingleStream recycling and battery recycling and distributed them throughout the school. Working with the Office for Sustainability, the bins were labeled and the community was educated about the new recycling program.

The main event

Next, the group tackled their first large event, a staff barbecue held every summer. Together with Human Resources and the Office for Sustainability, all waste from the barbecue was either composted or recycled, a huge change from previous years.

Barbecue-fueled success

Encouraged by the success of the barbecue, the group moved on to bigger and better things, and rolled out a comprehensive composting program with the help of Green Team members, Harvard University Dining Services, and the Orientation Committee. The group set up composting across campus from the waste stations in the hallways and kitchens to Rockefeller Hall and Belva’s Café. Compost monitors from the Green Team and EcoDiv helped people sort their trash when the program was first rolled out. A skit at the Community Tea, featuring an angel, a devil, and conflicted person with some trash to get rid of made compost and recycling education fun and memorable.

In September, new students learned about the Divinity School’s green ethos right off the bat. The orientation team gave our green corn mugs to every new student and had composting and recycling set up at all meals. Plates, cups, and utensils were all compostable, so as to minimize the amount of waste sent to landfills.

The Green Team plans to continuously educate the Divinity School community about waste reduction throughout the year. In March they hosted two screenings of the Story of Stuff, and they also plan to make signs for the Community Teas and help monitor compost bins in the cafes at last once a year.