gw purchased 26,000 reusable water bottles from didómi, a water bottle company with the mission to combat the water crisis in developing countries and provide high-quality reusable water bottles to encourage individuals to reduce their plastic consumption. 

not only will gw’s purchase of these reusable water bottles reduce plastic use on campus –– this financial investment will reach beyond campus. didómi partners with the nonprofit organization water is life to provide reliable access to water across africa. according to didómi, each bottle purchased provides 10 years of water access to a person in africa. using the funds from the partnership with gw, didómi will donate 50% of its profits to fund the nonprofit’s water projects. 

on the morning of march 21, two of didómi’s founders, lamah bility and brian bishop, came to gw’s campus to distribute water bottles. while telling the mission of their company, bility shared the personal story of fellow co-founder anaa jibicho. jibicho, a refugee from ethiopia, lost two siblings to water-borne diseases. when jibicho lived in liberia before his family won a lottery to move to the united states, he had to wake up each morning to walk miles to fetch water for his family, billy said. jibicho had a realization about the accessibility of water once in the u.s., where clean water conveniently flows from the tap in many places.

while listening to didómi’s story, students colored and personalized their water bottles. junior sarah teague painted clouds on her new bottle, placing her personalized design around the gw’s plastic campaign logo and didómi’s logo, the partnership aesthetically represented on the bottle.

teague says her interest in sustainably centers on gw divesting from fossil fuels. in 2020, after seven years of student organizing on the issue, gw committed to divest from all public and private companies with a focus on fossil fuel extraction by 2025, in alignment with recommendations from the university’s environmental, social, and governance (esg) responsibility task force. yet, there is a need for education around gw’s positive changes and events to announce gw’s sustainability-related efforts. 

volunteer audrey litto, a junior at gw involved with take back the tap, a student initiative to transition away from using single-use plastic water bottles to reusable, refillable bottles, shared that she hopes people will take advantage of the new water bottle stations popping up on campus and the new high-quality didómi water bottles. 

senior jack mcmorrow, a volunteer through a service-learning class at gw, has participated in passing out didómi bottles outside of the covid test trailers for the past week. 

“it felt great to be part of such an important initiative to reduce single-use plastic on campus,” mcmorrow said. “i was truly excited to see the enthusiasm of the members of our community who were willing to utilize these water bottles. so many people were excited to approach us and were eager to learn about ways to reduce plastic use.” 

didómi was named after the greek word meaning “to give.” the logo symbolizes crossed fingers representing hope, or optimism for better days together. through efforts like this, there is hope for gw as a collective to make a difference to reduce waste and help save the environment. 

university spokesperson crystal nosal said the task force, which convened in september, received administrative support and is now working on a plan to implement the proposals. nosal said executive vice president and chief financial officer mark diaz organized the group, which consists of officials from six departments, including offices within the division of safety and facilities and the office of procurement.

the student association senate passed a resolution in late october calling on officials to discontinue using single-use plastic bottles on campus. nosal said the task force’s goals align with the sa’s resolution.

scott burnotes, the vice president of safety and facilities, said officials have approved the plan, and the division of safety and facilities will now work on finding ways to implement the recommendations. he said officials will start to implement the plan in the “next several months” and are excited about the “shared commitment” to a zero-waste environment.

“gw’s commitment to phasing out single-use plastics will be a marathon, not a sprint, especially given the hurdles higher ed is already dealing with this year,” he said in an email.

kat ruane – the co-president of take back the tap, a student organization that works to reduce gw’s use of single-use plastics – said the task force meets at least once every two weeks. she said the task force’s members hope to organize educational initiatives with student organizations to discuss the harmful environmental effects of single-use plastics.

“we’re thinking from the human rights perspective that all students deserve a right to accessible clean water, not one that’s put behind a paywall of a plastic water bottle,” ruane said.

ruane said the draft plan includes proposals to eliminate all plastic bottles from vending machines, install reusable water fillers in residence halls and develop strategies to discourage community members from using non-reusable plastics.

she said officials have not yet offered the task force clear details on the next steps for the plan submitted to diaz, the chief financial officer, at the end of october.

“it is a bit frustrating because there is to some degree lack of transparency and lack of communication about what they’re actually going to do next from here because they’ve submitted their draft plan to mark diaz,” she said.

experts in sustainability said implementing programs that discourage people from using plastics has been the most effective method in reducing non-reusable plastics.

lyda harris, a university of washington ph.d. candidate studying microplastic contamination, said she has seen “limited success” in educational initiatives encouraging people to reduce their plastic use because people typically weigh convenience over sustainability when making purchases. she said implementing measures that make reducing plastic use easier, like installing water bottle filler stations, are more effective methods.

“if you give someone all the knowledge that they need, i personally think that it comes down to which one’s easier and which one do i have time for,” she said.

harris said the best way to reduce plastic consumption is to implement a system, like a small charge on plastic bags, that makes plastic products inconvenient to obtain. d.c. officials implemented a mandatory plastic bag tax in 2010.

“in europe, there is a really cool study that has been done about plastic bag taxes and bans,” she said. “and it basically said once you assign a 5-cent tax on a plastic bag, people stop using them up to like 96 percent. and so it just makes it harder to pollute the environment.”

evan ward, a professor of marine sciences at the university of connecticut, said non-reusable plastics can be incinerated, which increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, or buried, which can leak chemicals into groundwater over time.

“burying plastics is not that problematic, but over time, large amounts of plastic can leach a variety of chemicals, which can enter groundwater and contaminate drinking water, lakes, streams and near-shore environments,” he said in an email. “recycling is an option, but unfortunately only about 9 percent of all plastics are recycled.”

he said universities could take steps, like removing plastic water bottles carrying the institution’s logo, to draw people away from using single-use plastics.

“same goes for single-use plastic bags in the bookstore and elsewhere,” he said. “charge a small fee for selecting plastic bags over reusable bags – you will see how quickly everyone will remember to bring a reusable bag with them.”

—

this piece was originally published by the gw hatchet. the photograph is attributed to alexander welling, senior staff photographer at the hatchet.

have you ever considered the threads that keep you warm may be contributing to the warming of the planet?

clothing production has steadily increased for the last 2 decades due to fast fashion. and yet, nearly 60% of the clothing produced is disposed of within a year. 

come along with victoria middleton, a student journalist and fashion junkie, to explore various options for dressing sustainably in dc, including stops at reformation, the dc sustainable fashion collective, and georgia avenue thrift store.

—

citation

a new textiles economy: redesigning fashion’s future. the ellen macarthur foundation, 2017, www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/a-new-textiles-economy_full-report.pdf.

the price of fast fashion – nature news journal, nature publishing group, 2018, from www.nature.com/articles/s41558-017-0058-9.

kestenbaum, richard – secondhand clothes are a threat and an opportunity. forbes, forbes magazine, 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/richardkestenbaum/2018/04/03/secondhand-clothes-are-a-threat-and-an-opportunity/#3a7151716fdd.

was it your granola bar wrapper? the packaging from your latest amazon purchase? your grocery bag? 

we are addicted to plastic. it’s in grocery stores, in hospitals, in our homes. it’s everywhere. but where does it all go? according to the epa, only around 9% of all plastics are recycled. 

it’s not enough to just use less plastic. since plastic takes upwards of 450 years to decompose, most of the plastic that has been made since its invention in 1907 still exists on earth. as it decomposes, it releases hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere and the ocean. 

but what if there was a way to use plastic waste?

enter ecobricks. 

when jonathan cerdas first stuffed plastic bottles to the brim with discarded plastic in costa rica, he never would have expected how much this simple act would change the way volunteers from all over the world think about plastic consumption. he may have just started a revolution. 

how did he do it? see for yourself. 

a bike is an economical and environmentally sustainable mode of transportation, and one that can enhance the productivity of low-income people affordably and quickly. over the course of ten years, the organization has collected and reused three-million pounds of steel and aluminum, half-million tubes and tires, and four-and-half-million spokes from going to the waste stream. the organization has helped bring over 100,000 bikes to low-income nations.

not only does bikes for the world endorse the message of recycling, but it does so in a way to benefit others that are far less fortunate. as bikes are the most-sustainable mode of transportation, each bike can help save the environment and transform a life. a bike can get someone where they need to be four times faster than walking; therefore, allowing a person to seek out more jobs by lengthening their radius.  

bikes for the world is one effort that is making a big difference worldwide. the volunteers are passionate about making a more sustainable world by getting more people on bikes. ultimately, by getting more people on bikes, traffic would be reduced. according to the departments of general services, cars produce .97 pounds of pollution per mile annually, while bikes produce none (partlow).  

although, bikes for the world is based out of the washington dc area, the organization has established satellite efforts in pittsburgh, charleston, s.c., and new york. bikes for the world is fueled by volunteers, and is always looking for people to get involved and refurbish the bikes. people are more than welcome to donate their bikes to bikes for the world, or organize their own bike drives for the organization.  

another lesson to be learned is to remember that bikes are the most environmentally-sustainable mode of transportation. if you want to help make a difference in the environment, start riding a bike. not only are you helping the environment, but you are saving money and getting places fast. bikes for the world takes advantage of this, and gets more people in low-income areas specifically, riding bikes to better their lives and the world.

on earth day 2008, knapp signed the american college and university presidents’ climate commitment, where the university committed to reducing its carbon footprint and measuring greenhouse gas emissions. in 2010 gw released an official climate action plan, setting its goal of being carbon neutral by 2040, and during knapp’s tenure the university has remained on track to reach that goal.

knapp said the most important act of sustainability that he has done is to “develop the leadership capacities of the students to be in this for the long haul.” students have wide-ranging interests on sustainability, which gw then fosters and cultivates the students to be able to go in the free market and work with any person, corporation, or government. one way that this has been done is through establishing sustainability as a minor which allows students “to see how everything is connected.”

the president also worked with corporations and governments to reduce their carbon output, and become more sustainable. a major collaboration that was done under knapp’s tenure is the capital solar partnership with american university and george washington hospital. these corporations created four solar farms that allow gw and the other partners to obtain half of their energy usage from solar. the energy from these farms is enough to power 9,000 homes — the equivalent of taking 18,000 cars off the road, and 85,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.  

gw also has become a trusted advisor to the washington, d.c., local government on how it should handle their run-off, by spreading what was done on gw campus to the surrounding area. these partnerships were done by both president knapp, and the board of trustees, which put sustainability first on campus. 

most recently, knapp signed on the university’s behalf the “we are still in” declaration in response to the united states’ withdrawal from the paris accord, along with what has grown to more than 300 colleges and universities, impressing that the university and its students, faculty and staff remain committed to the goals it committed to in 2008.

roof to table takes it to the next level. literally. not just one, but a few levels up: to the roof. all it takes is a smartphone — and the youtube app. 

this 360° video puts the power in your hands. because up here, you’re not alone. look up, look down, look all around. it’s buzzing with life. 

the roof’s no longer over your head, but the food’s still on the table — for now.

where’s it going? follow it from roof to table. suit up and join us. and when you’re done, shout “hey honey” across the room because they’ll want to experience this too.

go ahead — see for yourself. this is moving the planet forward.

we asked them a few questions to learn more about their entry.

q: describe the food recovery network.

a: the food recovery network (frn) is a organization with chapters at 184 colleges around the nation. frn goes to local restaurants, school dining halls and other events that would otherwise be throwing out their food at the end of the day. instead of the food going to waste, frn delivers however much it collects on a regular basis to local homeless shelters.

q: what was the process behind creating your submission? why did you choose to communicate your innovation through this video format?

a: we contacted the food recovery network chapter at the university of maryland, which is actually where the organization was founded, and visited the campus on one of their recovery nights. we thought that this method would be the best way to showcase just how much food goes to waste and would also make it more of a personal experience for viewers because you get to follow the process and meet the people involved.

q: why is this innovation so important to you? why do you think it is one of the most essential methods to help sustainable cities?

a: we’re both very interested in the concept of food waste, especially when it comes to perfectly edible food. we have both written pieces for planet forward about the relationship between food production and the environment, and wanted to continue with this topic for our video. this innovation is also very important to sara because she will be starting a chapter of the food recovery network at gw this coming fall. we find this to be one of the most essential methods to help sustainable cities, because of the food production process and the sheer number of people that live in cities. there are so many environmental resources that go to waste when food is wasted (e.g. water, energy). the food production process and food waste are also large contributors to co2 emissions. so wasting food ultimately results in a lot of harm to the environment, especially in cities where there are so many more people to waste food. this is an effective way to reduce food waste, because it can reduce the number of co2 emissions and also help contribute to feeding people in cities who may not have access to healthy meals.

(editor’s note: answers edited for grammar and spelling.)