Out of hundreds of colleges and universities, Endicott College placed in the top 20 in all categories of this year’s Campus Race to Zero Waste, an annual national campaign that pits colleges against each other in a friendly competition to promote waste reduction efforts.
In the Diversion (waste diverted from a landfill) category, the school came out 18th among 91 schools, beating universities such as Cornell (27th) and Harvard (39th). In the Per Capita Recycling category, Endicott placed 23rd out of 106 schools, and 19th out of 82 schools for Food Organics, a category examining how much food waste is composted.
Carly Thibodeau, Associate Director of Sustainability, said the difference in placement since last year is a result of higher levels of awareness and engagement from the Endicott community.
“Especially for a school of our size, to be placed in the top 20 in all categories out of hundreds of schools is quite an accomplishment, and shows that the efforts made by the Endicott community to reduce our waste and be more sustainable are having a measurable impact,” said Thibodeau.
She also attributes success to various programs held by the Office of Sustainability, including Show the Waste—a display of tossed food that allows students to see what goes to landfills daily—and a pop-up campus thrift store. Both encouraged Gulls to be mindful of producing more waste and to find new ways to reduce or reuse their refuse.
“Waste reduction and recycling are becoming second nature, and I’m looking forward to expanding our success in our race to zero waste next year!” added Thibodeau.
The full results were announced just a week after Earth Day and Endicott’s annual Rally to Fight Climate Change event, which featured Beverly Mayor Michael P. Cahill.
The rally was the finale to a year that also saw the College recognized once again by The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges: 2023 Edition and the opening of a third solar installation atop the main parking garage roof.