By Elliott Turner, Guest Writer
This finals week at Pacific Lutheran University, Sustainability is partnering with the Tacoma Goodwill for the Give and Go program. PLU is one of only 15 schools across the country to participate.
The Give and Go program is a partnership with Goodwill, Keep America Beautiful — an environmental non-profit — and several other organizations. It is designed to implement effective collection drives during move-out at colleges across the nation.
With three million students living on campus at 2,100 colleges and universities nationwide, there is a mass of reusable clothing, electronics, books and furniture that students throw away at the end of the school year. The cooperating organizations started this program to address this concern.
Sophomore Nick Hester is the student move-out lead this year, and he is working on coordinating with Sustainability and Goodwill to make sure the plan for move-out this year runs smoothly.
“PLU was chosen because of how successful our Sustainability office has been and how visible our efforts to make a green campus have been,” Hester said.
Chrissy Cooley, the Sustainability coordinator, said she was overjoyed PLU could be a part of this program. “Being a premier program in the country is so exciting,” Cooley said. “Hopefully other schools can work with Goodwill.”
Partnering with Goodwill for the Give and Go program is going to benefit Sustainability, PLU and the region as well.
Sustainability closed its SurPLUs store in March. SurPLUs sold items students had donated to other students and the community, which prevented clothes, furniture and other accessories from being sent to the landfill.
Partnering with Goodwill for the program this year and in the future will help replace a program like SurPLUs on campus, allowing students to give away useful items instead of throwing them away.
This partnership is going to have a regional impact as well. Nick Lorax, the Sustainability lead, said donations to Goodwill during move-out will help 9,000 out of Western Washington’s 60,000 unemployed people receive job placement, career training and education.
Goodwill donation trailers and dumpsters will be on campus at traditional halls May 19-25 from 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. There will be an info booth next to the Foss and Pflueger dumpster to help divert recycling and donate-ables from the dumpster.
For South Hall, the trailer and dumpster will be open until June 3. There will be one new donation trailer next to Harstad Hall, with four trailers and five dumpsters total including South’s.
Small donations will be accepted in traditional hall lobbies from May 16-23 and until June 1 for South.
With community benefits and an environmental outlook for move-out this year, the Give and Go program is gearing up to be a another sustainable addition to PLU.
For students, the important dates and information about move-out can be found in this issue of The Mooring Mast, online and at an info booth outside the dining hall the week before finals.
