Sustainable Pomona

Because of the campus closure, Dining Services did not make any food purchases this year. However, Dining Services and the SO continued to advance food sustainability through student engagement and data collection.

Pomona students examined campus attitudes toward sustainable meals and worked closely with Dining to launch Mindful Mondays, a program that will be piloted when the campus reopens in the fall. Students also found community in Grow Getters, a virtual club designed to connect people through a shared love for growing produce sustainably.

Furloughed staff were able to work on a limited basis to prepare meals for local homebound seniors, providing the opportunity to give back to the community while producing delicious plant-forward meals.

While Pomona College did not make any food purchases this year, it met its 2020 sustainable purchasing goals last year and is now in the process of establishing ambitious new goals for 2030.

For more information, click the 2021 SAVE Report link in our bio!

The COVID-19 pandemic eliminated almost all transit to and from campus, yielding a 92% reduction in overall transportation emissions from the baseline.

Pomona extended its pause of study abroad programs, athletic events, and other non-essential travel, reducing College-funded air travel 99% from 2019, the most recent year that campus was fully open.

During the campus closure, faculty and staff telecommuted for 64% of their trips, compared to less than 1% in 2019. Although these results were influenced by the campus closure, COVID-19 has shown how individual choices can significantly reduce carbon emissions.

As people return to campus, College-funded transportation is expected to rebound. However, the Pomona community can continue to utilize telecommuting in their academic, professional, and social activity, something which will help build global networks while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, click the 2021 SAVE Report link in our bio!

Campus water usage is on a positive downward trend with a 24% decrease from the baseline.

The campus closure reduced domestic water consumption by 51% since 2019, the most recent year that Pomona’s campus was fully open. However, outdoor irrigation increased by 43% compared to 2019, largely due to increased water usage at the Rains Athletic Center’s construction site.

As people return to campus, the Sustainability Office aims to increase WaterWise awareness in the residence halls, the largest consumer of water when the campus is open. Additionally, the Sustainability Office plans to work closely with Grounds to improve irrigation operations.

For more information, click the 2021 SAVE Report link in our bio!

This year, largely because of the campus closure, Pomona College reduced total waste sent to the landfill by 68% (nearly 350 tons) compared to the 2014 baseline and 62% compared to last year.

The campus also diverted 65% of waste from the landfill, mostly because of an increase in grounds projects that produced mulch through the City of Claremont.

While waste is expected to rise with the campus reopening in the fall, the Sustainability Office (SO) plans to further increase waste diversion through improved waste bin signage and strategic placement throughout the campus.

In addition, the SO and Dining Services are piloting a Zero Waste dining program by expanding reusable food boxes and cups and packaging all grab-and-go items in compostable materials.

For more information, click the 2021 SAVE Report link in our bio!

The campus closure provided insight on Pomona College’s baseline energy use— how much energy the College’s buildings use without any occupants.

With the majority of faculty and staff working remotely, Facilities was able to implement flexible building temperatures and shut down non-essential equipment. This reduced energy usage 34% from last year and 51% from the 2014 baseline.

Many of the largest reductions in usage this year came from athletic facilities and the residence halls since those spaces were largely unoccupied.

As the campus reopens in the fall, the Sustainability Office will work with Facilities to identify and prioritize major energy efficiency projects that will continue to reduce campus energy use for years to come.

For more information, click the 2021 SAVE Report link in our bio!

Buy homemade, student-created items from 5C students at the Walker Flea Market on Sunday, February 13th, 11 am - 2pm.

Items sold will include clothes, crochet creations, handmade jewelry, and art prints. We’ll also have craft stations for card making, macramé, and planting succulents!

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, let’s show our love for the Earth by promoting sustainable gifting!

The Sustainability Office at Pomona would like to announce that we are opening another free room location on campus!

Rather than walking all the way to Walker Lounge on North Campus, students living on South Campus can go to the Sustainability Integration Office located in Harwood East’s basement to grab some free items. This location is open at all times, feel free to come by to freshen up your wardrobe. Donations are also welcome.

Hello all! The 2021 ReCoop will be hosted on Saturday, September 18th with the following hours:

9-11am Full Price
11am-12pm Half-Price
12-1pm Everything is $1

If you have items that you would like to donate, there are donation bins both in Walker Lounge and in the Mudd-Blaisedell hallway near the vending machines.

ReCoop

Dear students, in light of the sudden news, we are NOW accepting ReCoop donations in every dorm lounge! All items will be collected and sorted by the Sustainability Office and Housekeeping.

List of acceptable items: http://tiny.cc/ReCoop

ReCoop As students move out of their dorms in the spring, students can donate their items to ReCoop. These items are sorted, stored over the summer, and then sold to incoming and returning students in the fall at a discounted price. ReCoop has saved over 15 tons of goods from going into the landfill every....

Own Nothing, Have Everything. | Orit Dolev | TEDxShenkarCollege

"Imagine a world where the richer you are, the less you own." Watch this TED Talk to hear Tech Designer Orit Dolev share her vision of a shared economy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I3ibU2-CU4&utm_source=The+Daily+Good&utm_campaign=3527dd2028-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_07_30_11_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cfbed2f865-3527dd2028-146246337

Own Nothing, Have Everything. | Orit Dolev | TEDxShenkarCollege Could you Imagine a future where you don't own a car, a house or even clothes? Tech Designer Orit Dolev takes us on a journey where we trade belongings for s...

Sustainable Pomona updated their business hours.

Sustainable Pomona updated their business hours.

Keep Los Angeles Beautiful Presents 2nd Annual Beautification Conference

Keep Los Angeles Beautiful Presents 2nd Annual Beautification Conference EVENT OVERVIEW: "Keep Los Angeles Beautiful presents its 2nd Annual Beautification Conference" Saturday, May 18, 2019 Los Angeles City Hall, 3rd Floor Rotunda (200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012) Complimentary refreshments and giveaways Registration, light breakfast, and networking: 8-9 a.m...

Pomona Dining Student Satisfaction Survey

Pomona College Dining Services is in the process of re-imagining their menus in order to improve both student satisfaction and sustainability. In order to do so, they are looking for student feedback regarding which meals are more and less popular. If you eat in the Pomona Dining Halls, please consider taking the survey below and providing your feedback! It will incredibly helpful in shaping the menus in the coming years.

https://forms.gle/JBQzdNQSgHTskKn86

Pomona Dining Student Satisfaction Survey Pomona College Dining Services is in the process of re-imagining their menus in order to improve both student satisfaction and sustainability. In order to do so, they are looking for student feedback regarding which meals are more and less popular. If you eat in the Pomona Dining Halls, please consi...

SAR App 2019

Come work for the Sustainability Office this summer!
APPLY BY SUNDAY 3/31

Sustainability Annual Report Intern

Gain experience in data collection, designing reports, and personal leadership. We also have several fun local field trips plans so that we can learn more about our sense of place.

Application: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ahgvBfevk9_Uv6P4szh68oecABXWKZDvSprDTv_sQe0

Link to last year’s student-made report: http://tiny.cc/SAR2018


We’re also hiring for ReCoop!
Application: https://forms.gle/jojYYVzwob9FuYxh7

SAR App 2019 Summer 2019 Sustainability Annual Report Intern APPLICATION *Open to All College Students* Submit application to [email protected] with a letter of interest by 10 PM on Sunday, March 31 Position Description Pomona College’s Sustainability Office is looking for two student interns intere...

Did you know that the Pomona College Sustainability Office has plates, cups, and cutlery you can check-out for free? Save money and save the environment by taking advantage of this super cool Greenware program! It’s easy, you request it, we’ll pack it, and you just pick it up! You can request greenware at this link: https://pomona.formstack.com/forms/greenware

Milkman-style packaging coming to world’s biggest brands

Some big brands are saying "goodbye" to single-use plastics and "hello" to reusable containers for everyday goods like shampoo, laundry detergent, and oatmeal.

https://nypost.com/2019/01/24/milkman-style-packaging-coming-to-worlds-biggest-brands/

Milkman-style packaging coming to world’s biggest brands A new shopping platform announced Thursday at the World Economic Forum aims to change the way we buy many brand-name products. Loop, as the platform is called, would do away with disposable contain…

2018: The Year in Climate Change

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From Chicago heat waves to Maine's struggling lobsters: 6 changes tied to global warming

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Come work for the Sustainability Office! We’re hiring two positions for the spring semester. Applications are due Thursday, December 13.

Links to open positions: tiny.cc/PomonaSO

Visual feature: The Emissions Gap Report

UN Environment’s 2018 Emissions Gap Report takes a close look at the pledges that countries have made to reduce their emissions. It calculates how far those pledges will go to prevent dangerous levels of warming, and it shows just how much more action is needed to keep us on a safe path.

"More individuals need to demand stronger action from their governments. More cities need to lead the way with innovative emissions-reducing policies. More countries need to make their climate pledges more ambitious. We’re all in this together. And together, we can close the gap."

unenvironment.org This year has seen some outstanding progress in the fight to protect the climate, with impressive commitments from cities, countries, and companies around the world. But the truth is, there is still a big gap between what we need to do and what we’re actually doing to prevent dangerous levels of c...

NASA releases time-lapse of the disappearing Arctic polar ice cap

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Spain Unveils 'Groundbreaking' Plan to Slash Emissions and Transition to 100% Renewable Energy by 2050

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Why consumers need help to shift to sustainable diets

independent.co.uk Over-consumption of food is bad for the planet and unhealthy for humans

Victory: A Climate Change Denier Will No Longer Run the House Science Committee

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How A Regenerative Revolution Could Reverse Climate Change

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US Supreme Court allows historic kids' climate lawsuit to go forward

The youth has spoken!

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Canada passed a carbon tax that will give most Canadians more money | Dana Nuccitelli

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Microplastics found in 90 percent of table salt

Something scary for Halloween: 90% of sea salt brands contained microplastics 😱

https://relay.nationalgeographic.com/proxy/distribution/public/amp/environment/2018/10/microplastics-found-90-percent-table-salt-sea-salt

Microplastics found in 90 percent of table salt A new study looked at sea, rock, and lake salt sold around the world. Here’s what you need to know.

Pomona College is committed to making its campus more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Every year, the Sustainability Office publishes an annual report which details our sustainability efforts, keeps track of our goals and identifies areas for improvement. Here is an infographic containing some insights into our achievements in the past year.