Projects
Fall Semester
UR UNPLUGGED
UR Unplugged is a four-week energy saving competition! From October 20th to November 16th, groups of on-campus dormitories (grouped by hall council) compete against eachother to see who can conserve the most energy compared to previous year's energy use.
Weekly
winners receieve monetary prizes for their hall council,
which is
generously provided by ResLife. The overall winner, who saves the most
energy, will win free tickets to a finale concert featuring
student-performance groups. Help save the planet, have fun competing,
and win cool prizes!
Mount Trashmore
Mount Trashmore is an annual demonstration of the amount of garbage generated by the university in a single day. Trash bags are collected from Wilson Commons dining hall throughout the day and piled for display on Wilson Quad. The final product is an astonishing visual reminder of the vast amount of waste produced on campus and to emphasize the importance of recycling.
Spring Semester
RECYClEMANIA
RecycleMania is a friendly competition among college and university recycling programs in the United States that provides the campus community with a fun, proactive activity in waste reduction. Over a 10-week period, campuses compete in different contests to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita the largest amount of total recyclables the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate.
CITY CYCLES
City Cycles provides a bicycle borrowing program, in which students of the University of Rochester may go to Goergen Athletic Center and essentially "take out" a bicycle for a specified amount of time. This program is intended to get students off the campus and more involved in the Rochester community, as well as reduce carbon emissions through the use of an environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
EARTH DAY
Earth Day is one of the biggest and most visible programs Grassroots puts on every year. Held the weekend of or before Earth Day at Wilson Commons, it involves informational tables and demonstrations from UR clubs, Grassroots projects, and community organizations that are environmentally-minded. In recent years it has included performances from local bands and a prize raffle based around learning from each of the event participants. We’re always looking for new ideas and help in putting out the word about how a single person can make a big impact on the environment, so feel free to contact us to help!
Year-Round
CLOTHING EXCHANGE
Based on a one-to-one exchange, students can bring clothing they no longer want and find something new. The clothing exchange is designed to reduce waste by providing a place for which students to bring clothing they no longer want, instead of throwing it out.
GRADUATION PLEDGE
The Graduation Pledge is a national movement occurring in campuses all over the country. The goal is to encourage students to take into consideration the environmental and social consequences of any job in the future.
INKJET CARTRIDE AND BATTERY RECYCLING
The goal of the inkjet cartridge and battery recycling programs is to put recycling bins in accessible, logical locations around campus and publicize them so that students recycle all of their batteries and cartridges. This saves huge amounts of waste, and proceeds from the inkjet program are used to plant trees on Earth Day (our campus is an arboretum, or a tree sanctuary. We work with the university horticulturalist, Dan Schied (who has a great mustache) to do this. How much money will this make the university? Probably $200-300! Where can you recycle inkjet cartridges and batteries? Gale (in Phase), Susan B. Anthony Halls (Morgan 104), Quad Offices, Multimedia Center, or the Computer Store in ITS.