The plastic free pledge
Plastic Free Zone, a student-led task force committed to reducing plastic waste and litter in the Geneseo community, is planning a plastic clean up event on Oct. 1. The group plans to clean Orchard and Court Streets and provide residents with resources and tips on how to reduce their plastic waste. Interested volunteers will be meeting at the E-garden across from Monroe Hall on Oct. 1 from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Rey Torres, a sophomore geology major, said that they have a lot of ideas for how residents, specifically residents of fraternity and sorority houses, can reduce their plastic waste.
Torres said, “For each house, we’ll collect trash and we’ll be placing a premade note on the door that says how many bags we picked up and possible solutions to the littering and plastic waste problem. That includes hosting bring-your-cup events, placing trash and recycling bins where people can see them, purchasing alcohol in cans, kegs, or glass and not providing plastic cups, or using compostable alternatives instead.”
Torres said that they hope that their efforts off campus will encourage more students to participate in sustainability in the Geneseo community, not just on campus.
“What we’re trying to do is make our planet more habitable and sustainable for future generations…we want to cultivate an environment that promotes sustainability not only in Geneseo, but around the whole community.”
Plastic litter has proven to be a problem on Orchard and Court Streets this semester, with the Livingston County News and The Lamron reporting on complaints of loud disturbances and garbage in the streets and on lawns. In an email to the student population on Sept. 9, Dean of Students Leonard Sancilio reminded students that, even if they live off campus, they are still required to follow the SUNY Geneseo Student Code of Conduct and that they should not be a nuisance to Geneseo residents.
According to Torres, this year, Plastic Free Zone in Geneseo has begun making concrete actions plans.
“Right now, we’re just a student-led organization, so we haven’t gotten [Student Association (SA)] funded or recognized by the college. But what we want to do is get the president to sign a break away from breakaway plastic pledge by the end of this year, or maybe next year,” said Torres.
While they are not SA-funded, Plastic Free Zone is supported by Director of Sustainability Dan DeZarn, as well as Interim Director of Student Volunteerism Mackenzie DeRider and Interim Coordinator for Fraternal Life and Off-Campus Services Gina Wittek. According to Torres, they were and continue to be very helpful while Plastic Free Zone has been in its early stages.
According to the Geneseo sustainability website, “SUNY Geneseo calls upon all members of our community to embrace sustainability as a core value, including a commitment to its constitutive principles of ecological, social, and economic justice. We recognize the critical role of higher education in creating a sustainable society. Through teaching, research, service, and institutional conduct we strive to nurture the values, skills, and knowledge necessary to sustain and enhance human and non-human life on the planet.”
On Oct. 5 at 2:30 p.m. in the MacVittie Student Union Ballroom, biologist and author Sandra Steingraber is presenting “Designing the Unfractured Future: Thoughts on Pipelines and Plastic in an Age of Climate Emergency.” Students interested in current climate issues and the effects of climate disasters are encouraged to attend.
More information and updates can be found on the Plastic Free Zone Instagram, @plasticfree_geneseo.