We’ve just passed the time where we get to let go of midterm stress in fun, well thought-out (or extremely last-minute) costumes. The time where we actually think that spooky party music is fun to listen to and find any excuse at all to eat candy.
The (in)famous Halloween Weekend began this past Friday—or perhaps Thursday, for some—and in addition to extra parties, I’m sure many of you saw extra red solo cups on the VilA stairs and a more noticeable layer of trash spread across campus. One could say it added to the gory theme of the holiday, but once this week gets going, none of us are going to want Natty Light cans decorating the streets.
Last year, Monica Mahal, a junior in the college and an intern at the Office of Sustainability, noticed the need for litter collection around campus (especially around certain holidays like Halloween). She applied for a grant from the Office of Sustainability (given by Coca Cola) to start the new initiative: “GU Litter Free.” This litter clean-up group gives great opportunities to volunteer and see the impacts of your work in your own community. “It’s a call to action for students, staff, faculty, and community members to engage in environmental service to keep our beautiful campus clean. We meet three to four times a semester, and are expanding with new partnerships,” says Mahal.
Litter has been an existing problem for a long time on campus. In particular, it negatively impacts the residential families in the Georgetown neighborhood. This project will help to create positive relationships with these community members. Audrey Stewart, Director of the Office of Sustainability, says that she is looking forward to helping advise and promote GU Litter Free’s efforts in the coming academic year. “The mission of GU Litter Free is right in line with the university’s goals for sustainability and it is great to see students taking initiative on this issue,” says Stewart.
The next GU Litter Free event will be on Saturday, November 7th, with coffee and bagels provided for all volunteers. There will also be community members coming with the BCA Public Works and Beautification Committee, which leads litter clean up events in Burleith. In additional efforts to keep Georgetown clean, GU Litter Free has also planned to put out extra waste bins in Village A and across the rest of campus. If anything, try to use those in the aftermath of this weekend and help out a great cause.
After the fun and spooky weekend, I hope that Georgetown students can find the time to give back to the neighborhoods that we live in. Check out the Georgetown Office of Sustainability’s Facebook page for more information on the initiative.
