APPA

FACILITIES MANAGER MARCH/APRIL 2017 27 VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY Villanova, Pennsylvania Submitted by Liesel Schwartz, Sustainability Manager CONSOLIDATING EFFECTIVE RECYCLING CENTERS Recently, Villanova University took steps to improve its recycling prob- lem. It was common practice to have only trash bins in the classroom and recycle centers in the hallway. e best way to encourage recycling is to always have the two bins next to each other. Adding more bins to our class- rooms was a non-starter with the custodians, as it would double their daily workload. After hearing of a successful program that pulled trash bins out of the classroom and increased recycling centers in public spaces, we decided to test the idea ourselves. Working with a senior environmental science student, we outlined a two- phase implementation plan across the College of Engineering. is would allow us to test the program's effectiveness before rolling out the improve- ments across campus. e new program was implemented in two of the three engineering build- ings at the start of the 2015-16 academic year. After two months of use, a waste audit was conducted by the environmental science senior as part of her thesis work. e audit showed a 7- to 12-point improvement in the recycling rate from the control building. e program has now been implemented across all of Villanova's academic buildings. VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY Richmond, Virginia Submitted by Erin Stanforth, Director of Sustainability THE VCU LEARNING GARDEN e VCU Learning Garden works to combat food insecurity for both the city of Richmond and VCU students and works to improve access to fresh food. One of two gardens maintained by the Office of Sustainability, donated nearly 500 pounds of fruits and vegetables from its first growing season to our partners at on-campus food pantry RamPantry and the Center for Healthy Hearts, a local nonprofit that provides healthcare to low-in- come, at-risk individuals. e Garden also welcomed over 300 volunteers, some of whom participated in garden work as part of service-learning coursework. e garden was funded in part by a grant from the VCU Divi- sion of Community Engagement, and hosts 10 raised garden beds constructed entirely from reclaimed materials. Plans to expand the garden include the addition of wheelchair accessible, table-top style beds, an outdoor classroom pavilion and a rain barrel water catchment system. In addition to its Learning Garden, VCU maintains an on-campus community garden close to its student center. Any VCU student, staff, or faculty member—or a group of them—can rent a plot for a semester or the entire year for growing food and flowers for personal use. Increasing student and community engagement with both gardens is one of the 17 goals articulated in VCU's Sustainability Plan. e plan was developed in 2015 with input from VCU stakeholders at two town hall events and from community members involved in five neighborhood associations.

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