Tag: recycling

Celebrate Earth Day at MSU!

Published on by Abigail MillerLeave a comment

Earth Day is April 22 – a perfect reminder that every day is a chance to show our planet some love! While there are many eco-friendly things we weave into our daily lives already, Earth Day is a great opportunity to promote sustainability. Whether you’re working remotely or commuting into the office, take a look at these tips and resources to go green:

Use the MSU Recycling Center: The MSU Recycling Center always leads the charge for reusable materials at MSU. The center is open seven days a week for drop-off of materials. These materials can be anything and everything, including books, cardboard, glass, plastics, and more! Read the Public Drop-off Recycling Center Guide to find their hours and what and how to drop things off. 

Join the Waste Warriors: The Surplus Store & Recycling Center’s Waste Warriors program cultivates waste reduction and the utilization of waste as a resource by training and empowering the MSU community to promote these practices among their peers. By becoming a Waste Warrior, you join a group of like-minded staff and faculty from across campus who each pledge to be part of the solution that will lead MSU down the path to zero waste.

Meridian Township Spring Recycling Day: On April 26th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., stop by the Meridian Mall to safely recycle your unwanted items at the Meridian Township Farmers’ Market. Visit the Meridian Township website to see what items are accepted. 

Shop at the MSU Surplus Store: The MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center rethinks the way the MSU Community disposes of its used materials. Our innovative program allows us to reduce the amount of university material that goes to landfills, keeping MSU green. Shop from a variety of items, including books, electronics, furniture, office equipment, vehicles, and more. Additionally, check out the Community Reuse Program to drop off a wide variety of items for reuse and recycling.

Join MSU Arbor Day: On April 25 at noon, join the MSU Landscapers installing native plant material along the riverbank, creating a new pollinator garden. Volunteer along the banks of the Red Cedar River between Kellogg Ramp and Jenison Field House in lot 67 for the annual Arbor Day planting. Free trees from the campus nursery will be given away to the first 100 volunteers who attend.

Pack Up, Pitch In: The Student Life and Engagement Sustainability Office is looking for volunteers to help collect and pack non-perishable foods from the residence halls during move-in and move-out weeks. These efforts will directly benefit the MSU Food Bank, MSU Safe Place, and the sustainability of the MSU community. 

Deep Rooted Tour Series: Join Applied Ethnobotanist and Education Director of the Beal Botanical Gardens, Maeve Bassett, to learn about the social, historical, and political narratives within plants in the garden and artwork in the MSU Broad Art Collection.

Volunteer at the Beal Botanical Garden: Volunteer opportunities with the Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum span far beyond Earth Day. Explore gardening, training opportunities, and ambassadorships to help benefit the campus and our Earth. 

Use MSU Bikes on Campus: MSU Bikes provides support with commuter resources to help you bike to work with confidence, including a 1-on-1 Bike Commuter Assistance service, which helps you find the safest, lowest-stress route to and from campus to your neighborhood. MSU Bikes also rents bikes to departments for staff to use during the work day through their Department Fleet Services.

Limit Car Use: While there is no getting around long commutes, take any opportunity to walk or use MSU Bikes or CATA buses to limit emissions from your vehicle. No destination in mind? Explore these campus walking maps to find your new favorite trail!

How else can we get involved? 

While Earth Day is just one day out of the year, it can serve as a reminder to jumpstart your sustainability efforts and connection with our planet. Go Green!

Job of the Week: Collections Group Leader

Published on by Abigail MillerLeave a comment

This week, MSU Human Resources is featuring a job posting as the Collections Group Lead for MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities (posting 868217). If you want to make an impact on your community and Michigan State’s beautiful campus, this may be the job for you. You’ll play a huge role in our mission to manage MSU’s waste as a resource while pursuing professional development. 

Infrastructure Planning and Facilities builds, maintains, and beautifies MSU’s physical campus environment to support the university’s education, research, missions, and long-term infrastructure planning goals. The experienced team of over 1,000 professionals keeps MSU running 24/7 by continuously supporting the needs of Michigan State’s campus. 

This in-person role’s main responsibilities include leading the collections team in moving, sorting, transporting, unloading, counting, storing, and preparation of recycling, surplus, and refuse materials. This position will oversee and train all types of employees (student, temporary, or full-time) and direct the daily work of staff, drivers, and co-pilots.

As Collections Group Leader, you will most importantly divert material from local landfills by employing the highest use of reduction and recycling. Additionally, you will assist the Operations Supervisor with daily labor tasks and scheduling. As a leader for the Collections Group, you’ll exude excellent customer service by responding to incoming emails and phone calls. You will also safely operate university vehicles and equipment to process material in addition to tracking weights and material for data collection.

The education, experience and skills desired for this role includes a high school diploma or equivalent, expert knowledge of recycling operations, the recycling and reuse program. You should also have three years of work experience in recycling machinery, receiving, and shipping large material volumes. You will frequently lift 26 to 75 pounds and sometimes more. You’ll also need training certifications within the first six months, including MSU forklift, Bobcat operator and First Responder/First Aid.

Learn more about MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities here. To learn more about this position or if you are interested in applying online, please visit the Careers at MSU website for more information! Applications require a current resume and a letter expressing interest and qualifications and should be submitted by August 6th. 

Happy Earth Day!

Published on by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

Happy Earth Day! Let’s celebrate by doing our part in helping the planet. Recycling is great, but there’s so much more we can do. Here are some ways you can help our Spartan community go green. Whether you are working from home, heading into the office or any combination, use these great tips and resources to make your lifestyle more sustainable.

MSU Recycling Center always leads the charge for reusable materials at MSU. The center is open seven days a week for dropping off materials. These materials can be anything and everything from books, cardboard, glass, plastics and more. Find their hours along with what and how to drop things off at the MSU Recycling Center website. 

If you do spend some or all of your workday away from home, consider looking into clean commuting options. You can MSU Bikes offers new and ready-to-ride affordable used bikes for sale plus a full menu of bike repair services with one of the largest workshops in Michigan.  They also rent bikes if you’re needing a bike for a shorter to longer term and don’t want the headache of maintaining a bike or selling it when you leave campus.  MSU Bikes also offers 1-on-1 bike services, like commuter assistance, helping you find the safest, lowest-stress route from your home to campus.  MSU Parking now offers secure covered bike parking and MSU has many DIY repair and air stations in every neighborhood of campus for your convenience.  Full details can be found on MSU Bikes’ website.  

Capital Area Transportation Authority offers multiple clean commute options with travel modes that fit your work hours and location. CATA also offers a commute cost calculator by examining how much money you spend driving and how much you can save by using the bus and other CATA services. Visit the CATA website to learn how to add CATA to your sustainable daily routine. 

Spin electric scooters are the newest addition to clean, affordable, convenient and fun ways to get around campus. These scooters are dockless, so no need to find a charger to pick them up or drop them off. They operate seven days a week during all daylight hours. To ride these electric scooters that travel up to 14 miles per hour, just download the Spin App and scan the unique QR code on the scooter you want to ride. Get ready to ride on and around campus by going to MSU’s Spin Scooter landing page. 

Are you looking for some new accessories to improve your work space? The MSU Surplus Store is worth checking out! Finding items second hand is a great way to make a pledge to go green, especially when everything is at such great prices. Read MSU HR’s feature on the Surplus Store to learn more about the great services and items they offer!

This Earth Day, it has never been easier to make a pledge and go green. Reduce your carbon footprint with a clean commute, reuse and shop second hand at the MSU Surplus Store, and of course, recycle at the MSU Recycling Center. Putting in the effort this Earth Day and every day after will make a difference for our planet.

Go Green this Earth Day!

Published on by MSU Human Resources1 Comment

Earth Day is April 22, so let’s celebrate because helping the planet is not only recycling but so much more! Here are some ways you can help our Spartan community go green! Whether you are working from home, heading into the office or any combination, use these great tips and resources to make your lifestyle more sustainable.

MSU Recycling Center always leads the charge for reusable materials at MSU. The center is open seven days a week for dropping off materials. These materials can be anything and everything from books, cardboard, glass, plastics and more! Find their hours along with what and how to drop things off at the MSU Recycling Center website. 

If you do spend some or all of your workday away from home, consider looking into clean commuting options. You can try biking, CATA or even Spin Scooters. MSU Bikes can give 1-on-1 bike commuter assistance, helping you find the safest, lowest-stress route from your home to campus. MSU also offers secure covered bike parking and repair and air stations for your convenience. Information can be found on their website. 

Capital Area Transportation Authority offers multiple clean commute options with travel modes that fit your work hours and location. CATA also offers a commute cost calculator by examining how much money you spend driving and how much you can save by using the bus and other CATA services. Visit the CATA website to learn how to add CATA to your sustainable daily routine. 

Spin electric scooters are the newest addition to clean, affordable, convenient and fun ways to get around campus. These scooters are dockless, so no need to find a charger to pick them up or drop them off. They operate seven days a week during all daylight hours. To ride these electric scooters that travel up to 14 miles per hour, just download the Spin App and scan the unique QR code on the scooter you want to ride. Get ready to ride on and around campus by going to MSU’s Spin Scooter landing page. 

Are you looking for some new accessories to improve your work from home space? Do you need something different as you transition back to the office? The MSU Surplus Store is worth checking out! Finding items second hand is a great way to make a pledge to go green, especially when everything is at such great prices. Read MSU HR’s feature on the Surplus Store to learn more about the great services and items they offer!

This Earth Day, it has never been easier to make a pledge and go green! Reduce your carbon footprint with a clean commute, reuse and shop second hand at the MSU Surplus Store, and of course, recycle at the MSU Recycling Center. Putting in the effort this Earth Day and every day after that will make a difference for our planet!

MSU: The Gold Standard for Sustainability

Published on by MSU Human Resources1 Comment

Michigan State University is and has always been at the forefront of sustainability in higher education. With programs set up to improve our impact on the planet around every part of campus, it is no surprise that the University received a Gold Rating for sustainability from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education in 2019. Even after MSU earned that ranking, which you can read more about here, Spartans continue to innovate and create new ways to be sustainable. 

But what does sustainability mean? Sustainability is the practice of adjusting how we live, learn, and work so that we limit and eventually cut out our uses of limited resources on this earth. Basically, we partake in practices that can be sustained over time, reducing our personal impact on the environment. The MSU Department of Community Sustainability helps the whole University do this. 

The Department of Sustainability is a great resource for staff, faculty and students of the University because of the weekly events it puts on to encourage sustainability in daily life and the resources it provides for members of the community interested in implementing more sustainable practices into their life and work. Through weekly programs, staff certifications, support for student-run gardens, recycling programs and much more, MSU Sustainability has it all.

On Wednesdays, MSU Sustainability and MSU Health Promotion team up for Well-Being Wednesdays. This fall, staff, faculty and students are all getting together on Dem Field to reunite “in Motion” by doing activities like blender bike composting, bringing sustainability into healthy living. On Fridays, MSU Sustainability and MSU Broad Art Labs team up for Spartan Upcycle Fridays, a fun, open-house style event where you can bring your own materials or reuse theirs to create art out of anything. This is a program everyone is excited to see come back in person as it was a fan favorite before the university went all online. Register for upcoming Upcycle Fridays here.

MSU Sustainability also has a certification program just for faculty and staff coordinators. You can get certified in sustainable practices for your unit that reduce your waste impact in the workplace through the Green Office Program while working towards a greener MSU community. Not only does this certification create a better workplace at MSU, but the training can be brought into daily life, making every step you take a step towards a fully sustainable lifestyle. 

One of the best ways to practice sustainability is buying local produce, and this is possible with the MSU Student Organic Farm. Sustainable agriculture is being taught at MSU, and as a consumer of the goods from the farm, you can support the mission to make growing practices better for the environment while enjoying great produce and great prices. Interested in becoming a sustainable farmer yourself? Look no further than the Organic Farmer Training Program, currently registering members of the MSU community for in person training starting in 2022. 

Finally, one of the simplest but most important things you can do to decrease your carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future is to recycle. At MSU, learning to correctly recycle is as easy as watching a short video or reading the recycling and reuse guidelines, both located on the MSU recycling website.

With the help of the MSU Department of Community Sustainability, it is easier than ever to change up little parts of your lifestyle and Go Green!