Previous | Next
A Recycling Guru A few times per week, Rob Pudner ’09 collects food scraps from a bin in the dining hall. He heads out the door with his haul loaded in a farm cart and passes the gym, wellness center, and library before crunching up the gravel path to the farm, where those scraps get added to the compost pile. Eventually, that compost will get worked into the farm’s soil, helping to grow the tomatoes, squash, lettuce and other veggies that will one day make the reverse journey across campus, into the dining hall and onto students’ plates. For Rob, it’s a short loop that makes a big impact. “We can’t keep taking crops from the soil without putting anything back in,” he said. “We’ve got the nutrients right here, why not use them?” Although perhaps the most physical example of Rob’s commitment to reusing and recycling, it’s not the only one. Rob is also the founder of GMC’s Free Store, a place where students can drop off or pick up a plethora of items free for the taking. Much of it would likely end up in the trash, Rob said, so providing a space for students to exchange goods saves on landfill space, saves students money, and potentially helps to save resources that would go into manufacturing new items. Last spring, as students packed up to head home, the store filled up with mini refrigerators (eleven of them), juicers, telephones, pots and pans, and kitchenware. Even a discarded clown wig made its way into the store. “It’s become a library for physical, useful belongings,” Rob says, adding that one goal is to incorporate workshops into the Free Store’s mission. Possibilities include lessons on sewing, repairing electronics, and finding new purposes for used items. The Student Campus Greening Fund is another example of student-driven work, and another passion for Rob. He heads up the “Fund Loving Committee,” a group tasked with organizing the fund and helping students through the process of proposing projects to green the campus. Students vote on the proposals and successful applicants are funded through a student activity fee allocation. Recent projects have included the installation of recycling bins, bicycle racks, and drying racks for the farm. The greening fund allows students to “take ownership over projects,” he said. “It’s not something that’s happening. It’s something they’re actively doing.” It’s a lesson this environmental studies major hopes his classmates take with them after GMC. “You need to get out there and do it yourself,” he said. “You need to be the force. It’s important to be conscious of your everyday actions and align them with your beliefs.”
