This past October, Colorado Mesa University’s Sustainability Council went to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability for a higher education conference. At this conference, the CMU council joined a membership that would implement zero waste programs on campus. 

“We met Meghann and she was presenting on behalf of PLAN. PLAN is Post-Landfill Action Network. It is a nonprofit that works with universities specifically like student groups like the Sustainability Council to implement zero waste on campus,” President of Sustainability Council Isabella Vaz said. “Zero waste would be diverting waste from going to the landfill, reusing instead of wasting or even recycling.”

Being a PLAN member school means that all students and faculty have access to the information and discounts that PLAN provides. There are free webinars, workshops, program manuals and other things for students to learn about sustainability. 

“They have discounts for zero waste brands like reusable straws and bamboo utensils,” Vaz said. “It’s even better because all students and faculty can use it.”

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The biggest project that this membership has implemented is the Move-Out Program. 

“It is collecting materials during move out week and diverting it from going to the landfill and instead storing it over the summer and then sell it back to students at the beginning of the year,” Vaz said. 

The Move-Out Program is one of the many manuals that PLAN provides its members. Other manuals include zero plastic campuses, expanded recycling and several more. The manuals consist of how other universities has transformed their campuses into zero waste campuses. 

“I think just having those resources available are valuable,” Vaz said. “This is the first year we will be doing the Move-Out Program since we just became members of PLAN. “For students moving in in the fall how cool would it be to have a big yard sale and get a mini fridge for like $10 instead of going to target and getting one.” 

For this program, the council is pairing up with the entrepreneur’s club. Vaz hopes that other clubs and organization could also be involved and it become a large program. 

As the council focuses and works with PLAN on that program, they also work on events and keep up with their current projects. With the help of the Outdoor Program vans, the council does a trail clean

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up. They are also partnering up with the OP for a River clean up. 

“I think the way it is getting set up right now, is an OP trip and then the Sustainability Council will pay for lunch and stuff,” Vaz said. 

This trip would be open to all students and would be at the beginning of Earth Week. The council also has planned several events for Earth Week. This will be on April 22 which is Earth Day and will continue throughout the week. 

The list of the week’s events is on the CMU website on the Sustainability Council page. 

The council still has the university garden and the compost facility at the WCCC campus. Another project that Vaz is passionate about is CMU becoming a “B” campus. 

“It’s Pollinator-friendly, like butterflies, hummingbirds, honey bees, native bees and it is also about offering different types of classes,” Vaz explained. 

CMU is a tree campus and once they get the president’s approval then they can make relationships with other facilities to become a B campus. 

The Sustainability Council meets every week and is open to all students. They plan events but mostly learn about sustainability and how an individual can impact others. 

To learn more about PLAN and get the free webinars and manuals, CMU students can log in with their MavZone emails.