Green Mountain College
Tier2-6: Move-Out Waste Reduction

Green Move-Out is a campus-wide effort to reduce waste upon move-out at the end of the spring semester. The Sustainability Office and GMC Eco-Reps invite all students to leave their unwanted, usable items in a specified area of the residence hall. Once the items are there, they are considered free for the taking. GMC and Poultney community members are invited to browse and take what they will use; whatever is left is donated to area shelters, sold in rummage sales as a fundraiser, or added to the campus Free Store, a clearinghouse for free used items.

Green Move Out 2011 The 2011 Green Move Out at GMC diverted an estimate of 5,700 lbs of waste from the landfill (as compared with 2,950 lbs in 2010). A team of 4-5 Eco-Reps led by two student managers worked throughout the last week of finals through the day after commencement on this project. Signs and emails advertised the event in the residence halls the week before students began to vacate the campus for the summer holiday. Students were encouraged to bring unbroken, working and pre-owned items to designated areas in the lounges of their residence halls. Many students left a number of items in the hubs of each floor The Green MoveOut Team moved usable items that could be donated/saved down to the lounges the week of move-out. “Lounge Shopping” was advertised amongst the campus community from 3-6 daily during the week prior to graduation. Most undergraduates moved out during this week. A number of faculty, staff and other students took advantage of this opportunity to take unwanted items. An estimated 500lbs of clothing, furnishing, bedding, appliances, etc were taken to new homes. Before Commencement, the Green Move Out Team bagged up unwanted clothes and bedding and donated them to local charities (Poultney thrift store), the Rutland Women’s Shelter and the Rutland Area Humane Society (all items went through quality control to ensure cleanliness and usability). Non perishable food items were donated to the Poultney Food Shelf. Three thousand pounds of goods will be repurposed on campus. Reusable items were placed in storage in Bogue and the Free Store to be given away/sold to new students in the fall. Eco Reps will be allowed to move back into the residence halls a few days early to help facilitate this Green Move-In Sale during Orientation as a fundraiser. Office Freepo was created in the basement of Pollock Hall and will repurpose the 500lbs of office supplies collected. E-waste was also collected, stored in IT offices and will be recycled by Facilities. This project was sponsored by the Sustainability Office in collaboration with the Office of Residence Life. Donations: Thrift Store: 1320 lbs Animal shelter: 400 lbs Women's shelter: 360 lbs Food Shelf: 150 lbs Total Donations: 2230 lbs Office Freepo Tally 1. Folders (pocket + manilla): 30 lbs. a. Number of pocket folders: 40 b. Number of manilla folders: 225 2. Binder/File Organizers (labeled inserts): 8.4 lbs 3. Books: 175 lbs. Approximately 200 4. Three-ring binders: 93 lbs. 120 total 5. Printer paper: 40 lbs 6. Markers (90), Pens (150), Pencils (75), Erasers (20), Butterfly-clip (35), Tape, Rulers (8), Staplers (3), Highlighters (15), Crayons (1 box of 64) and other random supplies: 40 lbs total 7. Hole Punchers: 4 total, 8 lbs 8. College-ruled Loose Paper: 20 lbs 9. College-ruled subject notebooks: 35, 23 lbs 10. Graphing Paper - - 3 lbs 11. Clipboards - - 3, 2 lbs 12. Dry-erase and tack boards: 13, 5 lbs 13. Paper Holders – 10 lbs 14. Ethernet Cables: 5, 1.7 lbs 15. Miscellaneous (Clock, mouse pads, picture frames, photo paper, un-identifiables): 5 lbs 16. Non-usable: 20 lbs Total Weight: 484.1 lbs IT Storage E-waste Tally (Student Generated): 1. 2 monitors – 66 lbs total 2. 3 laptops – 30 lbs total 3. 2 min-fridges – 100 lbs total 4. 15 lamps – 75 lbs total 5. 3 vacuums – 40 lbs 6. Miscellaneous Items (Printer parts, radios, computer chips, cables, batteries, unidentifiable jazz) – 150 lbs Total Weight: 461 lbs Bogue Storage Items for Green Move In: 1. Refrigerators: 12 total, 450 lbs combined a. Smaller size – 10, 35 lbs each, 350lbs total b. Larger size – 2, 50 lbs each, 100 lbs total 2. Carpets: Approximately 18. Unknown dimensions, 30 lbs each. 540 lbs total 3. Coffee Makers: 4, approximately 20lbs total 4. Televisions: 6, approx 180lbs total 5. Microwaves: 2, approx 40 lbs total Total Weight: 1680lbs FreeStore Tally: 1. 1 TV - 40 lbs 2. 1 Computer monitor – 33 lbs 3. Dishware – 45 lbs 4. Assorted Electronics (speakers, radio) – 65 lbs 5. Miscellaneous (Shelving, helmets (horse, lacrosse, bike), fish tank, mops, rake, snowboard bindings, assorted clothing and fabric) – 170 lbs Total Weight: 353 lbs Lounge Shopping: est 500 lbs TOTAL: 5,700 lbs