Office of Sustainability

Washington University in St. Louis has earned a silver rating in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) inaugural Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) program. STARS is one of the first tools to attempt to holistically measure sustainability efforts on college campuses.

No room in the truck for the futon, extra boxes of macaroni or nearly new T-shirts during move-out? Instead of throwing those items away, donate them to Share Our Stuff (SOS). WUSTL’s SOS program seeks to reduce waste and share goods typically thrown away during on-campus and off-campus move-out with those in need in the St. Louis region. SOS hosts drop-off points at Danforth Campus residential areas and off-campus.

WUSTL recycled 556,623 pounds of waste this spring to rank in the top 5 percent nationally — No. 15 out of 363 schools — in the annual RecycleMania contest’s Gorilla category. WUSTL also increased its diversion rate — or percentage of total waste recycled or reused — by nearly 10 percent and reduced the total waste produced by 4.5 pounds per person during the competition.

Washington University students, faculty and staff can show their commitment to sustainability by taking the WUSTL Sustainability Pledge at SustainabilityPledge.wustl.edu. The pledge asks those who sign it to live more sustainably at their workplace, school and home by reducing personal energy consumption, producing less waste, conserving resources and recycling.

Faculty, staff and students can recycle burned out or unwanted holiday light strings before, during and after the holidays at the Danforth University Center, the South 40 House and North Campus beginning Monday, Nov. 15. WUSTL’s Office of Sustainability is partnering with Green Earth Waste Recovery Inc. and Operation Food Search on the initiative, which runs through Saturday, Jan. 15.

No room for a futon, boxes of macaroni or stacks of nearly new T-shirts in the backseat of the car during move-out? Don’t throw them away — share extra items instead by donating to “Share Our Stuff.” Drop-offs are located on and off campus this spring and summer.