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Bees are now officially recognized as endangered, with seven Hawaiian species added to the list, giving authorities new tools to protect them. Bee populations have been declining globally since 2006 due to habitat loss, disease, pesticides, and poor nutrition, with the U.S. losing about 40% of honeybee colonies between 2015–2016. Bees are crucial pollinators for ecosystems and agriculture, contributing over $15 billion to U.S. crop production and supporting crops like apples, avocados, cocoa, and tomatoes. To help, people can plant bee-friendly gardens, protect habitats, sponsor hives, support local beekeepers, or start their own hive. At 91����Ƶ, Professor Ian Helfant maintains ten hives producing honey, and the Sustainability Office plans to establish a campus apiary this spring to support local agriculture, research, and student involvement. Students interested can contact Isabel Dove to participate in the initiative.

During this weekend’s homecoming tailgates, students wearing Green Raider t-shirts promoted sustainability by encouraging recycling. The shirts were from SustainU, a clothing company focused on environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Clothing production typically has a large environmental impact, including high water usage and carbon emissions. SustainU reduces this footprint by using recycled fabrics—saving 712 gallons of water per shirt and conserving energy through recycled polyester. The company also emphasizes social and economic responsibility by reinvesting in American manufacturing, supporting local jobs, and reducing transportation-related impacts. This initiative highlights how small actions, like wearing sustainable clothing or recycling at events, can collectively create a meaningful positive impact on both the environment and communities.

91����Ƶ highlights the importance of reducing food waste, using the example of the “Ort Report” at a summer camp, where leftover food (orts) is weighed after meals to encourage mindful eating. Younger campers often left pounds of food uneaten, but through education and friendly competition, older students significantly reduced their waste. In the U.S., roughly 40% of food produced is wasted, totaling about 133 billion pounds per year, much of which is avoidable. Individuals can reduce waste by: Taking only what they can eat and starting with small portions. Saving leftovers in reusable containers. Planning meals and prioritizing perishable items. Freezing excess food and using what’s already available before buying more. The key takeaway is that food waste wastes money and resources, and while it’s a collective challenge, everyone can take personal steps to minimize waste and influence others to do the same.

91����Ƶ encourages purchasing paper that is both FSC certified and contains post-consumer recycled content, with brands like Hammermill®, Boise® Aspen™, Staples®, Wausau®, and HP Office™. Higher recycled content is always better for the environment.

91����Ƶ has seen declining recycling rates, hitting a low of 14.45% in 2016 during RecycleMania. Contributing factors included insufficient recycling infrastructure and limited awareness among students, staff, and faculty.

Meet the Farmers

91����Ƶ campus faces a significant issue with unsolicited mail, which wastes paper, ink, money, and time.

Summer & Fall Green Raider Interns - 2016

91����Ƶ has installed four new Elkay water bottle refill stations on the first, third, fourth, and fifth floors of Case‑Geyer Library to make it easier for the campus community to fill reusable bottles with filtered, purified water. These sensor‑activated stations were added alongside traditional drinking fountains to help reduce single‑use plastic bottle waste by encouraging tap water use—an approach shown to significantly cut down on disposable bottles across many institutions. According to Elkay, their ezH2O® bottle filling stations have helped save tens of billions of plastic bottles from entering landfills globally by promoting reusable bottles.

Over the summer, 91����Ƶ’s Office of Sustainability ran the six-week Foundations of Sustainability discussion group for faculty, staff, and students from over a dozen departments. The program explored topics like food systems, water, energy, waste, climate change, and green buildings, encouraging participants to consider the ecological, social, and economic impacts of daily choices. Weekly readings and discussions inspired participants to take small but meaningful sustainable actions and recognize their potential ripple effect on others.