Five Ways Wake Students Impacted Sustainability in 2016

Wake students are instrumental in crafting, launching, and nurturing campus-led sustainability initiatives. These efforts—both big and small—contribute greatly to creating a culture of sustainability at Wake Forest University.

To learn how you can be part of the action in 2017, browse our website or email sustainability@wfu.edu. Below are just a few examples of the many sustainable initiatives undertaken by students this past year.

1. February 2016 marked the launch of the Wake Forest Re-Cycle Program—the multi-semester undertaking of previous Office of Sustainability intern Alyshah Aziz ‘16. This past fall, Re-Cycle provided more than 80 semester-long bicycle rentals to students across campus. We are working to add more bikes to the fleet to meet an ever-increasing demand. Interested in checking out a bike for spring 2017? Click on “Transportation” under the Initiatives tab on the Office of Sustainability website to fill out an interest form.
2. On Move-In Day, Office of Sustainability interns distributed over 900 personal recycling totes to first-year students to help them divert waste from local landfills. More than 400 of these bins were cleaned and refurbished from the previous year.
3. Over 200 members from the Wake Forest Class of 2016 made an enduring commitment to sustainability by signing the Green Graduation Pledge, an opportunity that over 100 other colleges and universities offer their graduates. By signing the Green Grad Pledge, graduates vow to take into account the social and environmental consequences of their future endeavors and to work to improve the sustainability of the communities in which they work, live, and play.
4. Wake Forest students banded together to reduce their waste at move-out. In 2016, Deacs Donate helped place over 31,000 pounds of clothing and other essentials into the hands of those in need in the Winston-Salem area.
5. In 2016, Campus Garden interns and volunteers nurtured over 30 different crops, providing Campus Kitchen and the Wake Forest community with local, sustainable produce. Expect the offerings to grow in 2017 with blackberries, blueberries, and concord grapes. Attend open volunteer hours next semester to check out all the garden has to offer.

Are you a student working on sustainability-focused research at Wake Forest? Send us an email at sustainability@wfu.edu so that we can feature you in an upcoming story.