SCARCE, an award-winning environmental education non-profit dedicated to creating sustainable communities, will award its prestigious Earth Flag award to Elmhurst College next month.
SCARCE (School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education) gives the Earth Flag to educational institutions and schools of all kinds that have taken action to promote commitment to recycling and protecting the environment. The award recognizes educational institutions that support and implement innovative recycling and environmental sustainability initiatives. The flag is funded by the DuPage County Environmental Committee.
Over the past eight years, Elmhurst College has engaged in a number of activities that led it to earn the award, including educating students and staff about recycling; implementing waste reduction programs; and carrying out ambitious recycling programs.
These programs include:
- The College’s partnership with Chartwells, the College’s Food service provider, to develop a food scrap composting program
- The Food Recovery Network, a volunteer-driven student organization that seeks to recover and donate unserved food in the student dining areas
- Extensive recycling efforts spearheaded by the College’s Facilities Management department, which aim to increase the recycling of industrial materials used by the College, including carpeting, concrete, metal, motor oil, cooking oil, mattresses, fluorescent bulbs and a wide range of batteries
- Campus- and community-wide recycling efforts, including the annual Recycling Extravaganza, during which an average 25 tons of electronics are kept out of landfills
- Paper use and energy reduction programs
The Earth Flag ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 6, in the Lucks Conference Room in Cureton Hall. Representatives from SCARCE, the DuPage County Environmental Committee, and some of the College’s environmental initiatives will be in attendance. The public is invited to attend.