February 2020 Neighborhood Newsletter

AU in the Neighborhood

February 2020

Contact Us

202-885-2146

communityrelations@american.edu

Community Relations 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8033 United States

In This Issue

Sustainability, Zero Waste Teams Spearhead Single-Use Plastic Reduction Campaign

Students signing a pledge to not use single-use plastics

This past November, interns from �鶹��ý’s Office of Sustainability and the Zero Waste team spearheaded a university-wide waste reduction campaign. Students, faculty, and staff were asked to sign a pledge stating that they will use reusable forks, knives, and spoons instead of plastic utensils.��

The purpose of the campaign was to promote greater awareness and mindfulness of the negative environmental and health impacts of single-use plastics, and equip them with an easy tool – reusable utensils – to decrease their use.

“While it’s certainly important to sort waste on campus properly – a practice we employ currently – it’s even more important to reduce the amount of waste that our community generates in the first place,” said Tacy Lambiase, Sustainability Manager.

“Decreasing the use of single-use plastics on our campus will help AU reach its goal of becoming a zero waste campus.”

To encourage the 512 participants in AU’s community to adhere to their pledge, the Office of Sustainability gave them all a set of reusable, dishwasher-safe utensils made with wheat straw housed in a carrying case. If each of the 512 people uses their reusable utensils, they could save more than 57,000 plastic utensils from being used annually.

During the campaign, the Zero Waste team ran a social media challenge using the hashtag #ForkPlastic. Anyone who posted an Instagram story featuring themselves using their reusable utensils was eligible to win a Hydro Flask.

“If even one member of the AU community uses their reusable utensils around their friends, it encourages others to start using reusables. We want to equip our community with the tools to behave more sustainably and encourage their friends and family to engage with sustainability, too,” said Lambiase.

Sustainability Intern Kira Burba added, “Waste reduction campaigns, such as our efforts to reduce single-use plastics, are important because they help make the university community aware of their consumption. Once they realize the amount of waste they produce, they can make positive changes in their lives to effect change.”

Facts About Single-Use Plastics

Only nine percent of all plastic that has ever been created has actually been recycled.
More than 99 percent of plastic is produced with oil, natural gas, and coal – all fossil fuels.
The majority of plastic utensils are used only once and end up in landfills or in our environment.
The Ocean Conservancy, an environmental advocacy group, names plastic utensils as one of the most deadly kinds of ocean waste for sea life.
The production of plastic products, like utensils, creates toxic emissions. Low-income, vulnerable communities are affected disproportionally and experience higher rates of respiratory illnesses, as they tend to live in more affordable communities often located near plastic production plants.

Make AU Basketball a Part of Your February

AU Men's Basketball's 7th Annual Sustainability Awareness Game: �鶹��ý vs. Loyola. Wed. Feb. 12 at 7 p.m., Bender Arena

Make attending an AU Basketball game a part of your February to-do list. The men’s and women’s basketball seasons are in full effect, and now is your chance to see every jump shot, three-pointer, and win up-close and live.

Be a part of the stretch run of Patriot League play and catch all four remaining men’s home games in Bender Arena this February. For just $68 you get a sideline ticket to the following games:

February 8 vs. Army
February 12 vs. Loyola
February 19 vs. Navy
February 26 vs. Lafayette��

Purchase this special limited time offer at or call (202) 885-T-I-X-X by Friday February 7 to reserve your Eagles Men’s Basketball February 4-Pack today.

You also can catch the AU Women’s Basketball games with the “February Family Four Pack” on sale now for just $20. Bring the family to a Saturday afternoon matinee game in Bender this month. Purchase this online-only special offer at . ��Simply choose your game – Saturday, February 15, 22, or 29 – select two adult and two youth tickets, and use coupon code FAMPACK at checkout to receive more than 20 percent off your order. ��

Then on February 12, join AU Athletics to celebrate the legacy of Earth Day on its 50^th anniversary at the 7^th Annual Sustainability Awareness Basketball Game versus Loyola University in Bender Arena. As a source of university pride and school spirit, this game has grown in affinity and meaning through the years. Game time is 7 p.m. To purchase tickets online, use the coupon code GREEN20 at and��receive $5 off each adult ticket. AU undergrad, graduate, and WCL students are admitted free with valid AU ID.

Neighborhood Volunteers Needed For Air Quality Study

�鶹��ý Professor Valentina Aquila’s atmospheric science lab is looking for volunteers for their new project to study the impacts of green spaces on air quality.

While it is often assumed that more green is always good, some studies with air quality models have found that, in cities, trees might actually increase pollution levels at “nose level.” The goal of the project is to collect data to verify or disprove these findings and, in the meantime, teach students about air pollution monitoring.��

To help collect data, neighborhood volunteers would host��in their front yards. ��Sensors, 3.5 in x 3.5 in x 5 in. in size, would be hung on a pole, fence, or wall, and an outlet would be required to plug in the device and Wi-Fi to transmit data in real time for our students to analyze.��

If you are interested in participating in the research, please contact Prof. Valentina Aquila (aquila@american.edu) for more details and to learn about all the interesting science and educational opportunities that will be made possible by your participation. Please feel free to post to listservs and share with friends and neighbors in Ward 3.

Spring Brings AU’s Farmers’ Market Back To Campus

Every Wednesday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., AU’s farmers’ market is a fixture in the quad space around the Mary Graydon Center. Students, faculty, staff, and neighbors can browse goods ranging from farm-fresh vegetables to homemade breads and desserts.

The market is a coordinated effort between AU and Pennsylvania-based��Agora Farms, an intermediary for bringing Amish and Mennonite and “English” farm goods to AU’s campus as well as to D.C.’s historic Eastern Market on Saturdays and Sundays.

RavenHook Bakehouse also offers a variety of fresh breads including raisin pecan, harvest grain, pain de campagne, jalapeno cheddar, sourdough, challah, whole wheat, focaccia, black Russian, NY rye, artisan baguettes, and tea breads, as well as chocolate chip cookies, mini pies, and cobblers.

In addition to supporting locally-grown food, the convenience of having fresh food right on campus makes it a great benefit not only to the campus community but to the surrounding neighborhood as well.