Corinne Walther ’15 Helps Make Campus Solstice Party a Zero-Waste Event

You won’t find any ordinary garbage bins at the president’s Winter Solstice Celebration on Tuesday, Dec. 9—and Corinne Walther ’15 knows why.

UPDATED Friday, Dec. 12—Waste collection for President McCartney’s December 9 Solstice Party for college staff amounted to three bags of compost and a “significant quantity of containers for recycling,” according to campus sustainability coordinator Emma Kerr. “We also ended up with a very small amount of trash waste which we are hoping to eliminate in the future” at large campus events, Kerr said. Student volunteers led by Corinne Walther ’15 discovered that tea served at the party was packaged in bags with foil liners that could not be recycled or composted. The remainder of the trash (less than half a bag) consisted of plastic wrappings and bags used to transport food. “The caterers were very friendly and receptive to our goals,” Kerr said. “A minimal amount of trash from an event with close to 400 attendees is excellent.”

Walther, who is an intern with the Office of Campus Sustainability, is behind efforts to make the all-staff gathering a zero-waste event. That means that all leftovers and litter generated by the party will either be recycled or composted, with zero waste headed to the landfill.

Walther knows how to accomplish that goal. She led a successful push to make September’s Fall Festival event led by student environmental organizations in the Campus Center, a zero-waste affair.

For that event, “we ordered biodegradable bowls, and I hid all of the garbage cans and switched them out for recycling bins,” Walther said. “It worked out perfectly. So I thought, why doesn’t this happen at more campus events?”

Walther said it was easy to get staff in dining services, facilities management and events management on board for a zero-waste Solstice Celebration for college staff. Party refreshments will be served on regular silverware and dishware, meaning napkins, cups and food scraps will be the only waste in need of recycling or composting.

“Hopefully, if this runs smoothly, other departments will see zero-waste as a viable option for their events,” Walther said.

Campus sustainability director Dano Weisbord said his office shares that hope.

“Corinne’s zero-waste proposal was a first for a big, campus-wide gathering,” Weisbord said.“She and other students really wanted to make it happen. Our hope is that we can expand this to other events.”

Walther, who is majoring in sociology with a minor in government, said she grew up in a household where waste-reducing strategies were common practice.

“My mom would rinse out plastic bags,” she noted, with a smile. “We were always donating and recycling.”

Recognizing that not all of her Smith classmates are as familiar with composting and recycling, Walther got involved with campus sustainability work her first year on campus. This year, she is overseeing the approximately 40 students who have signed up to be house “eco-reps”—some of whom will be volunteering at the Solstice Celebration.

Walther and other eco reps are also hosting a “Smithies Give Back” waste reduction and recycling event to be held Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 8 through 10, on the main level of the Campus Center. Students are encouraged to donate used books and recycle electronic and food waste items. Details will be available on the Smith College Campus Sustainability Facebook page.

What will it take to make more campus events waste-free?

“Honestly, I think it’s more of a mental paradigm shift than anything else,” Walther said. “Zero-waste may sound like a lot of work, but it’s really pretty simple.”

Eventually, she’d like to see all events on campus producing zero waste for the landfill.

“That’s something I’d like to be able to walk away from here with,” Walther said. “Something tangible I can look back on.”