In honor of Earth Day 2019, the Sustainability Committee of Genesee Community College organized a “Common Hour” Clean-up this year on Thursday, May 2nd. All seven of GCC’s campus locations coordinated a specific clean up event in their own community or campus.
In addition to cleaning the shoulders of the road, campus or a public space, the clean-up crews specifically collected and used repurposed plastic bags as much as possible adding to the environmental friendliness of the effort. Fifty pound bags for dog food, garden soil, pellets or bird seed were collected and distributed for the cleaning crusade which resulted in a collection of more than 30 bags of after-winter, post snow melt trash being picked up and properly disposed of.
“This type of plastic bag is perfect for litter pick-up,” Donna Rae Sutherland, director of marketing communications and a member of the Sustainability Committee, said, “Not only are we giving a one-use plastic bag a second important purpose, but these bags are stronger, stay open better, don’t easily rip, and they are the perfect size. Try lugging a filled, 42-pound garbage bag down the road and having it rip open and you’ll appreciate the smaller size with stronger fiber. Trust me on this one!”
Across SUNY, students, faculty and administration alike are coming together to in the spirit of charity and togetherness. 30 Days of Giving is our annual tradition, which starts on Thanksgiving every year, where we reflect on efforts of the past year and highlight some of the selfless acts of that members of the SUNY community are leading. Stay tuned for more.
