You can learn a lot from someone’s trash, a truthful yet perhaps unpleasant concept that Sarah Hammond Creighton uses to her advantage.
As director of sustainability at Endicott College in Beverly, Creighton often finds herself “talking trash” with the goal of raising awareness. She even teaches a freshman course called “Trash,” which comes with a syllabus requiring students to rummage through dumpsters to see what others are throwing away.
“We discuss what our trash tells us about society, about business behaviors, about how we view and interact with the environment,” explains Creighton. “We also work on developing effective communications and marketing materials around the issues of recycling and waste.”
But understanding waste management is just the tip of this college’s sustainability iceberg. For the past three years, Endicott has been added to The Princeton Review’s Green College list for its strong commitment to sustainable practices—a commitment demonstrated equally by the administration, led by President Dr. Richard Wylie, and faculty, staff, and students. As Creighton notes, success in her field has little to do with the dedication of just one person: “We call our office Sustainable Endicott to indicate that it’s a comprehensive effort.”
Founded in 1939 as a two-year women’s college, Endicott has since expanded to include baccalaureate offerings and in 1994, it welcomed its first coed class. One of its curriculum hallmarks is the requirement of internships in every course of study, ensuring a balanced blend of theory and practice along the road to career development.
In light of its growing enrollment—currently there are 2,650 undergraduates and 2,350 graduate students—and expanding infrastructure, it makes sense that Endicott has embraced sustainability’s savings potential. For example, reducing energy use and assuring stable energy costs translate to less frequent tuition hikes in the long run.
That’s not to say that green efforts are tied only to budget considerations. As Creighton points out, students are drawn to Endicott’s oceanfront setting, and as a result enjoy a deep connection with the natural world around them.
“We have a scenic campus right on the coast with three private beaches,” she explains. “Every day we see the ocean’s beauty and power and are reminded of the opportunities for discovery and learning that are right here at our doorstep. Regardless of major, many students are environmentally minded, whether they opt for an internship at Mass Audubon or a sustainable investing company or choose to write a thesis on greening sports facilities.
“Students know that sustainability is a major issue for their future,” she adds. “They continually show us that they are interested in environmental issues and take them seriously.”
Creighton has been the face of Endicott’s sustainability efforts since 2010, when she assumed the director position. With joint master’s degrees in environmental policy and civil and environmental engineering from Tufts University, she logged 20 years as Tufts’s sustainability director and has written two books on the topic, Greening the Ivory Tower and Degrees That Matter. “I’ve thought a lot about the issues,” she laughs.
Student participation runs the gamut from academic studies, such as the “Trash” course or majors or minors in environmental sciences, to everyday life choices such as recycling and walking and biking instead of driving (admittedly, says Creighton, Endicott is a car-heavy campus due to the internship requirement). Members of the Endicott Environmental Society and “Eco-Reps” work toward increasing awareness with grassroots efforts on campus.
Cooperation between students and staff has resulted in some impressive milestones, such as a recycling rate of 50 percent, up from 20 percent as measured in 2011. “We recycle about 20 different materials, including used books and your standard paper, plastics, and metal,” says Creighton. But that’s not all. The college composts 100 percent of its yard waste and returns the nutrient-rich soil back to campus gardens.
In fact, evidence of environmental stewardship is apparent in almost every nook and cranny, from low-flow fixtures and dual-flush toilets in bathrooms to water-filling stations that cut down on plastic waste. All new construction and renovations are designed to be environmentally friendly, with advanced energy-efficient technologies in place. Currently, 30 percent of the campus employs LED lighting, with targeted lighting replacement continuing annually.
In 2010, Endicott’s dining services implemented a trayless program, which reduced food waste by 30 percent. In 2012, dining services innovated again with a reusable to-go container, eliminating the use of thousands of Styrofoam containers. Currently, all food waste—both pre- and post-plate—is composted, saving nearly two tons of waste per week.
Perhaps the most visible green initiative on campus is an impressive solar parking lot canopy, presently the state’s largest (although it’s soon to be eclipsed by a new installation at Bristol Community College). The 3,000-panel, 945-kilowatt installation covers a 255-space parking lot on the outskirts of campus.
“It opened in January 2014 and generates about 10 percent of the campus’s electricity,” explains Creighton. “It will reduce regional carbon dioxide emissions by about 400 tons per year and provide the college with power at a constant price for 20 years,” she adds.
From a green roof on the Manninen Center for the Arts to annual participation in Recyclemania—a nationwide intercollegiate recycling competition—Endicott is always finding new ways to go green. With Creighton’s leadership, the college also takes advantage of available grants and rebates to plan for future projects, from wind turbines to additional solar panel installs to more efficient boilers and cooling towers. Not every project is greenlighted, but determining feasibility is part of the learning curve for everyone involved.
“Endicott is like a microcosm of the society around us,” says Creighton. “We are the home-away-from-home for thousands of students. We house people, feed people, care for them, and along with our responsibilities come a variety of challenges, but also opportunities to generate awareness and encourage participation in the environmental issues facing not only Endicott but the larger world around us.
“If we don’t do something here, then someone someplace else has to do more,” she asserts. “But we are more than willing to do our part.”
