Sustainability Initiative at Aquinas College

Our Zero Waste Team assists in educational programs concerning Aquinas’ waste streams. With everyone working together, we can reach this aggressive goal and be a zero waste campus! A "Zero Waste Advocate" is the zero waste point person in a respective area on campus. This volunteer is the campus community's one-stop resource for recycling and composting questions, recommendations, ideas, and challenges related to zero waste.

Zero Waste Advocates (2022/23)

 Below is a listing of the Zero Waste Advocates in each area.

• Academic Building
  • 2nd Floor: Lynn Atkins-Rykert; Kevin Cantley
  • 1st Floor: Thad Salter
• Albertus Hall: Jessica Eimer Bowen; Dr. Rob Peters; Sr. Damien Marie Savino
• AMC: Mary Hurd and Nate Lareau
• Browne Center/Conferencing: Mark Schmidbauer
• Cook Carriage House: Mallory Miller
• Grace Hauenstein Library: Kate Luebke; Christina Radisauskas; Jessica Kline
• Holmdene: Chad Gunnoe
• Housekeeping: Beth Ciangi
• Hruby Hall
  • Offices: Jessica Vaglica
  • Residential: Justin Davis
• Knape Hall: Ethan Barker
• Regina Hall: Isabella Britt; Collin Neely; Ehl P'Simer; Ella Satterthwaite; Annah Stang
• St. Rose of Lima Hall: Jaydin Johnson
• Sturrus Sports and Fitness Center: Duane Ambrose; Angelica Gero
• Commuters: Lauren Foster; Matthew Sommerfeld

Sustainability Captains (2022/23)

• Baseball- Garrett Cheslek 
• Cheer- Jason Sanden
• Dance- Aijamal Kasymova
• ESports- Rachel Sauer, Jack DeLong
• JV Softball- Caleigh Muglia
• Men's Cross Country- Ethan Barker
• Men's Golf- Anthony Lalomia
• Men's Lacrosse- Aidan Donnely
• Men's Rugby- Nathan Shaffer, Mason King
• Men's Soccer- Antonio Strasiotto
• Men's Swim & Dive- Ian Clapp
• Softball- Grace Maguire, Ellie Haunhorst
• Women's Basketball- Megan Douglass
• Women's Cross Country- Mallory Bowker
• Women's Golf- Emily Franklin
• Women's Lacrosse- Alex Sullivan, Trinity Reynoso, McKenna Burke
• Women's Rugby- Momoko Nakamura
• Women's Soccer- Merin Mcdermott
• Women's Swim & Dive- Maureen Lynch 
• Women's Volleyball- Emily Jones 

Advocate Testimonials

“I was able to instantly incorporate composting my old coffee grounds. Each morning when I go to the sink and get water to fill my coffee pot I put my old coffee grounds and filter into the composting bin. I always disliked tossing the old coffee grounds into my office trash can. The convenience of the compost bin near the sink means ZERO excuses!”
- Lynn Atkins-Rykert, Graduate Management Programs

“I don't know if I am a guru so much as a sustainability parrot ... it seems I am constantly chirping, ‘You can compost that’ ‘oh, that is recyclable.’ I must really be on top of it because a new employee actually thought I worked in the Center for Sustainability. I took it as a great compliment!”
- Brigid Avery, Advantage Center

“One of the obstacles I faced with moving toward zero-waste in my own office were the many tissues I go through each day. (Allergies!) I know tissues are compostable, but a crock sounded too inconvenient (and yucky). After splurging one day on gourmet coffee, I found my solution -- paper coffee cups! I now keep a tall coffee cup on my desk into which I stuff my tissues (and orange/banana peels). At the end of the day, I bring it to the compost bin down the hall and dump it all out. No mess! Once it gets too yucky I can toss the whole cup into the compost container -- and then treat myself to another gourmet coffee!”
- Susan English, Education