The George Washington University Office of Sustainability has been ramping up its zero-waste efforts by expanding existing programs and introducing new initiatives while boosting student engagement in sustainability efforts across campus.
Josh Lasky, B.A. ’07, M.P.A. ’09, the director of the Office of Sustainability, said one effort they’ve made a priority in recent years is composting. Since expanding efforts two years ago, the office has tripled campus composting participation—an exciting sign of growing engagement, Lasky said.
Two years ago, when the office began ramping up its focus on increasing composting, its collection was about 5,000 pounds a year with about 300 people dropping off compost.
In July 2024, the university partnered with the D.C. Department of Public Works to pilot the city’s first smart compost bin. The Bluetooth-enabled, app-controlled bin was placed in Kogan Plaza. Once registered through the app, users can access the bin at any time. Since its installation in July, over 900 users have signed up and more than 8,000 pounds of organic waste has been collected.
“I think the automated bin makes things a little easier. It's also accessible 24/7. It doesn't require the staffing,” Lasky said. “So now the students we have working in our office are doing programming, outreach, engagement, hosting events. They're working on other areas of campus composting.”
Lasky said thanks to active support from GW Dining, the university now composts at every dining venue on campus. The compost from these venues is collected by Compost Crew and sent to a commercial composting facility in Maryland. There, the organic waste is transformed into a soil additive called LeafGro, which is bagged and sold at local hardware stores like Home Depot.
“It’s kind of fun,” Lasky said. “Our food waste becomes compost, and eventually, gardeners all around the region are using it in their gardens.”
When events are held on campus, event organizers can request composting services and students show up with bins, bags and signage to help guests sort waste correctly. The Office of Sustainability supports about 10 to 25 events per semester, diverting an additional 5,000 pounds of organic waste annually.
The office also supports a thriving food recovery program where they work with community dining and event organizers to collect extra food from events and donate it to local nonprofits like Charlie’s Place.
In 2024, the Food Recovery Network redirected about 3,000 pounds of food away from the landfill.
Combining the numbers from all these efforts, in 2024 GW composted over 500,000 pounds of organic material.
“I think it's largely attributable to student staff on our team,” Lasky said. “They’re the heart and soul of the Zero Waste initiative at GW, and they're doing the hard work of engaging with campus partners and with community members to make sure that they've got awareness and the capability to participate and to keep coming back.”
Jackson Dueweke, a senior studying environmental science, works at the office as a sustainability educator and researcher. He helps coordinate campus composting efforts.
“I got involved with the Office of Sustainability because coming from the suburbs of Michigan, I was very connected to nature and sustainable living in general. I was afraid of losing that by living in the city,” Dueweke said. “Working in the office has allowed me to explore a different side of sustainability and really think about the consumer perspective and how to most effectively engage individuals with sustainability.”
Dueweke said one of his favorite parts of being involved in sustainability efforts on campus has been finding a strong sense of community among students who share his goals and interests, as they work together toward a more sustainable future.
Another recent effort is the opening of The Loop, a free on-campus clothing exchange located in room 122 of the Academic Building on the Mount Vernon Campus. The idea behind The Loop was to create a circular economy on campus and give students a way to support each other, share clothing and reduce waste.
Each year, the Office of Sustainability receives more than 25,000 pounds of clothing donations, which are largely passed on to charity community partners, including Bread for the City, Love and Light and Green Drop.
“We kind of had this vision of like, how do we sort of close the loop a little bit and create more of a circular economy here, within GW, within our community. And so the dream of having an on-campus thrift store was born,” Lasky said.
The Loop officially opened in fall 2024. So far, it has served more than 2,000 customers and redistributed 4,000 items of clothing. Students are encouraged to bring items to exchange, but it’s not required and everything in the store is free. The store is currently open one day a week on Fridays and is staffed by two interns.
Christen Chappelle, a senior studying environmental science, works at the office as a sustainability educator and researcher and helps at The Loop.
“My favorite part of this work is the community involvement,” Chappelle said. “It's how sustainability efforts move forward. I’ve seen that the most effective solutions come from listening to the people they’re meant to serve. That kind of collaboration is what makes sustainability more accessible and impactful.”
