EcoReps News

Managing sustainability for the campus is a big job. While there are plenty of long term goals, like carbon neutrality and behavioral shifts, there are plenty of day to day changes the EcoReps are involved in. In 2016, for example, students took up the mission of eliminating paper cups from Commons, and instead the College now provides every incoming student with a reusable mug. There are always new ways to shift our existing systems and avoid waste. Scroll to read about past and ongoing sustainability projects on campus!

  • Bates is Carbon Neutral!
    After nearly 20 years of hard work on campus, Bates College is now carbon neutral! By using renewable fuel oil…
  • News from the EcoReps
    Managing sustainability for the campus is a big job. While there are plenty of long term goals, like carbon neutrality…
  • 2018 Garden Party
    The 2018 Garden Party served as the opening event for the Plot. Fresh tomatoes, homemade cookies, and other appetizers were…
  • The Bates Garden
    The Garden group hosted weekly meetings and open hours this year, opening up the Plot to the community for people interested in…
  • Green Bikes
    This year, the Green Bike team has been busy keeping the collection of bikes online. They also have hosted open hours at…
  • Electric Cars
    In the Spring of 2018, Bates swapped out its vans for electric cars to run the community shuttle. Each day,…
  • Hand Dryer Implementation
    Many buildings at Bates still use paper towels in the bathrooms. This year, EcoReps are hoping to implement high efficiency…
  • Waste Audits
    Periodically, the waste and recycling team performs waste audits around campus. This consists of sorting through trash and recycling in…
  • Outreach
    One of the main tasks for the Media and Outreach team is to create monthly newsletters that spread the word…
  • Trashion Show
    This fall’s trashion show was one for the books. Contestants modeled dressed made out of plastic straws, plastic bags, packaging,…
  • Eco Service Day
    Bates hosts a biannual Eco Service day, on which the campus pitches in for various projects. The Fall 2018 EcoService…
  • Expose Waste Photo Competition
    The Expose Waste Photo Contest is an event aimed at understanding the various ways in which our campus produces waste.…
  • Farm Dinner
    This March, the events group hosted a Farm Dinner in the OIE (Office of Intercultural Education). It featured produce from…
  • Issue #15
    Dear Sustainable Abigail, I keep hearing rumors about a garden at Bates; what’s the deal with that? Do we have one…
  • Issue #14: Efficient Lighting?
    by Sustainable Abigail
    Hi Abby! One thing that I’ve been thinking about recently (especially with the recent change in daylight) is the way…
  • Issue #13: Turning Off Lights?
    by Sustainable Abigail
    Dear Sustainable Abigail, One refrain that has persisted from my very first introduction to living a more sustainable life to…