Stop by Today’s Sustainability Festival on Marsh Plaza for Food, Giveaways—and Learning to Be Greener
Sign up for one of BU’s 40 environmental clubs and initiatives, win a bike, and pick up fresh farm produce

A variety of fresh vegetables are sold at Dining Services weekly Farmers’ Market on the GSU Plaza (on Marsh Plaza September 29). Photo by Ziyu (Julian) Zhu (CGS’23)
Stop by Today’s Sustainability Festival on Marsh Plaza for Food, Giveaways—and Learning to Be Greener
Sign up for one of BU’s 40 environmental clubs and initiatives, win a bike, and pick up fresh farm produce
What are some ways you can be sustainable at BU? A few suggestions, for starters: immediately report that leaky faucet, scrape your food leftovers into the compost bins at the dining halls, and get pedaling on a Bluebike. Want more ideas?
Head over to Marsh Plaza on Thursday, September 29, from 11 am to 2 pm, for the annual BU Sustainability Festival, hosted by BU Sustainability. In addition to scoping out useful tips on becoming more green, attendees are encouraged to grab free food and swag and learn about more than 40 environmental clubs and initiatives at BU.
Today’s festival, originally scheduled for September 22 but rescheduled because of weather, was preceded by a similar event on September 14 on the Medical Campus. Last week, BU Sustainability held a three-day scavenger hunt, which challenged students to hunt for clues on the BU Sustainability Instagram and TikTok pages. Prizes included a digital notebook and reusable bamboo utensil sets.
The main focus of the festival is on BU’s Zero Waste Plan, which has a goal of diverting at least 90 percent of the University’s nonhazardous waste from traditional routes like landfill or incineration to some form of reuse or recycling by 2030. To date, the University has diverted over 40 percent of its waste, according to a recent report by BU Sustainability.
“I think a lot of folks don’t really understand how to get there,” says Lisa Tornatore (CAS’02), director of BU Sustainability. “But when we’re talking about waste diversion, everyone has a role to play.” For example, hot coffee cups are not recyclable, Tornatore says, and shouldn’t casually be tossed in a recycling bin. Along with individual intervention, the University is working on standardizing the signage on waste, recycling, and composting bins, making it clearer what goes where.
Also at today’s festival will be reps from local organizations like Greenroots, a Chelsea environmental and public health nonprofit, the North American Indian Center of Boston, and the Boston Climate Action Network. BU clubs and groups, such as the BU CleanTech Club, the Wellbeing Project, and BU Student Government, will also be in attendance. And Dining Services weekly Farmers’ Market will be selling fresh local produce during the festival.
Last, check out BU’s bike safety resources. Participants can stop in for a free bike checkup (courtesy of BU Parking & Transportation), learn how to ride safely on a mini obstacle course, and learn how to place a bike on a bus rack. There will also be a bike giveaway and a Bluebikes membership giveaway.
Tornatore says her wish is for the community to have fun at today’s event, while taking advantage of a chance to learn more about how they can play a part in sustainability.
“I hope that our community takes away the feeling that they can participate in climate action in zero waste here at Boston University,” she says. “Sustainability can be for everyone, and not just people who are really into the environment and nature.”
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