BU Sustainability is excited to announce Devin Rauscher as this year’s Zero Waste Fellow. In the role, Devin works alongside the Zero Waste Manager on programs that push the university toward its 90% diversion goal — including Goodwill, Not Landfill, Zero Waste hockey games, shred days, and other waste-centered events across campus.
Growing up on the Jersey Shore, they watched waste wash up on the beaches and in the water around them — a constant reminder that trash doesn’t just disappear. Working in grocery and food retail added another perspective, providing a firsthand look at how much waste moves through the food system.
Devin’s connection to BU Sustainability goes back further than this fellowship. They joined the team in January 2023 as a Data Collection and Reporting Intern, drawn in by the intersection of data science and sustainability. That analytical background still shapes their approach. They’ve continued to focus on data analysis and research, but now filtered through a zero-waste lens.
Devin is especially excited about the programs that put students directly in the driver’s seat, including a giveaway pilot where incoming graduate students can reuse items left behind during summer move-out.
With Devin’s help, the reuse pilot ran again this summer and is aimed specifically at graduate students: as students moved out, they donated lightly used items at GWNL bins, which were collected, sorted, and stored until the new grad students moved in and could take what they needed.
Looking ahead, Devin wants to keep growing the university’s Laundering for Good program, sharpen their own operational and project management skills, work more closely with faculty, and streamline how the team collects and uses waste data.
“The beauty of zero waste,” Devin says, “is that you learn something new every day.” Through hands-on work, Devin hopes to advance BU Sustainability’s programs and make the most of his time as the Zero Waste Fellow, growing their skills and impact along the way.
We are thrilled to have Devin continue with our team and we can’t wait to see what he accomplishes during their fellowship.