Green Clean Day

What is Green Clean Day?

The first Green Clean Day took place in May 1994. In 2012 alone, we recycled 24,900 pounds of paper – 12.5 tons! Many items such as binder clips, paper clips, rubber bands, pencils, pens, file folders, and much more have been put back into office supplies for reuse. Since the original inception of this day, our school has grown leaps and bounds in how it has reduced waste through recycling, reusing, and composting. Not only on this one day but through the whole year.

The Ross Community is the real backbone of Green Clean Day. Green Clean Day would not be possible without the many volunteers who come forward every year to devote their time to working in areas outside their own office, even if it is just for a two-hour time slot.

This day provides faculty and staff members with an opportunity to clean their personal work areas, enlists their assistance in cleaning community areas, and provides a proven means of bringing the entire community together across unit boundaries to promote a feeling of unity. It greatly improves awareness within the Ross community about ways in which business operations can become “green” and has a dramatic impact on consumer behavior over time. It provides an opportunity for departments to clean out surplus supplies while sharing with other units in need. Many items such as binder clips, paper clips, rubber bands, pencils, pens, file folders, and much more have been put back into office supplies for reuse. Books and items that Ross could no longer use were donated to schools, churches, and libraries. Much has been done in reducing waste through recycling and reusing.

Green Clean Day runs for the duration of a single work day, usually in late May or early June. Reuse/Recycle Carts are placed in main hubs the night before the event so the day can begin right away in the morning. As carts are sorted, empty carts are returned to be filled again, and this process continues throughout the day with a break for a community lunch. For the following week, reusable items are placed in a room available to be taken by other departments that are able to use them. Waste is properly disposed of and recyclables are picked up by Waste Management. At the day’s close, the carts are returned to the sorting stations and the final clean-up by the Committee ensues.

Check out our gallery of all the fun we’ve had in previous years. 

Get Involved!

There are lots of ways to help out on Green Clean Day. 

Volunteer Opportunities

You can volunteer by signing up to work a two-hour shift in one of the four task areas described below, you can clean out your personal workspace, or you can help clean up your departmental space.

If you sign up to volunteer, you will be assigned to one of the four following areas:

Cart Management

  • Transport carts to/from the sorting staging area  
    • Bring an empty cart to each department/unit/center; take half-full carts to volunteers who are sorting.
    • Those on shift at 2:30 PM will bring all blue carts back to the Sorting area; no more will be brought to or remain in departments/units/centers/faculty offices for use.
  • Remove signs from all empty carts in the final shift. Give signs to Green Team members for storage to hold for upcoming Green Clean Days

Sorting

  • Sorting contents of carts: trash, reusable/recyclable items
  • Remove from paper any items that can be reused (binder clips, paper clips) and items that should be thrown away (plastic spines, rip-off plastic-coated portions of dividers such as tabs and seams, colored “sign-here” and other plastic flags, etc.). Staples may remain in sorted paper.

Dock

  • Empty the blue carts on wheels into larger bins
  • Break down worn boxes; otherwise, sturdy boxes can be used to transport books donated.

ReUse Room

  • Sort, organize and label all reusable materials as they are received; putting similar things in the common areas will assist “shoppers.” (Binders vs. personal mugs, etc.)
  • Box incoming books.
  • Return all incoming dishes to Executive Dining.

Donating

Still, have questions? Check out our Green Clean FAQ. If you don’t find your answer, contact us. We’re always happy to help!