Bowdoin College
IN-25: Innovation B

In January of 2018, the eight social houses at Bowdoin--which fulfill a similar space to the former Greek system in campus life, although with significant focus on being safe, positive, and inclusive communities--started using reusable cups that are washed in residence dishwashers after each use, rather than the disposable cups that have long been used at House gatherings and events. This switch from plastic cups to reusable cups saves money and reduces the amount of plastic cups that end up in the landfill. Prior to the switch, the social houses spent a collective $4,000 annually on roughly 25,000 disposable cups. This money comes from the budgets provided to each house by Res Life. The reusable cups were an initial investment of $165 per house to purchase 400 cups. While some have been lost with attrition, it is a major change in the culture of the social houses, as well as a reduction of waste. The social houses serve as major anchors in campus culture and reusable cups in these spaces help to meet students where they are with sustainability solutions, and hopefully help to shape the choices they make. While it is impossible to guage the long-range impact of this effort, at the very least, 25,000 plastic cups are being kept out of the waste stream, annually, and the social houses serve as incubators for showcasing a simple sustainable solution.