WATERVILLE, MAINE, December 2018 — Thomas College was recently awarded monies for a more sustainable and ecofriendly campus through the ecomaine School Recycling Grant Program. Ecomaine is a zero-sort recycling company based in Portland that serves the recycling programs in 20 Maine communities.
Students Kaylee Marraffa and Annie Young were a huge part in making this opportunity happen.
The grant monies will be used to buy recycling and returnable bins for the campus.
Co-Presidents of Club Green, Thomas’ environmental sustainability club, Marraffa and Young worked together with their club advisor, Professor Steve Kahl, to write the grant proposal. They were very excited to hear back that they received the grant.
“I think it will start a new wave of educating the campus,” said Young. “We haven’t had all of the resources in the past to do that but now with this grant I think it will be a good a start for us.”
Club Green’s mission is to “help create an environmentally friendly campus by educating students and the community through activities and events that promote sustainability. These activities and events prepare students for a sustainable future that will save them money in their adult lives – and will reduce costs for the campus right away.”
“We want to figure out how to get students involved and excited about recycling. We want them to know that it really does make a difference,” said Marraffa.
Professor Kahl says this grant writing process was a great opportunity for the two students, Marraffa and Young.
“It’s a great resume builder and really engaged these students. They did a great job,” he said.
The bins will be placed strategically all over campus – from the residence halls to the staff and faculty offices.
This year, Club Green is planning more events and their membership has grown dramatically since the first two years of the Club’s existence. Kaylee said she’s excited to see this momentum.
The events for next semester include a tree-planting ceremony on Earth Day, and an electronic vehicle drive-in event on campus in April as part of PluginAmerica.org EV Drive Day events to be help nationwide. The event on campus will give Thomas students and the greater Waterville community the opportunity to test drive electric vehicles.
About Thomas College: Celebrating its 125th anniversary, Thomas College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in programs ranging from business, entrepreneurship, and technology, to education, criminal justice, and psychology. Its Guaranteed Job Program, the first of its kind in the nation, is built on students’ academic, career, and leadership preparation. Thomas is also home to the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and the Center for Innovation in Education. In 2017, Money Magazine ranked Thomas 23rd of all colleges and universities in the country for adding the most value to their degrees, and data reported by the New York Times ranks Thomas in the top 15 percent of all higher education institutions in the U.S. for upward mobility of its graduates. For more information, visit wwwold.thomas.edu or MacKenzie Riley Young at pr@thomas.edu or 207-859-1313.