Sustainability at YDS

One idea that we hope to instill in all incoming students is that YDS is more than a school - it is a community. As such, students are expected to feel and enact a certain level of responsibility for the campus, the facilities, and its impact. You will quickly learn that sustainability is an important aspect of YDS culture, and we hope that this idea is exciting for you - spending so much time and energy in a community that works to be green and ethical is something to be proud of - but it does take some work.

You will undoubtedly hear more about sustainability culture at YDS during BTFO as well as throughout your time here, but we wanted to just highlight a couple of practices and issues that we want you to be aware of before your arrival. Many of you may already know that we prefer to use reusable mugs and dishes for Coffee Hour and meals in the refectory, and that washing one's dishes after a meal is a standard part of eating together. We are also proud to announce that YDS has single-stream recycling, which means that you don't need to worry about sorting through paper, plastic, and metals, but can toss all recyclable items into the bins located around campus. You'd be hard-pressed to find a trash can where there isn't also a recyclables bin, and all plastics used in the Refectory are recyclable. We are thrilled that starting next year all serving utensils and plates in the refectory will either be reusable or compostable - no trash!

YDS has recently begun its own compost initiative, and there is a compost in located in the Refectory kitchen where students can deposit food waste. The compost is used for the YDS farm, which also accepts composts from student homes. Esther, who makes good use of the YDS farm, brings compost from her apartment each week to the giant compost bins on campus. In addition to the individual plots, the YDS farm has community plots that can be used by anyone affiliated with YDS, and which are often tapped for greens or goodies for Community Dinners or other campus events.

This directly relates to BTFO because during BTFO, everyone is expected to provide their own non-disposable dishes, cutlery, and drinking vessels for every meal.  Many meals during the week of August 20-24 will be provided for incoming students, but we do ask that you provide your own dishes. This will help to streamline the clean-up of each meal, instill a sense of personal responsibility for the cleanliness of campus spaces, and reduce waste. We are hoping to produce a BTFO that is entirely landfill-free, and using reusable dishes for each meal is a huge part of that initiative. Everything else you see and use will be either recylcable or compostable, and there will be bins provided for both around campus. It's simple - some students bring canteen equipment from camping trips, but many also just bring less fragile dishes from home with regular silverware. Who knows? You might meet your new best friend through a conversation about their Hello Kitty travel utensils (true story - kinda).

We will talk more about food later in the summer when we introduce you to the two lovely ladies who will be coordinating the food for ya'll during BTFO, but we do want you to be aware that sustainability is a significant factor in determining which local restaurants and eateries we choose to cater events at YDS. As a school, and as a community, we have taken great strides in the past few years towards limiting the impact of our waste and creating an eco-friendly campus environment. We look forward to welcoming you into this sustainable community, and to seeing the ways in which members of the incoming class can further our greener goals.