May 6, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
The College of St. Benedict is an institution driven by its value of environmental, social,
and economic sustainability. These three components of sustainability are especially evident in
the college’s program titled “Stash It. Don’t Trash It.” The program is one way for the
institution to reduce its waste as students move out following the conclusion of the academic
year. The CSB Office of Sustainability has several move-out related programs, but the Stash It.
Don’t Trash It event aims to collect as many larger items as possible, such as furniture,
appliances, and electronics.
The Office of Sustainability staff designates collection sites around the campus. Students
are encouraged to drop off their unwanted items there rather than throwing them into the
dumpster. The office staff works with student volunteers to collect the donated furniture and
appliances, and they move it to a storage trailer where it is stored over the summer. A follow-up
event, called the “Big Sale,” is planned for when students return to campus in the fall. At the Big
Sale, students have the opportunity to purchase items which were donated in the previous spring.
Part of the proceeds from the event are given to a local charity. The remaining profit returns to
the Office of Sustainability’s budget to help pay for future events.
The CSB Office of Sustainability’s Stash It. Don’t Trash It program involves all three
aspects of sustainability. The program benefits the environment by facilitating the reuse of items
which would have otherwise ended up in the landfill. Since half of the profit from the sale is
given to a local charity, it is a socially just program which gives back to the community. This
initiative is also economically sustainable because some of the profit from the sale goes back to
the Office of Sustainability in order to ensure the programs continuation in future years.
Sincerely,
Jacob Saffert
Sustainability Fellow
Saint John’s University
jrsaffert@csbsju.edu
507-304-2491