Apply to the Resource Conservation Team
Qualifications: Students looking to apply should be highly motivated, creative, responsible, and willing to work with students,
staff and College faculty professionally on a daily basis. We ideally look to hire underclassmen who can stay with the team for
more than 2 semesters.
Time Commitment: 6-10 hours a week
Wage: Starts at $7.40 an hour, increases quickly with continued employment
Job Description: The Resource Conservation Team works closely with the Oberlin College Facilities, Environmental Studies,
Buildings and Grounds, Custodial Services, Administration, Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, OGROW, and the City of
Oberlin to decrease Oberlin College's environmental impact. The job involves:
 Projects: Developing and implementing new recycling and source reduction projects
 Outreach: Educating students, faculty, and staff about environmental issues
 Recycling: Overseeing and improving the college's current recycling system, such as monitoring and distribution of
recycling bins
 Re-use: Working in the Free Store and running the Big Swap
 Compost: Improving composting infrastructure on campus
 Local Food: Managing the Johnson House Garden
 Purchasing: Researching more environmentally-friendly products for the college to purchase
Deadline: 9pm February 26 2012 (email to recycle@oberlin.edu)
Potential projects include:
Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling
The RCT has many resources and lots of potential to reduce resource consumption on campus through awareness campaigns.
Our goal is to allow students and faculty the opportunity to reduce resource use, reuse when possible, and finally recycle all
potential waste. This is an exciting time for recycling, as we are undergoing discussions with the City of Oberlin and Facilities on
how to reorganize the entire recycling system on Oberlin’s campus.
Free Store and Big Swap
The Big Swap occurs at the end of both Fall and Spring semesters and is completely organized by the RCT. Although it does
take some long hours to collect the sheer amount of clothes and appliances we end up with, there is a definite sense of
satisfaction that comes from diverting two Goodwill trucks full of stuff away from the landfill. The Free Store was founded in 2007
to continue the success of the Big Swap, and it allows students to donate and take things for free during the semester.
Composting to CDS and Residential Buildings
As the student group employed by Oberlin Facilities to focus on environmental issues, the RCT has a unique relationship with
Facilities. This allows us to push for composting as part of our job, with access to the movers and shakers of the college. We
have worked with the CDS Recyclers in the past on CDS composting, and have helped with the initiative to have composting in
residence halls.
Johnson House Garden
The RCT has recently taken on responsibility for designing, managing, and education at the J-House Garden. Our primary goal
for the garden is as an education tool exploring the importance of composting, ecological regeneration, and source reduction.
Tasks include designing and maintaining beds, handling produce sales, hosting volunteer work days, planning future projects,
and the potential to work as the summer garden manager.
Please check out our website and do some research before filling out the application: www.oberlin.edu/research
Application for the Resource Conservation Team
Please fill out this Word document and email it to recycle@oberlin.edu by 9pm February 26 2012
Name:
Phone number:
Year of graduation:
1) What about this job interests you?
2) Why do you think you would make a good RCT member?
3) Do you have plans to study abroad anytime soon?
4) Besides classes, what are your other commitments on campus (student groups, excos,
jobs)? How many hours per week do you believe you can dedicate to this job?
5) What skills do you have that could come in handy (e.g. Web design, garden planning,
event organizing, etc.)? Please make a bulleted list, and describe your experience with
each skill.
6) Please list any experiences that you think have prepared you for this job. You may attach a
separate one-page resume instead.
Special Interest Section
(answer questions for projects you are interested in working on)
Gardens:
The RCT is looking to expand its role in addressing resource use by moving beyond “endof-life” recycling and reuse and into reducing waste specifically during food production.
The RCT is now acting in a managerial role with the J-House Garden, including volunteer
coordinating, holding office hours, scheduling construction, and meeting with college
officials.
1.
Why are you interested in campus gardens and the J-House Garden?
Explain.
2.
What is your background in gardening? (it's okay to answer that you have no
experience!)
The RCT is looking to hire someone that will commit 10-15 hours a week to managing the
J-House garden over the summer. Please circle your level of interest in this summer
position.
I am not interested.
I am interested, but not sure if I can commit at this point.
I am very interested, but not sure if I can commit at this point.
I am very interested, and will commit to this summer position if offered the job.
Education/Outreach:
One way to significantly improve environmental issues on campus is to raise the level of
environmental ‘literacy’ (e.g. The more who know what can/can’t be recycled, the less
trash in blue bins). The RCT is seeking applicants who are interested in informing and
engaging their peers at Oberlin College in waste reduction and resource conservation
issues.
1.
What ideas do you have to improve environmental literacy on campus?
Relate it to reducing consumption, recycling, or related environmental
issues.
Recycling:
The RCT has works to improve the recycling and waste infrastructure on Oberlin campus
by creating the Free Store, the Waste Audit, and other programs. We are looking to further
improve recycling on campus by working with local agencies, the Oberlin Project, and the
City of Oberlin.
1.
Why are you interested in recycling?
Compost:
The RCT is looking to expand composting systems throughout the college. This requires
collaborating with groups like the Office of Environmental Sustainability, CDS, and others.
Compost is often viewed as ‘waste’, but our goal is to begin viewing it as a ‘resource’.
1.
What experience do you have with compost (on- or off-campus)?
Other:
An RCT member is passionate and self-directed. Have you seen any issues on campus
that aren’t being addressed that you would like to fix? Do you have any project ideas of
your own that differ from those listed above? Current projects and interest questions are
outlined above.
References
Please list one reference (can be academic or professional)
Name:
Reference’s Relationship to Applicant:
Phone Number:
Email: