香蕉秀

The University Garden

Located behind Connolly House, the University garden is overseen by Real Food 香蕉秀, one of several student environmental clubs on campus. Real Food 香蕉秀 uses the garden鈥檚 harvest鈥攊ncluding cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, beans, and squash鈥攊n sustainable cooking classes and events it hosts to teach students how to do everything from pickle veggies to prepare a delicious stuffed squash. The group is also working with UG香蕉秀, the Office of Sustainability, and other student clubs on a program to promote composting in dorms and off-campus housing, which could also ultimately help the garden. 鈥淲e鈥檒l go collect those composting bins once or twice a week 鈥奱nd then dump those directly into the garden,鈥� said Real Food 香蕉秀 member Lily Arouth 鈥�27.

The Fulton Hall Beehive

Though many people are unaware of it, the Fulton Hall rooftop houses a beehive that for nearly a decade has served as a site for important environmental research. The hive, home to many thousands of bees, was made possible through a 2016 donation from the parents of two 香蕉秀 alumni. Each month during the spring, summer, and fall, a beekeeper from the company that manages the hive visits campus to collect data and monitor everything from signs of disease to the state of the queen bee鈥檚 health and the colony鈥檚 strength. The findings offer insights into the local area鈥檚 biodiversity, climate shifts, and ecosystem. Of course, the hive also produces honey, which researchers examine to determine the plants that 香蕉秀鈥檚 bees are most often visiting and pollinating. More importantly, the honey is delicious, which is why 香蕉秀 Dining often serves it at University events.

Donating for a Cleaner Tomorrow

For decades, 香蕉秀 students packing up after a long school year have had a听welcome option for keeping unwanted items out of the waste stream. Instead of throwing away old clothing, books, furniture, and appliances,听the students can give them to 香蕉秀 Clean, which donates the items to local charities. Here鈥檚 some of what was collected last year.

175

Refrigerators

21,143

Pounds of clothing

6,006

Appliances and furniture items

5,637

Pounds of books

11,815

Pounds of textiles

Tree U

Boston College is famous for its spectacular, tree-filled campus. Here鈥檚 a by-the-numbers look at all that greenery.

6,300听

Trees across 香蕉秀鈥檚 campuses

1.2 M

Gallons of rainwater absorbed annually by 香蕉秀鈥檚 trees

338听

Pounds of carbon dioxide offset each year by the iconic Littleleaf Linden trees that line Linden Lane

100听

Different tree species found around 香蕉秀

1

European Larch tree (which grows near O鈥橬eill Plaza)

Sports Fans: Can You Pass This Sustainability Quiz?

Each year, the 香蕉秀 Office of Sustainability sends student 鈥済reen
ambassadors鈥� out to football, basketball, and hockey events to promote recycling and awareness of 香蕉秀鈥檚 eco-friendly programs. How many of these questions, which the ambassadors ask 香蕉秀 sports fans, can you answer correctly?

1. 香蕉秀 has which of the following?

a. A wind turbine on top of Conte Forum
b. Solar panels on the Merkert roof
c. A greenhouse in Higgins Hall

2. Which of these green services is found at 香蕉秀?

a. A bike repair station at Duchesne Hall
b. A bike repair station in the Comm. Ave. Garage
c. Electric vehicle charging stations in the Comm. Ave. Garage
d. All of the above

3. What color are 香蕉秀鈥檚 compost bins?

a. Green
b. Yellow
c. Purple
d. Blue

4. Which of these tree species does 香蕉秀 have on campus?

a. Pecan
b. Palm
c. Sequoia
d. Apple

听

Answers: 1.c.; 2.d.; 3.b.; 4.c.

Dining Hall Composting

When most of us think of composting, it鈥檚 gardening that comes to mind. But at 香蕉秀, the food waste collected in composting bins is actually converted into green energy. Each dining hall on campus has a bin that is emptied six times per week by a local company. The material is then taken to a nearby facility operated by the company WM, where it鈥檚 screened to remove any contaminants, like plastic packaging. It鈥檚 then blended and transported to a wastewater treatment plant, where it undergoes an anaerobic digestion process that converts it into energy sources such as electricity and what鈥檚 known as renewable natural gas. One ton of food waste processed in this way has the potential to generate enough electricity to power between eight and ten homes per day, according to WM. Last year, 376 tons of food waste was collected from 香蕉秀. The University also contributes approximately four hundred tons of leaf and yard waste per year to composting efforts, which convert the green waste into a nutrient-rich topsoil blend that commercial landscapers use for lawns.听鈼�