USC Sustainability hosted a stall at the Trojan Farmers Market on Wednesday to spread awareness about waste management and campus recycling.
The main attraction of the outreach event was a battery-counting contest in which students guessed the number of batteries filled in a clear tube to win a solar-powered power bank, while staff provided information on proper electronic waste disposal. The booth also included a spin-the-wheel game that tested students’ knowledge about e-waste.
As part of its Green Week series, USC Sustainability also hosts Mend-It Monday, Tune-Up Tuesday and other events relating to sustainability and ways to practice it.
At another corner of the McCarthy Quad, USC Surplus Sales hosted a pop-up alongside USC Sustainability for students and staff alike.
“So what Surplus Sales is as a whole is we gather a bunch of different items from across the campus, whether it be donations from students, donations from departments, and it’s a way for us to redirect those items away from landfill and provide them back to the community at more bargain prices,” said Calvin Holmes, Director of Mailing and Material Management Services.
The pop-up allowed the USC community to look around and purchase any inventory of interest, whether practical or fun.
“I just finished up my classes, and I happened to stop by the Surplus store where I found this amazing kind of an ice cooler for wine,” said Sean Akar, a grad student majoring in accounting. “Because I’m very into wine and Pinot Grigio, so I plan to have this as kind of a cooler for my wine.”
USC Surplus Sales’ booth allowed staff and students to be able to get furniture and inventory for a lower price while also pushing for sustainability.
“I checked it out today because I remember seeing [the pop-up] last semester, and last semester I was able to get a chair and two bins and a nightstand,” said Dillon Pommering, senior majoring in Geodesign.
Pommering said, “I pretty much stocked my whole room last year for very cheap, and I’m like, ‘oh my God, you see surpluses here again.’ I’m gonna check out, see what they got.”
Surplus Sales has other opportunities aside from their pop-ups at the Trojan Farmer’s Market, where the USC community can buy items from them through their website.
USC Sustainability encourages students to continue partaking in daily sustainability-focused behaviors beyond Green Week.
Edited by Fashion Castillo and Leo Li