(April 9, 2018) Kansas City, MO – With the assistance of a grant from the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), Avila University has begun a comprehensive recycling program entitled “Be Purple. Live Green.”
“Recycling reduces landfills, and landfills are at the center of the world’s climate change crisis,” said Julie Cowley, assistant director of university ministry at Avila. “Whatever measures we can take, we must take them. The Sisters of St. Joseph teach us to be better stewards of our earth, of creation. This is a proactive step in leaving a mark and in helping the dear neighbor.”
After Avila Justice Ministry students screened the Leonardo DiCaprio documentary “Before the Flood” in 2016, they accumulated over 100 signatures asking for a formal initiative to combat climate change on campus. Students presented them to Avila President Ron Slepitza, Ph.D., CSJA, and the Avila University Executive Committee. An Avila Sustainability Committee was formed soon thereafter.
The MARC grant allows for the university to purchase recycling bins and distribute them across the campus. Facility and cleaning services are committed to sifting through the recyclables and getting them to the proper destinations. Currently, bins can be found in all classroom buildings. Bins will soon be expanded to residence halls, office buildings, and recreational facilities.
“We will be successful with education on the subject of climate change and what can be done to combat it,” Cowley said. “Our culture is shifting, and at Avila, it is no different. We want to be an extraordinary and a sustainable university.”
Avila University, a Catholic University founded and inspired by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, provides undergraduate and graduate education in the liberal arts and professional studies, preparing lifelong learners who make meaningful contributions to the global community.