Adopt-the-Hill returns to KU for Earth Day

By Jennifer Kepka

The Adopt-the-Hill Campus Clean-up will return to KU this weekend as part of the Department of Environmental Stewardship’s effort to mark Earth Day on campus.

Students, staff and faculty may volunteer to clean up campus on April 19, said Victoria Silva, director of DES. Sections will be assigned based on team sizes and what sections already have been claimed. The teams will meet at Wescoe Beach at 1 p.m. Saturday for directions, maps and supplies, then be set loose to pick up trash and sort out recyclables from the refuse.

The clean-up will be concentrated on high-traffic areas of campus.
Several student groups already have signed up to participate, and Silva said she is hoping for more by next weekend. Because of the Easter holiday, teams can choose to work on Monday or Tuesday of next week instead. Faculty and staff members also may volunteer.

“The last time we held this event, some faculty and staff participated by picking up outside their buildings during lunch breaks and in between classes,” Silva said.

The Adopt-the-Hill Clean-up is only one of the earth-friendly projects the DES is pursuing. The department assists with waste reduction and manages the recycling program at KU. Recycling technicians from the DES collect office paper, newspaper, aluminum, plastic bottles and cardboard from recycling centers, as well as conduct special collections for surplus property and computers. Surplus property also has been donated to nonprofit organizations for the past five years and has developed into Project RESCUE, Recycled Surplus Computers and Used Equipment, Silva said.

For more information on this event, contact DES at 864-2816.