Last week we asked staff and students to lug their mugs for Waste Reduction Week. We spotted more than 600 people on campus toting a reusable mug and sold another 720 EcoMugs to those who typically savour their Double-double with a disposable cups.

We have a lot of campus sustainability accomplishments to celebrate, but EcoMug use isn’t one of them (she writes with pangs of shame). Our current EcoMugs use on campus is 7%. 7%!! Back in 2009, we hovered around 30%. What’s changed? We ask ourselves.

The Sustainability Office has committed to doing more to promote EcoMug use on campus. One of those initiatives is the “Mug Shot” campaign. Starting in November, we’re going to circulate the halls to snap photos of folks using their EcoMugs. These pictures will be added to our “Mug Shot” lineup, located in living colour in the Library Hallway (Notre Dame Campus) and online at Sustainability@RRC – our Facebook page. All “Mug Shot” entries will be entered to win free coffee for the month.

We’re also going to track our EcoMug usage and report more regularly on our collective efforts and improvements. (We’re a positive bunch at the Sustainability Office and we know that our usage rates are going to increase significantly. We just know it!)

One last thing. We’re surprised to learn that a good number of students and staff think that Tim Horton’s cups can be recycled. We’ve said it 100s of times and will say it a bajillion more – Tim Horton’s cups can’t be recycled. The waxy lining inside the cup prohibits this. So next time you see your fellow classmate or colleague putting a disposable Tim’s cup in the recycling bin, do us a favour and let them know.

Thanks for doing your part to reduce waste on campus. Stay tuned for updates on our EcoMug journey…