Move Out Week at Luther College this year reduced waste by 40 percent

Move Out Week at Luther College has historically been the week in which Luther sends the most waste to the landfill -- more than any other week during the year. It is traditionally when 12 percent of Winneshiek County's population is on the move, which means that a large amount of the county's trash is accumulated during that time.

Luther College officials have just released figures which show that this year, students worked more than 400 hours over the course of nine days around Move Out Week to reduce the amount of waste headed to the County landfill. Students initiated waste diversion by educating their peers about recycling and donation processes, and the results were impressive.

Luther students donated eleven 18-foot trucks worth of goods to the Depot and Spectrum Network. Donations included furniture, books, school supplies, household wares, clothing, rugs, decorations and more. Nearly 2,000 pounds of food and toiletries were also collected and donated to the food pantry at First Lutheran Church in Decorah.

Luther's efforts during Move Out Week were organized by the college's Center for Sustainable Communities, which coordinates sustainability initiatives at Luther. The mission of the center is to promote sustainability and be a catalyst for change on campus and in the region.

A national assessment shows Luther College has made significant gains in sustainability performance over the past three years. This spring Luther submitted information on the college's efforts to STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System), a program run by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Luther received a STARS silver rating of 62.47, which shows improvement from the 47.51 rating the college earned in 2014.