University of Pittsburgh
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Since 2016, the University of Pittsburgh has actively encouraged and supported a greener student move-out process with the “Clutter for a Cause” initiative.

On-campus students are asked to leave donate-able, reusable, and recyclable items behind at both staffed and unstaffed designated areas. Off-campus renters are also invited to bring items to be donated, reused, and recycled (instead of contributing to the landfill). As a result of Clutter for a Cause, Pitt annually helps the following types of items find their highest and best next home: non-perishable food, hygiene and personal care products, clothing, textiles, small furniture, household items, books, school and office supplies, small appliances, and electronics. University students and employees collect, sort, and repurpose, donate, or recycle all items. Some items are kept on-campus to be resold at Pitt Surplus or University of Thriftsburgh (on-campus thrift store). Items not kept are donated to local thrift stores, and/or recycled.

Pitt’s Clutter for a Cause engages offices and departments across campus, including Engagement & Community Affairs, Housing, Residence Life, the Pitt Pantry, Student Affairs, Surplus Property, and Sustainability. Over the summer, the University partners on off-campus Clutter for a Cause collection with local community nonprofit, Oakland Planning and Development Corporation. For both Spring and Summer Clutter for a Cause events, local, nonprofit reuse stores accept items collected by Clutter for a Cause, including Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and the Free Stores in Wilkinsburg and Braddock.

2022 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on Pitt’s success saving thousands of pounds of items from the landfill annually via Clutter for a Cause: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2022/06/05/university-of-pittsburgh-penn-state-recycle-dorm-environment-beaver-stadium-clothes-colleges/stories/202205300068

University-led Clutter for a Cause collections occur during Spring move-out and Summer off-campus lease turnovers and have kept at least 113,037 pounds of clothing & small household items out of the landfill from 2017 through 2023. Approximately 13,780 pounds of non-perishable food & hygiene items were donated to the on-campus food pantry (Pitt Pantry) and a local community partner.

The University of Pittsburgh’s first “Clean & Swap” was held over Spring Break in 2020 -- and has grown into a 2-day annual occurrence. The Clean & Swap event allows Pitt employees and graduate students to clear out and donate unwanted office and laboratory items. Those who participate and others in the Pitt community can then “shop” and take items for free. All donated items either find a second home at the University of Pittsburgh or with local nonprofit organizations (including The Education Partnership and Global Links).

Pitt’s Clean & Swap webpage: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/events/clean-swap/

At the first Clean & Swap in 2020, 728 pounds of unwanted office and laboratory items were redirected to Pitt departments, Pitt Surplus, and The Education Partnership. In 2022, Clean & Swap diverted 1.5 tons of items from the landfill; unwanted medical supplies were accepted for the first time (and donated to local nonprofit Global Links). In 2023, Clean & Swap helped divert 3 tons of office items, medical supplies (including repurposing 7,800 face shields), and personal electronics from the delivered in partnership with SHI International, which allowed employees to bring personal electronics to campus to be recycled free of charge.

PITT GREEN HOME OFFICE CHALLENGE

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pitt’s Office of Sustainability created the “Pitt Green Home Office Challenge” outreach and engagement campaign. The Pitt Green Home Office Challenge (GHO) was designed to keep Pitt employees actively engaged in growing Pitt’s thriving culture of sustainability while working remotely. The GHO Challenge educates employees about how to think holistically about their home workspaces -- and how small changes can have big impacts. The GHO Challenge consists of a self-assessment that calculates participant’s individual and cumulative carbon avoidances – and their individual ranking within the GHO scoring structure.

This pandemic-inspired campaign started in 2020 and morphed into a permanent offering that’s part of the “Pitt Green” engagement suite of programs. In 2023, the Pitt Green Home Office Challenge has evolved into a remote work questionnaire incorporated into the Pitt Green Office program that helps support hybrid work schedules while still assessing sustainable work from home practices. From 2020 through 2023, 233 Pitt employees have participated in the GHO program, avoiding ~1.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents from being produced through sustainable home office practices.

Learn more about Pitt Green Home Office Challenge: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/get-involved/employees/home-office-challenge/

Pitt Green Home Office Challenge Results: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/get-involved/employees/home-office-challenge/results-tips/

ENVIRONMENTALLY & SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTING + FOSSIL FREE PITT COALITION

The University of Pittsburgh has reviewed and discussed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations for the University’s investments since the1970s, as outlined in the Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee’s governing documents. The University of Pittsburgh’s student-led divestment campaign has been active since 2014, led by the Fossil Free Pitt Coalition, which includes student organizations, employees, and alumni. Combined student, employee, and Pitt community interests have helped advance several University committees and strategies that clarify and focus Pitt’s environmentally and socially responsible efforts, including:

• 2018-19 - Socially Responsible Investment Committee comprised of Pitt students, staff, and faculty.
• 2020 - University’s Board of Trustees (BOT) adopted an SRI Screening Process. University’s Office of Finance released its ESG Policy for the Consolidated Endowments Fund (CEF).
• 2020 – 2021 – Pitt’s BOT activated the SRI Screening Process and created a Board of Trustees Ad Hoc Committee on Fossil Fuels, whose report on “whether, to what extent, and via what methods the University, in its Endowment, should consider divestment from fossil fuels in existing and/or future investments” was adopted in full by the BOT in 2021.
• 2022 - The University released its first annual ESG Report for FY 2021, hosted on a brand new CEF webpage.
• 2022 – Present - To increase transparency regarding the CEF and application of the ESG policy, enhance awareness about the CEF, and advance dialogue on this important topic, Pitt’s new Chief Investment Officer meets regularly with key student leaders and speaks at various University forums.
• 2023 - An Endowment 101 on November 2, 2023, featured Pitt’s Chief Investment Officer educating the Pitt community on how the endowment works and answering questions. Event details: https://calendar.pitt.edu/event/endowment_101_an_overview_of_pitts_largest_financial_asset_2707

REFERENCES:

ESG Investment Considerations at Pitt: https://www.cfo.pitt.edu/divisions/office-finance/environmental-social-and-governance-esg-investment-considerations-pitt

2021-22 ESG Report: https://www.cfo.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/esg_report_2023-final_0.pdf

2020-21 ESG Report: https://www.cfo.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/esg_report_final.pdf

2020-21 Ad Hoc Committee on Fossil Fuels of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh – Process & Report: https://www.trustees.pitt.edu/fossil-fuels

Pitt Clean & Swap: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/events/clean-swap/

Pitt's Clutter for a Cause summary webpage: https://www.bhas.pitt.edu/clutter-cause

2022 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on Pitt’s success saving thousands of pounds of items from the landfill annually via Clutter for a Cause: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2022/06/05/university-of-pittsburgh-penn-state-recycle-dorm-environment-beaver-stadium-clothes-colleges/stories/202205300068

Pitt Green Home Office Challenge: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/get-involved/employees/home-office-challenge/

2018-22 Summary of Pitt’s Environmentally & Socially Responsible Journey: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/progress-report/equity-access-2018-22/#Responsible-Investing

ESG Investment Consideration at Pitt: https://www.cfo.pitt.edu/divisions/office-finance/environmental-social-and-governance-esg-investment-considerations-pitt

2021-22 ESG Report: https://www.cfo.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/esg_report_2023-final_0.pdf

2020-21 ESG Report: https://www.cfo.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/esg_report_final.pdf

2021 Ad Hoc Committee on Fossil Fuels of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh – Process & Report:
https://www.trustees.pitt.edu/fossil-fuels

Fossil Free Pitt Coalition: https://www.facebook.com/FossilFreePitt/