We’re excited to share the latest strides in sustainability at Pomona College. This month, you’ll get to know our Assistant Director of Sustainability and dive into the impactful work of our ReCoop Initiative. Plus, we’ve rounded up some compelling local environmental news that you won’t want to miss.
Don’t forget to explore the featured professional development events and opportunities listed below—there’s something for everyone looking to make a difference!
MEET NIKHIL SCHNEIDER
Meet Pomona’s Assistant Director of Sustainability, Nikhil Schneider!
Q: What sparked your interest in the environment?
A: I grew up in Houston, TX. I always enjoyed being outside, riding bikes, climbing trees, etc. We didn’t have a TV growing up and most of our family vacations involved camping in state or national parks, so spending all that time outdoors played a big role in my interest in the environment.
Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in sustainability?
A: I took an AP Environmental Science class in high school, in which I learned about all the ways that humans deplete our natural resources and reduce the health of our own habitats, as well as the ways that we can harmonize with natural and processes to meet our needs in ways that don’t diminish the health of the systems upon which we depend. Learning about these urgent threats in conjunction with compelling opportunities to improve the way our society operates with regards to the environment inspired me to go into this field.
Q: What do you think students can do to make a difference for the environment?
A: It’s easy to feel like individual actions aren’t impactful, especially when compared to those of massive corporations or the ultra-wealthy. I think one of the big benefits of taking action as an individual is that it feels good to actually live up to and embody your own values. Just because it’s so hard to hold mega-polluters accountable doesn’t mean we should absolve ourselves of the responsibility for things that ARE under our control. I have dozens of opportunities each day to live up to my values, but a few people taking every one of those opportunities is less important than everyone taking a few of those opportunities. Some of them are:
Vote, not just at the polls, but with your wallet. Every dollar you spend is a vote of support for the systems that delivered you that product. Are those systems just? Do they pollute? Who do they benefit? Buying used items reduces the demand for logging, mining, plastic production, and landfill space. Reusing things also promotes more job creation than throwing things away.
Carpool, bike, take public transportation. Students have access to the entire Foothill Transit network for free (get a Class Pass at the Connection in the Honnold-Mudd library), which can get you to Union Station in LA and tons of places locally.
Avoid disposables: I’ll probably avoid throwing away hundreds, if not thousands of plastic utensils, cups, water bottles, to-go containers, paper napkins over my lifetime just by planning ahead and having those things with me when I know I’ll need them. I’ve also avoided ingesting a lot of microplastics, which have been found in humans’ blood, organs, and breast milk.
Talk with other people: Climate change is framed as a “scientific” challenge, which means we don’t often leave space for emotions, but it’s natural to feel anxiety and grief when confronting the loss of things we care about. Talking with people about these emotions destigmatizes the topic, building community, and easing negative emotions simply through sharing them. Realizing you’re not the only person experiencing something has a profound impact.
Eat less meat: It takes 5 to 30 times as much water, land, and greenhouse gas emissions to produce a gram of animal protein vs plant protein. You don’t have to be vegetarian to have a positive impact. There’s a lot of wiggle room between “Never Eating Meat” and “Eating Meat With Every Single Meal”. It’s ok to make small changes.
Communities across the Inland Empire recently celebrated a significant achievement with the EPA’s approval of the Southern Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) Warehouse Indirect Source Rule (ISR). This policy is designed to tackle pollution from trucks servicing large warehouse facilities by promoting zero-emissionstechnologies and generating local clean energy jobs. For years, environmental justice organizations and local community members have advocated for such protections to mitigate the effects of truck traffic and diesel exhaust on their neighborhoods.
The ISR’s implementation is already leading to the introduction of numerous zero-emission trucks and charging stations. However, environmental justice organizations have stressed the importance of ongoing vigilance to ensure compliance and transparency, particularly concerning Confidential Business Information related to the rule's enforcement.
On August 18th, The Pomona College Sustainability Office and the ReCoop crew organized another successful annual ReCoop sale amidst the summer heat. The program collects, organizes, and stores gently used items, including furniture, school supplies, electronics, appliances, linens, and decor during the move-out season. In the fall, as students return to campus, those items are resold at steeply discounted rates or donated to our community. The program– which is well over a decade old– diverts tons of waste from ending up in landfills and puts sustainability into practice on our campus.
The crew of 12 stayed on campus for nearly two extra weeks to pull off the project. Crew members collected masses of items at the two donation sites, and then cleaned and sorted them. Items were then stored, filling four shipping containers to the brim. Amongst the most commonly donated items were bedding, fans, hangers, and mini-fridges.
Crew members navigated substantial challenges: staying cool in near 100-degree temperatures, hauling discarded mini fridges to the storage site, and sorting trash from usable items. However, crew members still managed to find the positives.
Osiel Ocampo PO 26’, who served as a ReCoop Manager in 2023 and 2024, said, “ReCoop is so fulfilling because you get to immediately see the fruits of your labor and know you’ve made a tangible change. It’s also such an amazing opportunity to engage with all sorts of people and learn random tidbits about their lives, majors, and experiences at Pomona. There really isn’t ever a dull moment. One moment you're touching a mysterious sticky substance and the next you're talking about that really cool internship or research project you're going to do for the rest of the summer”.
The ReCoop Crew staged a community day sale prior to move-in, offering excess items to community members at no cost. Bags of linens were donated to local animal rescues.
Crew members moved in just shy of two weeks early to begin setting up for the sale. After the initial sale, which targets freshmen, another sale was set up for the general student body. A “FreeCoop”, which made all leftover items available to students and the larger community for free, was held the following week.
In every sale, school supplies were offered for free. Donated items were also provided to furnish the new FLI (First-Generation Low Income) Nest.
This year’s ReCoop was the most profitable documented, largely due to the efforts of the crew. Nearly all the inventory collected during the 2024 move-out was sold or donated. Profits made during the sale will go towards the cost of student wages and running the Sustainability Office’s other programs.
The annual ReCoop Sale highlights the capacity of college campuses and students to advance sustainability. A tradition rooted in reducing waste, it offers a glimpse into what it would like to circulate goods sustainably in our community.
EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Events:
5C Sustainability Fair | September 20 from 3-5 PM @ SCC Lawn
Do you care about sustainability? Want to get more involved on-campus? Join us at the Smith Campus Center Lawn on Friday, September 20 from 3-5pm to learn about 5C sustainability resources and clubs! Pomona and Pitzer’s EcoReps and 5C environmental organizations will come together to share free resources and ways that students can get involved with sustainability across the campuses. Plus, there will be free, eco-friendly gifts for the first 50 people who stop by!
Walker Flea Market | September 27 from 2-5 PM @ Walker Beach
Buy homemade, student-created items from 5C students at the Walker Flea Market on Friday, September 27 from 2-5pm at Walker Beach. Items sold will include clothes, crochet creations, handmade jewelry, and art prints. Practice sustainability by getting a free reusable product from the EcoReps, buying sustainably, and enjoying some live tunes!
Scripps Presents: Xiye Bastida in Conversation| September 19 from 7-9 PM @ Garrison Theater
Prepare to be inspired by this riveting talk with Xiye Bastida, a leading voice for Indigenous and immigrant visibility in climate activism. Co-founding the nonprofit Re-Earth Initiative as a teen, Xiye bridges the gaps between policy, youth inclusion, and funding to empower the climate movement.
Sign up here: www.givecampus.com/schools/ScrippsCollege/events/scripps-presents-xiye-bastida-in-conversation.
Professional, Funding & Job Opportunities:
New Conservation Coding Club| September 19 from 4-6 PM @ Seaver South 227
For anyone who is enthusiastic about conservation, ecology, and curious about using data, please join us for coding sessions where we’ll explore datasets about wildlife and ecological systems. You’re welcome to come whenever you’re free – we'll look at a different dataset each week, so pop on by when you're free. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me (chchang@bonaprinting.com). Hope to see you there!
President Sustainability Fund Applications — Open Now! | Application Closes on October 28 @ 8 AM
PSF grants $7,500 to student campus sustainability projects annually. PSF projects can either be (1) infrastructural or operational improvements for Pomona College or (2) sustainability-related research that can inform campus operations. Currently-enrolled Pomona College students are eligible to apply. More information here: http://bit.ly/PSFApplication.
Join the Campus Climate Network | No deadline
The Campus Climate Network is revitalizing the student climate movement. They aim to build an international coalition of student-led climate justice groups fighting to cut ties with the fossil fuel industry and its enablers. They provide students with the training, resources, and connections they need to run winning campaigns on campus and become the next generation of climate justice leaders. http://actionnetwork.org/forms/get-involved-with-fossil-free-research/.
Check out a dryer rack (for the semester) at the Pomona Sustainability Office in the basement of Harwood Court or Walker Lounge.
Free menstrual cups & LED Lightbulbs in the basement of Harwood Court.
Visit us in the Sustainability Office of Harwood Court! Open from 9 AM- 5PM (closed for lunch). If you have any questions email us at pomonaecoreps@gmail.com
