The Lehigh Bookstore and Office of Sustainability have partnered to tackle single-use plastic bags on campus through the newly launched EcoCoin Program. The program gives Lehigh Bookstore customers the ability to go bagless while philanthropically supporting student organizations on campus. Each time a customer says “no” to a single-use plastic bag, they receive an EcoCoin. EcoCoins have monetary value and the funds raised will be donated to the selected student organization.
The goals of the EcoCoin Program are to reduce single-use plastic bags on campus and foster support of our campus community by making a direct impact on selected student organizations. The new program directly supports Lehigh’s Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030. “One of Lehigh’s 113 goals in the Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030 is to encourage customers at the Lehigh Bookstore to opt-out of taking a single-use plastic bag in 2022 and to ultimately eliminate single-use plastic bags at the Lehigh Bookstore by 2025,” said Katharine Targett Gross, Sustainability Officer.
"The Bookstore wholeheartedly supports the mission of Lehigh University, so partnering with the Office of Sustainability to achieve this goal while simultaneously supporting student organizations just makes sense to us," said Renee Lutz, Lehigh University Bookstore Manager.
The EcoCoin Program is proven to make an impact as the Office of Sustainability was inspired by Penn State’s EcoCoin Program. “To achieve the first part of this goal, the Office of Sustainability and the Lehigh Bookstore worked together to adopt an EcoCoin Program that was modeled after Penn State University’s efforts to reduce single-use plastic bags on campus. This program was adapted to best fit the needs of our Lehigh community,” said Katharine Targett Gross.
The EcoCoin Program supports select campus organizations to serve as the recipients of the EcoCoin donations each academic year. “This program will not only reduce single-use plastic waste on campus, but it will also help to financially support student organizations. A win-win,” said Katharine Targett Gross.
In fall 2021, the student body was asked to nominate their favorite student organizations to become potential recipients of 2022 EcoCoin funds. After closing the nomination period, members of the Undergraduate Student Senate and the Lehigh Sustainability Council voted and selected the Eco-Rep Leadership Program and Outing Club to become the program’s first recipients.
“It's really neat to have the Outing Club be one of the first recipients of the EcoCoin program - I think it's a great initiative, and as a club primarily focused on the outdoors, it particularly aligns with our values,” said Henry Price, LU Outing Club Vice President. “With the additional funds generated through this program, the Outing Club can further reduce the cost of trips, making the outdoors more accessible for all students.”
How can you double your impact?:
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Shop at the Lehigh Bookstore
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Say “no” to a plastic bag at checkout
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Your cashier will hand you an EcoCoin
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Support a Lehigh student organization by placing the coin in the corresponding student organization collection bin
Questions or comments? Contact sustainability@lehigh.edu.