Students leaving Temple residence halls at the close of the school year donated a record 13,463 pounds of food, clothing and other household items to local charities as part of the university’s annual Give + Go Green clean-out program.

Temple’s Office of University Housing and Residential Life sponsored the program as a way of both diverting waste from entering the landfill and supporting local charities such as St. Vincent De Paul and Philabundance. Collection bins were made available in each residence hall, and students were encouraged to donate canned goods, apparel, electronics and other items they might otherwise leave behind or discard before returning home for summer. Residential Life also collected carpets, which were recycled to be made into new products.

“This program really emphasizes the three E’s in sustainability — environment, economy and equity,” said Sandra McDade director of Temple’s Office of Sustainability. “As the sustainability program evolves at Temple, we hope that we will see less material collected as students become more mindful of the impact of their purchases on the environment.”

For additional information about Temple’s Sustainability initiatives, visit the Office of Sustainability web site at www.temple.edu/sustainability.