Sustainability Resources and Programs

Borrow reusable plates, bowls, cups, and utensils for events to save money and reduce waste. Return the items dirty— our dining hall staff washes and sanitizes all items for reuse. Please submit this checkout form a few days before your event so that our student manager can do their best to fill your order in time. Questions? Send an email to checkouts@pomona.edu. 

Borrow cooking and baking supplies to save money and reduce waste. Please submit this checkout form a few days before your event so that our student manager can do their best to fill your order in time. Questions? Send an email to checkouts@pomona.edu.

The Sustainability Office has vacuum cleaners, brooms, mops, and dusters available for students to check out temporarily. Fill out the form at the link below to make a checkout reservation: https://pomona.formstack.com/forms/cleaning_supply_checkout_form

Borrow a drying rack for the year for free so that you can save money, reduce energy, and maintain the quality of your clothes by air drying. Visit our self-checkout station in the hallway outside the Sustainability Office (located in the Harwood basement on the northeast side of the building). The checkout form is posted on the wall above the drying racks, simply fill it out and take the rack you want. Checkouts are good for the entire school year.

The Green Bikes program provides year-long bike rentals for Pomona College students, faculty, and staff from our student-run program as well as free tune-ups. Visit their webpage or email GreenBikes@Pomona.edu for more information.

Pomona EcoReps serve the Pomona College community as a student-run sustainability hub. They connect students to the Sustainability Office and resources for sustainable living. Visit their webpage or email EcoReps@Pomona.edu for more information.

ReCoop aims to promote responsible living and a culture of reuse within the Pomona College community. ReCoop collects unwanted items at the end of the school year and then resells them at discounted prices at the fall ReCoop sales. All of the proceeds from the sale go directly into funding this student-run program.

The President's Sustainability Fund (PSF) provides up to $7,500 annually in student grants for campus sustainability projects. Past initiatives have included the Greenware and Cookware programs, LED light retrofits, and a turf removal survey that resulted in replacing three water-intensive turf areas with drought-tolerant landscaping.

Donate or "shop" for clothing, shoes, and room decor at the Free Room, located in Walker Lounge, open Sundays from 6 to 9 pm and Tuesdays from 5-8pm. We also have a "mini" location in the Harwood hallway outside of the Sustainability Office. Follow on Instagram for the latest updates and fresh items.

Buy books ($1 for softcovers and $2 for hardcovers) and textbooks ($7) from the Book Room in Walker Lounge, open Sundays from 6 to 9 pm and Tuesdays from 5-8 pm. All proceeds directly fund the student-run program. For upcoming events, follow the Book Room on Facebook and Instagram.

View our catalog here.

Looking to make your office more sustainable? The Sustainability Office can help you! Whether it's "shopping" for gently used supplies from our ReCoop Office room, getting stickers for your waste bins, or borrowing Greenware for your office party, we have a variety of programs available for you. Visit our Green Office webpage to learn more or send us a question at sustainability@pomona.edu.

Did you know that a menstruating person can produce 250 to 300 pounds of waste in their lifetime because of single-use pads and tampons (Stein & Kim, 2009)? The Sustainability Office provides one free Lena Cup (reusable menstrual cup voted #1 Best Beginner Menstrual Cup) for all Pomona students. Lena Cup is a reusable bell-shaped cup that collects your monthly menstrual blood. It is designed for an active modern user, and you can wear Lena Cup for up to 12 consecutive hours day & night.

Funding by a Jay Scott ('22)'s President's Sustainability Fund project, the Sustainability Office provides free collapsible silicone cups that easily fit in your back pocket or bag so that you always have an easily-accessible cup and can avoid single-use plastics.

The Sustainability Office provides free LED light bulbs, which can cut energy use by 90% compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs and also don't contain hazardous mercury like CFL bulbs. Grab one from the table by the Sustainability Office bulletin board (located in the Harwood basement on the northeast side of the building).

Borrow a power strip for the year instead of buying a new one. Each outlet has an on/off switch so that you can save "phantom load" energy when electronics are not in use.

Rather than using a disposable to-go container, you can check out a free Greenbox at any of Pomona's dining halls for your on-the-go meals. Once you are done with it, you can bring it back with you on your next trip to the dining hall!

The following items are not recyclable and should be thrown into the trash:

Non-recyclable Plastics

• Plastics labeled #3-7
• Takeout containers (plastic or foam)
• Disposable utensils
• Straws
• Produce containers (like for berries or tomatoes)
• Egg cartons (plastic or paper)
• Styrofoam
• Black-colored plastics
• Plastic wrap and bags
• Hot or cold to-go cups

Non-recyclable Paper

• Cartons (e.g., milk, milk alternatives, juice, chicken stock, coconut water, etc.) (labeled "Tetra Pak")
• Frozen food boxes
• Greasy pizza boxes
• Food-soiled items
• Padded envelopes
• Shredded paper

Other Trash

• Liquids
• Ceramics and glassware

When recycling, think "back to the basics." All recyclables should be clean, empty, and dry (no food or liquids). The following items are recyclable:

Plastics (#1 & #2 ONLY)

• #1 (PET): bottles
• #2 (HDPE): milk/juice/water jugs, cleaning solution containers, laundry detergent jugs, liquid soap containers
• NOT miscellaneous plastics labeled #3-7, to-go cups, straws, takeout containers, bags, wrap, Styrofoam

Paper & Cardboard

• White copy paper, cardstock, colored paper, magazines, newspaper
• Cardboard (please break down boxes), cereal boxes, 
• NOT to-go cups, frozen food boxes, greasy pizza boxes, egg cartons, shredded paper, mixed materials (padded or windowed envelopes)

Metal Cans

• soda cans, canned food (empty), clean aluminum foil

Glass Bottles & Jars

• Glass water bottles, jars of food (clean)
• NOT kitchen glassware (like cups, plates, or baking dishes)

Pomona College composts at each of our dining halls, the Coop Fountain, Cafë47, and at tumblers throughout campus.

• All food waste (including meat, dairy, and bones)
• Fiber-based compostables (compostable napkins, bowls, and takeout containers)
• NOT plant-based plastic compostables (straws, utensils, to-go cups, to-go hot containers)

The following items are toxic to dispose of in the trash and should be taken to collection locations at the Smith Campus Center Mail Room or the Sustainability Office.

• Propane or butane cylinders
• CFL bulbs
• Batteries
• Paint
• Electronics (anything with a battery or power cord, like laptops, cell phones, or printers)

All of our waste is picked up by the City of Claremont.

Trash is taken directly to the Mid-Valley Landfill in Rialto, CA (about 20 miles northeast of campus).

Recycling is taken to the Grand Central Recycling and Transfer Station in the City of Industry, CA (about 18 miles southeast of campus) where items are sorted, processed, and (if properly sorted) recycled into a reusable material.

Composting is taken to the Athens Services’ American Organics facility in Victorville, CA (about 57 miles northeast of campus).

The Class Pass provides free bus passes for Foothill Transit. You can pick up your free pass at Honnold Library

The Rideshare program provides a $2 daily incentive for commuting sustainably to campus (carpool, electric vehicle, walk, bike.

Human Resources provides a $100 monthly Metrolink Reimbursement for using the Metrolink for commuting or work-related trips.

PoolCar allows faculty and staff to reserve a campus vehicle (5-seater compact/sedan or 7-seater minivan) for off-campus work-related trips.

EcoReps serve the Pomona College community as a student-run sustainability hub. They believe that everyone has something unique to contribute to the conversation and that environmentalism requires a community-based culture of awareness, care, and engagement. They aim to promote a sustainable lifestyle through advocacy, education, and events. For more information, email ecoreps@pomona.edu, follow on social media (Instagram and Facebook), or subscribe to their EcoNews Bulletin.

The Sustainability Office hires a variety of part-time positions during the school year— EcoReps, Checkouts Program Manager, Data Analyst, Book Room Manager, Communications Manager, ReCoop Managers and Crew, and Farm Compost Drivers. Over the summer, we offer a ten-week SAVE Annual Report internship.

All available positions are posted on Handshake. For more information, email sustainability@pomona.edu or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Student mechanics at the Pomona Green Bike Shop (PGBS) provide bike repair, and other bike-related services for free to students, staff, and faculty at the Claremont Colleges. A central goal of Green Bikes is to make biking more accessible to all students and Claremont College community members. As such, we are looking for mechanics from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences with bikes to reflect the experiences of the students coming into our shop. No previous bike experience is necessary, but a willingness to learn and a passion for supporting others are necessary. 

For more information, email GreenBikes@pomona.edu, visit their webpage or follow them on Facebook.

The Pomona College Organic Farm is a 1.2-acre working farm in the southeast corner of campus. There are numerous ways to get involved with the Farm!  Come by to volunteer, incorporate the Farm into your studies, apply for student employment, or help us thrive by donating. And check out our Events page to see upcoming workshops, potlucks, and fun at the Farm (free and open to all unless otherwise specified)!

PACS is a committee of faculty, staff, and students that develops strategies, outreach, and programs for increasing campus sustainability. The group meets biweekly on Thursdays during lunch (currently via Zoom) during the academic year. If you're interested in joining the committee, please email sustainability@pomona.edu.

The Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) has an elected position, the Commissioner for Facilities and the Environment, that works to improve campus sustainability and also sits on the Board of Trustees' Facilities & Environment committee. Email facilities@aspc.pomona.edu with suggestions or ways to get involved.

The Sustainability Office collects extensive data on energy, water, waste, transportation, food purchasing, and emissions. All data is transparently available for any class projects or research. Please view our SAVE Annual Report for an overview of data and projects and email sustainability@pomona.edu for original data sets or to schedule an interview.

The Sustainability Office has funding for campus projects and special events. Contact the office at sustainability@pomona.edu for more information about possible topics for projects and papers.

Launched in 2007, the President's Sustainability Fund has granted over $40,000 for student-initiated projects. The President's Advisory Committee on Sustainability administers the fund, up to $7,500 total per year, for student campus sustainability projects. Students submit proposals in the fall and complete projects in the spring semester. To be eligible for funding, projects must focus on infrastructural or operational changes as opposed to solely outreach or educational efforts (for instance, bringing a speaker to campus is not an intended use of the funds, unless perhaps in conjunction with some related campus operational project).

Projects that have received funding in the past include:

• A self-repair bike station at the Smith Campus Center
• Water bottle refill station in the Smith Campus Center Courtyard
• Beverage dispensers to reduce plastic water bottle use at Class Day
• Reusable bags for the Coop Store
• Compost receptacles for the Coop Fountain
• Pilot program for reusable dishes in Catering
• Drying racks installed in residence halls laundry rooms
• The construction of SolTrain, a mobile solar array that can be used to power events
• Increased signage for the Recycling Center in the Smith Campus Room
• Post-consumer composting in the dining halls
• Greenware sustainable event kits of reusable, recycled dishware
• Native landscaping at Sontag Hall and Frary/Brackett
• Shower timers for residence halls

Contact the Sustainability Office at sustainability@pomona.edu for more information. The Sustainability Office can help you develop project ideas and prepare proposals.

EQC receives an annual budget from the Associated Students of Pomona College. This budget can be used for events and projects. Contact the Environmental Affairs Commissioner through the Pomona College Senate for more information.

The EA Program often contributes to events or projects that have an educational component, such as bringing a speaker to campus or sending a student to a conference or other event. Contact the EA Program for more information.

The Dean of Students Office maintains an extensive listing of funding sources for student endeavors, including travel to conferences and events. See their website for more information.