Education at Work recently began a recycling initiative at its Norwood, OH headquarters! This effort is spearheaded by Kelly Molloy, Data Analyst at EAW, and is supported by the Business Intelligence (BI) department. The idea started as a proposition from the BI manager, Dan Paterniti, to come up with an idea for a creative team project. The team noticed that everyday at the office many recyclable items were being thrown away because there was no great alternative. Nowadays, it seems that most public places and universities have recycling programs, but EAW did not. The suggestion of starting a recycling program started more as a joke, but the more the team talked about it, the more they saw the value in starting this program. The BI team thought that starting a recycling program was a respectable team project and a positive way to impact the company.

With the help of various members of the EAW staff and support from our President, Larry Lutz, EAW was able to start a program through Rumpke. Additionally, Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District was a major contributor to the project by providing free internal collection bins for the entire EAW staff. With their help, the cost of starting this program was significantly reduced. Now, when you walk through EAW there are recycling bins throughout the office to collect plastics, metals, and various paper products. The first collection from the bins happened last week and it is extremely exciting to see the recyclables not being thrown away into trashcans. The response thus far for the program has been positive with many members of the EAW staff excited about this new initiative.

While the program is currently only at EAW’s Norwood, OH headquarters, the hope is to expand the program to all current and future EAW sites. If the campus already recycles, the plan is to work with that university to ensure there are collection bins in the buildings that house the EAW location. If recycling is not offered, EAW would work with the university to see if recycling would be a possibility. To see this program expand company-wide would be not only a positive for the company’s mission, but also for the sustainability of our planet.

There is an ancient Native American proverb that teaches, “we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” EAW’s mission is to help college students better their futures by providing them with instrumental career skills and helping to reduce or eliminate their student debt. Now, with this new initiative, EAW is also helping to do its part to ensure a better future for the next generation’s planet.