As a new school year gets ready to begin, sustainability efforts at Valparaiso University will continue to help students, faculty, staff and the community be responsible stewards of the planet and the environment. Summer projects, plans for the start of the school year, and initiatives to make campus events green will all play key roles in helping the University achieve sustainability goals.
The University was named the winner of the Race to Zero Waste’s 2025 Game Day Basketball category for 2025 thanks to the “Green Games” program, where volunteers help spectators at football and basketball games dispose of their garbage and separate recyclable materials. Volunteers will continue the Green Game program at every home football game of the 2025 season, starting with Saturday, Aug. 30th’s contest against Virginia Lynchburg.
In addition to taking first place in the Game Day Basketball category, Valparaiso University ranked in the top 30 schools in per-capita recycling, as well as number 39 in waste diversion, which increased from 26% to 32% from the previous year.
Other initiatives continuing into the new school year include:
- New LED lighting in the Harre Union.
- Expanding the composting program to reduce campus food waste.
- Assistance with move-in day to divert waste from garbage and into recycling.
- Making outdoor events during Welcome Week zero waste with all-compostable material and volunteer assistance in sorting waste.
Sustainability has been part of Valparaiso University’s overall service initiatives described in its five-year plan Uplift Valpo: Our Beacon for the Journey Forward. For more information on the University’s previous sustainability efforts, see one of our previous stories here. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions relating to campus sustainability, please email .
