SUNY Cobleskill has been awarded $2,500 in grant funding from the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3) and the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) to support the College’s innovative “Repair & Re-Love Hub” project, a campus sustainability initiative designed to reduce waste and promote circular economy practices among students.
Grant awards are given through a competitive process administered by NYSAR3 and NYSP2I, which annually provide up to $10,000 in funding to New York State universities and colleges that are members of the NYSAR3 College Council. The program supports innovative projects focused on source reduction, reuse, recycling and pollution prevention. SUNY Oswego and Colgate University were also awarded funding through this year’s grant.
The Repair & Re-Love Hub is a pop-up repair station providing free, hands-on workshops focused on repairing clothing, bicycles, and other personal items. Each event is a learning opportunity, equipping students with practical repair skills and promoting long-term behavioral change that encourages them to extend the life of everyday items and rethink their relationship with consumption and waste.
“We are deeply grateful to NYSAR3 and NYSP2I for awarding this grant. This support will strengthen our ongoing efforts to build on our culture of sustainability on our campus,” said Karina Benninger, Director of Sustainability and Compliance at SUNY Cobleskill. “The project was conceived by Environmental Management student Katherine Mohan, who assisted in authoring the grant proposal as part of her internship with our campus Sustainability Office, and it’s a strong example of our commitment to applied learning and to offer students valuable opportunities to develop sustainable skills and habits that will benefit them both now and in the future”, said Karina Benninger, Director of Sustainability and Compliance.
The Repair & Re-Love Hub will launch this upcoming fall as an expansion of the “repair shop hours” that SUNY Cobleskill is already hosting as part of the Share Shop, the College’s community space where students, faculty, and staff can exchange gently used items at no cost.
The NYSAR3 College Council is a membership-based program providing a forum for college students, staff, and faculty to share information about common challenges and best practices related to recycling, waste prevention, and other environmental issues. Learn more here.
