By Mia Ortiz ’29
On June 13, hundreds of people lined up at Paxinosa Elementary School in anticipation of Lafayette College’s West Ward Sale.
The College collects new and gently used items from students as they move out at the end of the academic year through the Green Move Out program, spearheaded by the Office of Sustainability. Clothes, kitchenware, bedding, home goods, office supplies, toiletries, electronics, reusable bags, and more are donated through the Green Move Out, which are then redirected back into the Easton community, recycling items that may no longer be needed onto those who can use them.
“Around 5,000 items went to the West Ward Sale, which hosted about 300 families in the community,” says Daniel Hayes ’27, a metrics intern for the Office of Sustainability.
He explains an additional 1,500 items were donated directly to 18 community partners including Chicks4Change (nonprofit animal welfare), Norwescap Food Bank, Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, Safe Harbor Easton, and more. After the sale, remaining items are sent to the campus thrift store for students who can use items when they return to campus.
Collecting and redistributing donated items is no small feat. This year, Green Move Out pulled in a total of 21,700 pounds of donations.
Samantha Comas, sustainability outreach and engagement manager for the Office of Sustainability, says more than 200 volunteers contributed over 600 hours to Green Move Out and the West Ward Sale. The program is led by staff and student interns from the Office of Sustainability, as well as support from Facilities, Residence Life, and the Landis Center for Community Engagement. Volunteers included faculty, staff, students, and community members from 26 departments, majors, and organizations across campus. “This effort would not be possible without their support and dedication to this impactful initiative,” Comas says.
Volunteers organized donations from Green Move Out or helped set up the West Ward Sale. Several departments sponsored volunteer days, an opportunity for team building and a way to support the College-wide effort. Guardian Life Insurance also brought nine volunteers to the West Ward Sale to support with setup, checkout, and event management. Their team, along with several new community volunteers, significantly increased the number of volunteers at the West Ward Sale this year, which was a huge help day-of to ensure the event ran smoothly, Comas says.
Sabian Garza ’27, a zero waste and circularity intern with the Office of Sustainability, explains that it’s important to keep the donated items within the community.
“We want to create as much circularity as possible, keeping things as local and accessible as we can,” Garza says.
