Instagram Sensation Ya Fav Trashman Speaks at WCU’s Zero Waste Summit 2022
On Friday, September 30, beginning at 1 p.m., WCU will host a half-day Zero Waste
Summit 2022 that is free and open to both campus and the local community. All events
will take place in Sykes Student Union Ballrooms, 110 West Rosedale Avenue.
In addition to plant-based refreshments, information tables, and displays that include upcycled costumes from WCU’s theatrical production Carnival of Ruin, there are four 40-minute presentations with University students, faculty, and staff as well as sustainability experts from Chester County, the Borough of West Chester, and regional industries. Between sessions, guests are encouraged to network and enjoy brief yoga stretches. Students are invited to participate in a swap meet for new or gently used clothing items.
Special guest speaker is Instagram sensation Terrill Haigler, known as Ya Fav Trashman, a community activist, author, and former Philadelphia sanitation worker. Jessie Hazell, an Early Education/Honors student, will interview him. This session starts at 3:40 p.m.
Bradley Flamm, director of the WCU Office of Sustainability, noted that Haigler’s Instagram posts bring awareness to what is often a thankless job: sanitation worker. “We should all appreciate the work that sanitation workers do to make our cities livable. On campus, there are so many people who work toward our zero waste vision, including our own custodians, who deserve but don’t always receive our gratitude and respect.”
The other presentations are:
1:10 – 1:50 p.m.
Student Leadership in Higher Ed Zero Waste Efforts
Ramiro Murguia and Grace Bowden, Post-Landfill Action Network; Josh Filer, Veg Out and Net Impact; Layla Malik, WCU Student Government Association Sustainability Senator; and Alden Ritchey, WCU Sustainability Peer Educator (SPE). Moderated by WCU SPE Emily Miller.
2:00 – 2:40 p.m.
“Waste or Recycling?”… and then what?
Stephen McStravick, WCU Facilities Campus Services; Bob Watts, Chester County Solid Waste Authority; Al DeGennaro and Jeff Furmanchin, JP Mascaro & Sons. Moderated by Bradley Flamm.
2:50 – 3:30 p.m.
Zero Waste and Food Systems
Will Williams, West Chester Borough Sustainability Director; Karen Varieur, WCU Aramark Resident District Manager; Joan Welch, WCU Gardens Faculty Advisor. Moderated by Ashlie Delshad, chair of WCU’s Sustainable Food Systems Committee and associate professor of political science.
The summit concludes at 4:30 p.m.
For additional information, visit the WCU Office of Sustainability website.