Consulting Case Study: Improving UMD's Sustainability
The University of Maryland's Department of Facilities Management had a highly inefficient system to get buildings compost bins. After consulting with this office, we streamlined the process, decreasing time from 2.5 hours to only 30 minutes.
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Click images on right to view award-winning poster and final business report.
Scope
We need help: The University of Maryland's Department of Facilities Management wanted to develop a more effective strategy to find ideal locations to place these compost bins.
Challenges
Too much work; too few staff. The University of Maryland employed only one Recycling Coordinator to single-handedly lead this project.
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Students don't compost. Data suggested that UMD students did not compost regularly even when presented with an accessible option. Students were unaware of the unsustainable impact of their actions.
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It's a trade-off. Fewer compost bins would mean more compost per bag, but students won't go out of their way for a compost bin. We had to balance reducing the number of bags while still maximizing the amount of compost per bag?
Approach
Make them do it: Outsource key steps to building managers.
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Organize requests: We created a data input online form so the facilities team can see who requested use of services first.
Results
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We reduced the time taken to place compost bins from 2.5 hours to 30 minutes (an 80% decrease).
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Our success can be measured throughout campus. Following our consulting project, the number of compost bins across campus skyrocketed.
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Our final deliverable received the award, "Best Poster"
