We recently featured two of the U of S' summer camps for reciving their Green Seals of Approval for their sustainability achievements. Now, with the summer coming to an end and more results pouring in, we have to take another moment to highlight a new benchmark in summer camp sustainability.

The Museum of Antiquities' Ancient and Medieval Adventures Camp is now the proud recipient of a Gold Green Seal of Approval for stellar achievements in sustainability this summer. This achievement is the result of months of planning and dedicated action on the parts of the camp organizers, beginning with a staff and camper orientation that included information on sustainability, their Green Seal goal, and how to properly recycle on campus. One of the keys to their success was ensuring that sustainability was a focus for everybody in the camp, staff included; the camp's waste-free lunch policy also applied to leaders in order to set a strong example for campers.

The camp set a strong standard for waste reduction throughout the summer, starting with a recycling demonstration to help campers and leaders alike gain familiarity with the campus recycling program. Close coordination was kept with the Office to ensure that recycling stations were available for camp activities no matter the location. The camp also featured a reusable water bottle policy, ensuring that plastic water bottle waste was eliminated from the camp's operations. Campers were also provided with a reusable mini-backpack to help keep themselves organized without the use of disposable bags. To help keep paper waste down, all parent communications were electronic and handouts were eliminated in favor of reusable overheads. To put the cherry on top, the camp featured a recycling rewards program, giving prizes to campers who were able to best exemplify the waste reduction goals of the camp. 

Camp activities also featured a great deal of sustainability content, integrating concepts into the camp's exciting historical adventures. Recycled materials were collected by campers and used in arts and crafts; these same items were later repurposed and reused in other activities to ensure purchasing was kept to a minimum and campers saw the value of reusable items. 

Overall, we were blown away by the steps taken by the Museum of Antiquities summer camp to impart the importance of sustainability to their campers. Strong sustainability goals and dedicated work on the part of both campers and leaders made sure that they rose to the top of this year's summer camp sustainability list. From all of us here at the Office of Sustainability, we thank the camp for their efforts and proudly present them with a Gold Seal of Approval. Congratulations!