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It is a Facebook following that Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students worked hard for and are proud of, because they educated and aroused interest in recycling among many Godfrey residents. 

“Facebook is a great way to reach a large amount of people,” said Abbigayle Riedisser, a senior public health major. “We had initially wanted to reach 50 people, but when our project ended, we had 151 Facebook followers on the Greener Godfrey page. 

The students’ work was the culmination of a recycling project that was part of SIUE’s Successful Communities Collaborative (SSCC) initiative with Godfrey, a town of approximately 17,982 people. The student team presented its findings at SIUE’s Undergraduate Scholars Showcase held Thursday, April 26 in the Morris University Center. 

Along with Riedisser, the student team comprised senior public health majors Meg Bruhn, Amber Green, Jordan Powell and Megan Widman. They were part of the Programming, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation in Community Health class, taught by Nicole Klein, PhD, professor of public health in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s Department of Applied Health. 

Also assisting the students were Connie Frey Spurlock, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Sociology and SSCC faculty director; Tim Engelman, former SSCC program director and associate director of Educational Outreach; Virginia Woulfe-Beile, chair of Godfrey Cool Cities and Pamela Whisler, Godfrey Village Clerk. 

“The students started with a needs assessment,” said Klein. “They interviewed community leaders and gave a survey to Godfrey residents to determine what would get them to recycle more and what their thoughts on recycling were. They also looked at other cities’ recycling efforts.” 

“The Village has a recycling program, but a citywide recycling program would help our environment by reducing the waste collected for the landfills,” said Whisler. “Recycling is one of the best ways to have a positive impact on the world.” 

Some of enabling factors that would prompt residents to recycle, the team discovered, were ready access to recycling and the availability to recycle. 

“Some of the outcomes that Godfrey would like to see from recycling,” according to Riedisser, “were improved air and water quality, improvement in waste management, and to reduce pollution and roadside dumping.” 

“After decades of recycling in our homes and communities, it may be time for everyone to review and understand the philosophy behind recycling,” said Woulfe-Beile. “Getting back to the three R’s means first Reducing the use of single use products by using washable or reusable resources. Second, Reuse resources, such as donating clothing, buying resale or using real dinnerware. 

“Third, Recycle all recyclable materials such as paper, plastic, cardboard and glass,” continued Woulfe-Beile. “And consider the Fourth, refuse single use plastic and Styrofoam items.” 

“Most of the residents were on board with recycling. They just didn’t want to be forced to do it,” said Bruhn. 

“I think that the Godfrey residents felt more invested in their community after our project,” said Powell. “I’m also extremely proud of our group. We did a good job for a good cause,” said Powell. 

“We very much enjoyed working with the students and Godfrey officials on this project,” said Frey Spurlock. “We hope that the work the students did will help the Village of Godfrey achieve its recycling goals and we look forward to future collaborations with Godfrey.” 

SSCC is a yearlong partnership between SIUE and a regional community. The community partner identifies sustainability and livability projects that would benefit from SIUE expertise. Faculty from across the University incorporate these projects into their courses, and engage graduate and upper-level undergraduate students in the projects, reported Tim Engelman, SSCC program director and associate director of Educational Outreach. 

SIUE’s Successful Communities Collaborative initiative is fashioned after the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities (EPIC) model created in 2009 by the University of Oregon. The University joined EPIC, a network of more than 30 colleges and universities in March 2017. 

Photo:
SIUE students concluded a recycling project that was part of SIUE’s Successful Communities Collaborative (SSCC) initiative with the Village of Godfrey. Shown from left to right are: Abbigayle Riedisser, Meg Bruhn, Amber Green, Jordan Powell, Megan Widman (back) and Nicole Klein, PhD.