Bemidji State University, like many other college campuses across the country, sees mountains of couches, lamps, clothes, and other items accumulate as students finish their school years and head home.
Not everything in those mountains deserves to go to the landfill, so Colton Fetzer determined to reduce those mountains in line with the university’s sustainability goals while serving as a Minnesota GreenCorps member.
Fetzer made a significant impact at Bemidji State University by focusing on waste reduction and recycling during his 2023-2024 service term with the Minnesota GreenCorps. His efforts centered around educating the campus community on sustainable practices, with an emphasis on minimizing waste and composting.
One of Fetzer’s key projects was a behavior change campaign promoting organics composting in campus dining centers. He also spearheaded the Donate, Don’t Dumpster initiative, an effort to prevent quality, gently used items from ending up in landfills after student move-out. This campaign encouraged students to donate their unwanted items, which were then collected and redistributed to others through the university’s FreeStore. Fetzer’s outreach work led to the donation of nearly 7,000 pounds of items through Donate, Don’t Dumpster.
“One of my greatest successes was the outreach I did around Donate, Don’t Dumpster,” Fetzer said. “It allowed me to showcase my creativity and make a tangible impact. While not every student participated, the campaign showed the campus community that sustainability can be fun and engaging. I’m proud to think that my efforts helped bridge the gap between the sustainability office and the rest of campus.”
In addition to his work on campus, Colton partnered with several organizations in the Bemidji community including the City of Bemidji’s Sustainability Commission, Boys and Girls Club Bemidji, Northwoods Battered Women’s Shelter, and Bemidji Day Center. “Community building in Bemidji is critical to solving the climate crisis,” he said. Colton now works as a program coordinator for Gonzaga University’s Office of Sustainability.
This year, Minnesota GreenCorps will select up to 58 full-time members to serve at host sites across the state. Members help host organizations build capacity and climate resilience by addressing disproportionate impacts of pollution, encouraging energy conservation and green transportation, supporting stormwater and forestry best practices, preventing waste, and providing education about eco-friendly behavior. In exchange, host organizations supervise members and support them in their community-focused environmental projects.