If you have grabbed a bite to eat at Woody’s Café recently, you have likely noticed a major shift in how the campus handles its waste.
During the Spring 2026 term, students in Woodbury’s Construction Management and Sustainable Practices programs rolled out practical, eco-friendly infrastructure and a fresh wave of creative visual communication to the heart of campus.
Led by Program Director Emily Bills, the project tackled everyday campus environmental waste by introducing strategic sorting stations. Bills said, “the initiatives include replacing single-use plastic utensils in Woody’s with compostable utensils, launching a food waste composting pilot project, and obtaining a filtered refillable water bottle dispenser in the architecture complex to
reduce single-use plastic bottles.”
To support this transition and ensure proper sorting, a new network of dedicated composting and recycling trash cans has been placed around campus, specifically outside Woody’s Café near the outdoor seating area.
Because new infrastructure is only as effective as the community’s willingness to use it correctly, Woodbury students stepped up. Students designed custom posters featuring vibrant, Gen Z-inspired graphics and quick-witted jokes to nudge peers into throwing specific garbage — like plastics and food waste — into the correct bins.
Students said the goal was to ditch dry, corporate instructional signs. By utilizing humor and internet culture, the student-led campaign uses relatability to clear up sorting confusion and combat wish-cycling.
Students said building this initiative was as much a lesson in behavioral psychology as it was in operational sustainability. By combining accessible infrastructure with engaging, peer-to-peer visual communication, the project turns a mundane daily routine into a conscious community of action.
While changing out utensils and adding bins may seem to some like a small footprint, the class emphasized the project’s true goal is to shift community mindset. By treating daily campus waste as a manageable resource rather than an afterthought, the installation stands as a physical reminder of the importance of green habits.
The initiative was made possible through a collaborative partnership alongside the Healthy and Sustainable Campus Committee, Bon Appétit, and the President’s Office.