local work
In addition to our programs abroad, our chapter strives to contribute to the GWU and Washington, D.C communities. Our community projects include volunteering with local parks to promote ecological restoration, partnering with a local non-profit to design a rainwater conservation system, and more.
Our most active project right underway is the campus reverse vending machine design! Team members have been working together to design a recycling system that provides users some form of monetary value in exchange for a recyclable bottle or can. Implementing this project would solve the litter issue on GWU’s campus given the urban environment we lie in, and would be accessible to both students and non-GW students. The design also incorporates solar energy to power the machine, furthering our mission of sustainable implementation. Team members have been attending professional workshops on photovoltaic energy and other design mechanics to assist in their design.
In September 2015, EWB-GWU participated in the National Public Lands Day event at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, a national park located in the northeast corner of DC with a high variety of aquatic plants. We cleared cut lotus from the parks’ ponds and picked up litter, promoting a cleaner environment with higher energy flow. By collaborating with over fifty other volunteers, we were able to complete the equivalent of three months of one individual’s work in just one day. Since then, EWB members continue to volunteer at Kenilworth Gardens each semester to assist in park clean up efforts.
In October 2019, members of EWB-GWU began volunteering at the National Arboretum in addition to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens to assist in stream restoration. At the National Arboretum, they replanted native plants in the ground to restore the Springhouse Run stream, as well as pulled invasive weeds and picked up trash. Similarly, at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, students removed invasive plants, collected litter, weeded flower beds, and assisted in trail maintenance. We continue to volunteer here once a month to aid ecological redevelopment and spend time together outdoors.
Beginning in October 2015, our chapter has partnered with local non-profit Little Friends for Peace (LFFP) and EWB-DC to design and implement a rainwater conservation barrel at the Perry School, a youth development center in the NoMa neighborhood in Washington, D.C. The Perry School, which offers services for children from low-income families, has worked with LFFP to create a peace garden that will promote positive cognitive and emotional benefits. EWB-GWU and LFFP have proposed the rain barrel project to educate the children about the importance of conservation and sustainability, and to them to connect with and cultivate their garden. Our team meets multiple times per month to research and design the barrel. In addition, we visit the Perry School once or twice per semester to measure and photograph the site and check in with Perry School officials.
Our chapter constantly welcomes new ideas for ways that we can give contribute to our community! If you have any suggestions, please email us at ewbgwu@gmail.com!