SGA hosts 2nd annual Green Innovation Competition for sustainable research
At the second annual Green Innovation Competition, sophomore Ava Lubkemann earned first place for her sustainability proposal “Revamped," which addresses textile waste and economic disparity in central New York. This photo is from last year's competition. Joe Zhao | Design Editor
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On Friday, Syracuse University sophomore Ava Lubkemann earned first place in the annual Green Innovation Competition for her sustainable research proposal addressing textile waste and economic disparity in central New York.
Lubkemann’s project, “Revamped,” repurposes an upcycled school bus to redistribute reusable clothing and textile materials to underserved communities in the city of Syracuse. The bus serves as a mobile donation center and secondhand store where the collected goods are housed, eliminating transportation barriers.
“I think there is a real need for it on campus, and I can definitely see it coming to life, ” Bridget Dougherty, a sophomore and co-director of the competition, said of the project.
The Student Government Association’s Sustainability Forum organized the competition, which allowed students to present proposals aimed at solving sustainability issues on campus to a panel of SU and SUNY ESF faculty judges. As the winner, Revamped will be implemented at SU starting next fall with the support of SGA and the forum.
The initiative also won the Learn Fresh Award at the Panasci Business Plan Competition, hosted by SU’s Whitman School of Management.
Mark Bauerschmidt, a junior studying environmental engineering and chemistry and co-director of the forum, said the group plans to work with Lubkemann to implement the project in the fall.
“Our piece in this as the sustainability forum is to help implement this as a pilot program,” Bauerschmidt said. “Instead of just straight to landfill, it’s creating different ways people can repurpose and reuse textile waste with a broader impact to hopefully expand this out into the broader Syracuse area, so that these clothes can be recycled.”
Bauerschmidt said the forum will collaborate with Lubkemann and SU’s Office of Housing, Meal Plan, and ID Card Services to install donation bins in residence hall trash rooms. He said the bins will provide students with an on-campus option to donate clothes, rather than relying on less accessible thrift stores.
He also said the increased accessibility will encourage more students to participate in sustainable clothing donations instead of disposing of worn-out clothes.
Dougherty, like Bauerschmidt, also pointed to the competition’s growth since last year, specifically with Sue Fassler, director of sustainability at SUNY ESF, participating as a judge this year.
Fassler helped start the ESF Center for Sustainable Materials Management’s Resource Exchange project, which launched in July 2024 and was awarded the 2024 Rheaply Innovator Award for its creative use of funding. She was recognized as a Central New York 40 Under 40 honoree in November for her work on the project.
Dougherty said Fassler shared insight into ESF’s sustainability methods with SU students and faculty during the competition. She said she hopes future events will include more collaboration between SU and ESF to strengthen sustainability efforts.
“I enjoyed the exchange of ideas on that part,” Dougherty said. “It helps to further bridge the gap between the universities, especially on the sustainability front.”
Bauerschmidt echoed Dougherty and described the competition as a “great opportunity” for both schools to share resources and “pool our knowledge together.”
He also said he hopes the forum will support Lubkemann in introducing the project to SU students before expanding “Revamped” into the broader Syracuse community.
“The long-term hope is to reduce textile waste on campus and provide SU students with a way of repurposing or reusing or donating clothes,” Bauerschmidt said. “It’s not something that is currently available on campus.”
