Sustainable Furniture Initiative

Rooms in Herman Brown and Mood-Shearn, two coed sophomore residence halls, were outfitted with eco-friendly furniture. The new furnishings are the latest result of the University’s continued commitment to sustainability. Southwestern hopes to transition all its residence halls to sustainably sourced furniture within the next five years. The bed frames, desks, and dressers were all crafted from sustainably sourced wood from North America. The manufacturer works with state foresters to cut down only mature trees and harvests lumber within 100 miles of its facility, reducing the company’s carbon footprint while supporting local jobs. Southwestern also partnered with Lippert Components to equip the rooms in the two residence halls with EnvironSpring Mattresses, made from 100% recyclable materials and are also manufactured using zero waste practices. Lippert provides a zero-landfill program, meaning once the mattresses are ready to be replaced, the company will pick them up from the school, break them down at their facility, and recycle them into new mattresses. 

Green Cleaning Products

The Southwestern custodial staff uses Stearns’ Green Seal® certified Neutral Cleaner, Restroom and Bowl Cleaner, and Winder Cleaner. These products are free of harmful ingredients, such as acid, alkyl or nonylphenols, solvents, glycol ethers, ammonia, and VOCs - thus curbing the negative impacts of cleaning products on health and the environment. The custodial staff also use safe and efficient cleaning tools, such as the Deionized Window Washing Equipment that clean the outdoor windows using only water.