Meet Our First Re-use for Good Ambassador: Emma Chong

Emma Chong is joining the Re-use For Good program at SFU as our first Re-use For Good Ambassador helping to support sustainability and circular economy initiatives across our campuses. 

The Re-use For Good program started in 2019 when students petitioned the university to stop the sale of bottled water across campus in order to promote reusable water containers and reduce plastic waste. Since then, the program has expanded to remove all plastic drink containers sold on campus, brought an Express-and-Go recycling container to UniverCity, launched chopstick recycling with ChopValu, introduced MugShare at Renaissance locations and is continuing to do more in the coming months. 

Chong, a fourth-year archaeology major and geography minor with certificates in Cultural Resource Management and Geography Information Sciences, found her way to the program through the student leadership team for the Faculty of Environment. The leadership team initially met with Chief Commercial Services Officer, Mark McLaughlin, and inquired about recycling operations on the Burnaby campus. 

“We had noticed an inconsistency in the four-waste stream signage across campus and were concerned about the signage clarity for users,” says Chong. “If there is too much contamination between waste streams, things that could be recycled or composted instead end up in the wrong place, which is a concern. I want to work on solving that issue.” 

The Re-use For Good team is currently working with Facilities Services to clarify and educate about the proper sorting procedures at four-stream waste stations.

In an additional effort to give back to the community, Chong is looking forward to making sustainability more accessible to students and easier to incorporate into their daily lives through enhanced programs and education. 

“A lot of people out there can be unaware of the actual scope of the problem when it comes to sustainability,” says Chong. “Many people don’t realize that even the small things they do in everyday life can have bigger impacts when we adopt sustainable practices together.”

Her main everyday sustainability tips include reusing your takeout containers, always carrying a reusable water bottle with you and trying to create less food waste by using as much of a product as possible. Chong also adds taking public transit or biking is a great way to reduce GHG emissions and save money. 

Keep an eye out for new Re-use For Good program initiatives and catch our Re-use For Good Ambassador, Emma Chong, spreading sustainability awareness across our three campuses. 

Click here to find out more about the Re-use For Good program at SFU.