These students want to make Pitt cleaner and greener

United by a shared interest in sustainable hygiene and cleaning practices, three University of Pittsburgh students in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences launched Clean Green,  a project committed to bringing more sustainable laundry options to Pitt. 

The students — Emily Gagliardi, a sophomore environmental science major and Spanish minor pursuing a certificate in sustainability; Delaney Wright, a senior environmental studies and political science double major; and Lydia Ciani, a senior environmental science major pursuing a certificate in sustainability — laid the foundation for the project during Department of Geology and Environmental Science instructor Ward Allebach’s Geology 1333: Sustainability course.

After extensively researching sustainable alternatives to liquid detergents, which contain toxic chemicals and microplastics, the group started a pilot project to gauge student interest in sustainable laundry options. They worked with Generation Conscious — a brand that produces biodegradable, nontoxic laundry sheets — to assist with the pilot.

Lothrop Hall residence life also helped the Clean Green team distribute a sign-up form to residents to receive and test the Generation Conscious laundry detergent sheets for several weeks.

A successful pilot could mean the trio’s efforts result in Pitt joining 20 other colleges nationwide, including Duke and Amherst, where students have brought a Generation Conscious laundry detergent refill station to their campus. On a broader scale, Clean Green could help Pitt decrease its carbon emissions, reduce water pollution via microplastics, and provide students with safe, affordable and sustainable laundry options. 

Other student projects from Allebach’s course that have seen institutional implementation include the Relearn Our Land initiative and solar tables.

— Photo courtesy of Emily Gagliardi