Jakob Deszcz, who graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Studies in June 2023, organized an effort to collect plastic bags and plastic film on campus. The plastic was collected through bins placed in the Environmental Science and Studies office and the east entrance of the Richardson library.  When the bins were full, Jacob took the plastic bags and film to drop-off locations at local grocery stores that collect them for recycling, like Jewel, Target, and Mariano’s. 

Jakob collected over 500 pounds of plastic bags and film!  Eventually, DePaul was rewarded for Jakob’s efforts with a bench (pictured) made out of recycled material—including recycled plastic bags—that now sits in our quad. 

Jakob went on to participate in a competitive Sustainability Hackathon at DePaul where he, along with his teammates, Laura Murphy and Shanjali Arul, developed a plan for Green Certification for DePaul Dorms.  They took second place in the Hackathon, and Jakob’s concept of collecting plastic bags was folded into the green certification process. 

With creativity and commitment, Jakob has left a legacy of green innovations at DePaul!