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Innovation & Change Award
Mark Feist
Facilities Management
The Facilities Grounds department oversees the university’s waste hauling and removal services. In 2017, these services were contracted to a professional waste hauler and AU was consistently spending more than $200,000 per year. We were on the contractor’s schedule which often meant that we stockpiled the refuse - unsightly and a pest nuisance.
Mark Feist thought we could improve our service and save money by doing the waste hauling ourselves. Mark developed a plan that included hiring a Zero Waste manager, registering with the District of Columbia as a waste hauler, purchasing a hauling vehicle, developing a campus hauling route, establishing vendors to accept our refuse, and hiring a CDL qualified driver. It took a year to execute the plan.
The Facilities department began its self-hauling program in fall 2018. At the campus move-in, cardboard and other refuse were typically stockpiled and selectively placed around campus. Due to the university’s self-hauling procedures, there were no limits to the number of runs to the local trash acceptance facility which eliminated the stockpiling of cardboard and refuse. It was a tremendous improvement with a positive impact on the community.
The self-hauling program has made great improvements in the overall quality of service. Our percentage of waste that is recycled has steadily improved. The university has saved over $100K annually, cutting the operational cost of waste hauling nearly in half.
Congratulations to Mark Feist for being selected as the recipient of the 2020 Innovation & Change Staff Award and thank you for all that you do for American University.
Innovation & Change Award Nominees
Congratulations to the 2020 Innovation & Change Award nominees!
Although the nominees were not selected for this year's award, their outstanding work did not go unnoticed. Thank you for all you do!
- Natalia Abel
- Kristof Aldenderfer
- David Barker
- Ryan Cassidy
- Amy Dacey
- David Draper
- Nina Enagonio
- Mark Feist
- Tiana Hakimzadeh
- Calvin Haney
- Jordan Harris
- Ashleigh Huseth
- Charles LeGette
- Lisa Manning
- Stacey Miles
- Liza Morris
- Tyler Orton
- Richard Parker
- Carmen Rodriguez
- Ashley Rozendaal
- Lara Schwartz
- Ebonie Smith
- Myranda Thomson
- Adam Whitehurst
- Brianna Williams
- Justin Williams
- Ayana Wilson
- Joni Wiredu
- Cole Wrampelmeier