Goodbye Goodbuy celebrates ten years of student led efforts that turn campus move out waste into sustainable habits and affordable treasures

Rochester, New York – A pink-and-green couch, upholstered with wood trim and a lot of character, has become something of a legend on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus. The piece of furniture has cycled through the same sustainability program three different times, donated, purchased, donated again, and resold. Its journey tells a bigger story—how one student-led initiative has quietly transformed the way a campus community thinks about waste, reuse, and sustainability.

For the past decade, Goodbye, Goodbuy! has been redefining what happens when thousands of college students pack up their lives at the end of spring semester. Instead of throwing away furniture, electronics, and household goods, students now have a system to donate those items, giving them a second life. The program gathers donations in May when students move out, stores them through the summer, and sells them back to incoming and returning students in August at thrift-shop prices. Items left over after the sale go to Goodwill, keeping them out of landfills.

The program has grown into a signature example of student-driven sustainability. What started as an experiment has now become a mainstay, collecting tens of thousands of pounds of items each year, reducing waste, and saving money for students.

“I definitely think we’ve made an impact with students,” said this year’s program director, Spencer Griebel, a fifth-year cybersecurity and computer information technologies double major from Webster, N.Y. “Even after the main collection in the spring had ended, I got emails from students wanting to donate things. Students are thinking about the program. It not only makes it easier for them to move out, it benefits the environment.”

A Decade of Growth

The scale of the project is remarkable. In 2025 alone, more than 22,000 pounds of donations were gathered, not even counting two tractor-trailers full of donated furniture. This sheer volume demonstrates just how much potential waste a single campus can generate—and how much can be saved with an organized system.

Furniture, clothing, and kitchenware are common finds, but donations often include surprises. This year’s sale offered everything from a ukulele and a gold-plated chain to designer clothes still bearing their original tags. Electronics, including laptops, headphones, and televisions, are tested to ensure they work, while those beyond repair are responsibly sent to e-waste facilities. Even unusual items like industrial coffee machines and one-of-a-kind art projects have appeared, illustrating the eclectic mix of student life.

The effort is powered by people. This spring’s collection drive relied on 14 student captains and 200 volunteers, while the fall sale included 11 captains and more than 100 volunteers. The volunteer pool wasn’t limited to RIT—staff members from nearby colleges joined in, eager to see the program firsthand so they could launch similar initiatives at their own schools.

Campus and Community Impact

The benefits ripple outward. By diverting usable goods from dumpsters, the program saves the university money on waste hauling costs. At the same time, students benefit from affordable essentials. Incoming freshmen, often arriving with tight budgets, can furnish dorm rooms and apartments at a fraction of retail prices.

Read also: Student led NASA project prepares to launch advanced star tracking system on a high altitude balloon mission this month

The project has also sparked support from RIT departments. Furniture from the Gene Polisseni Center, hangers and racks from the closing of Barnes & Noble, kitchenware from Henry’s restaurant, and pieces from RIT Housing have all found their way into the sale. In short, it’s not just students donating—the entire institution has embraced the idea.

“We really appreciate everyone’s mindfulness and dedication. RIT is proud of what Goodbye, Goodbuy! has become, and it is our amazing students and many campus partners who make it a success every year,” said Enid Cardinal, senior advisor to the president for strategic planning and sustainability. “It’s one of our most visible sustainable initiatives.”

Learning Beyond the Classroom

For many students, working with Goodbye, Goodbuy! has been more than a part-time job. It has provided leadership opportunities, management experience, and a tangible way to explore sustainability in action.

Alden Smith, a 2024 finance graduate with an immersion in environmental studies, started volunteering as a freshman and became director the following year. “I got involved because I was very passionate about environmental sustainability and was trying to find an intersection between business and sustainability, finding ways businesses can be more environmentally conscious,” she said. “It was a fantastic experience. There were so many students who were absolutely shocked to find out how much they were able to save from landfills. That prompted students to think about the impact they have when they are buying things. It’s a really great learning opportunity.”

The program’s legacy stretches back to 2015, when Nick Giordano, then a management information systems student, became its first director. Giordano returned this year to volunteer and reflected on its growth. He still owns the dresser he bought from that very first sale. “I think it was impressive that the program has persisted for 10 years and matured so much,” he said. “It’s become an annual tradition and certainly brings sustainability to the forefront of campus.”

Looking Ahead

For current director Griebel, the work blends personal values with practical leadership. As a college student, he already gravitates toward recycling and second-hand shopping, but Goodbye, Goodbuy! has shown him a bigger picture.

“Participating in Goodbye, Goodbuy! is a very easy way to start implementing sustainability in your everyday life,” he said. “It shows you ways to decrease your footprint and think about sustainability and ways to reduce waste while saving money. I’m pretty proud the program is still running and done so well after 10 years.”

Read also: State Police arrest Dolgeville man after search warrant leads to felony drug charges and discovery of narcotics inside residence

As the pink-and-green couch proves, one item can cycle through multiple lives. But the bigger achievement is how one program, born from a handful of motivated students, has changed an entire campus culture. What began as a modest sustainability initiative is now woven into RIT’s identity, inspiring not just thriftiness but a sense of shared responsibility for the environment.

With a decade behind it and momentum carrying forward, Goodbye, Goodbuy! is more than a catchy slogan. It’s a working model of circular economy on a campus scale, demonstrating that sustainability can be practical, cost-effective, and student-powered.

And as every piece of reused furniture or repurposed clothing finds a new home, the impact grows—pound by pound, student by student, year after year.