Dr. Christopher Hartmann of the Public Health department in the School of Arts and Sciences was recently highlighted as “New Yorker of the Week” by Spectrum News NY1. He was selected due to his volunteer work with Sure We Can, a nonprofit redemption center and community hub based in Brooklyn, New York.
Sure We Can was founded in 2007 to provide a welcoming place for those that collect recyclables to redeem their cans and bottles. It is the only non-profit, homeless-friendly redemption center in New York City.
Hartmann started with Sure We Can in 2017 after studying the canning system in Nicaragua in college. “I wanted to continue my interests in informal recycling and just get to know New York City and New York City residents a lot better,” he said in the NY1 video about his award. Hartmann is currently the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the organization.
A member of the campus since 2016, Dr. Hartmann has a focus on health, environment, social medicine, and justice in urban Latin America and the U.S. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Geography at Ohio State and earned a B.S. in Biology, with minors in Spanish and Latin American Studies, from Xavier University.
Watch and Read About Professor Hartmann's Volunteerism
Banner Photo Caption: Still of Dr. Chris Hartmann (NY1/Chelsea Katz)