Christian Science Monitor Covers Green College Graduation Gowns
Christian Science Monitor has published an article on the growing number of colleges and universities that are switching to green graduation caps and gowns and are implementing green initiatives such as offering diplomas made from recycled paper and taking sustainability pledges as part of the ceremony. Most green gowns are made from recycled plastic bottles. The article mentions California Western School of Law, University of Texas at Austin, Harper College (IL), and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Michigan State U Unveils Recycling Initiative
Michigan State University has unveiled "Going Green," a campus-wide recycling initiative. As part of the initiative, 210 recycling stations will be placed throughout campus enabling MSU faculty, staff, students, and visitors an opportunity to place unwanted paper, plastic, and aluminum in a recycling bin rather than a trash can.
U Guelph Ridgetown Receives $2.3M for Anaerobic Digester
The University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus has received more than $2.3 million for the construction of an anaerobic digester and demonstration lab through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. The digester, which will generate approximately 250 kilowatts, has been nicknamed the "legless cow" because it takes in organic matter and churns out heat, carbon dioxide, and methane, which is burned to produce power. The anaerobic digester will use manure from the livestock operations on campus as well as other material gathered from local farms and processors. The operation and management of the machine will become part of the curriculum.
U Massachusetts Medical School Reduces Printers on Campus
The University of Massachusetts Medical School has begun a pilot program to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the use of desktop printers. Launched in March, the program has already found a 1:1 ratio between employees and printers in at least two school departments. Since the industry standard calls for one printer for every 10 employees, these early results point to a significant opportunity for increasing efficiency and lowering energy costs across the school. The institution seeks to switch to offering multi-function devices positioned in common areas.
Unity College Switches to Online Course Evaluations
Unity College (ME) has announced plans to replace its paper course evaluations with an online version starting this spring. The College, which has around 540 students, expects to reduce annual paper use by 8,000 sheets through this measure. In addition to saving paper, online course evaluations are expected to be more comprehensive, more accurate, and more expedient. They’ll also be less time intensive for staff processing, and will take place out of the classroom, giving faculty more instructional time at the end of the semester.
Arizona State U to Expand Recycling Collection
Arizona State University has announced plans to place a recycling bin next to almost every trash bin on campus this semester in an effort to increase recycling rates by making receptacles more accessible. The University is pairing the initiative with an education campaign to help reduce bin contamination.
Lehigh U to Reduce Paper Use on Campus
Lehigh University (PA) has announced plans to reduce the number of pages students are allowed to print each semester. The institution also plans to remove printers from residence halls and greek houses. The money saved from the effort will be used to improve high-speed wireless capabilities.
U Michigan Sponsors Area E-Waste Recycling
The University of Michigan's Office of Sustainability recently partnered with the Ann Arbor Public Schools to sponsor a free e-waste recycling event to help residents, small businesses and non-profit organizations get rid of electronics in a more environmentally-friendly way. Accepted items included computer systems and accessories, audio/video equipment, hand-held devises such as cell phones and pagers, and other office equipment such as fax machines, printers, typewriters, scanners, and telephones.
Champlain College Aims to Reduce E-Waste
Champlain College's (VT) Information Services and Sustain Champlain, a group of faculty, staff and students dedicated to monitoring and reducing the college's environmental impact, have launched the "E-waste not for Landfills" campaign. As part of the initiative, there are now five blue cylinder bins located around campus to provide a way for people to properly dispose of their smaller electronics. Physical Plant workers will collect the recycled items until a local-based company picks them up. Acceptable materials for the recycling program include: CDs, DVDs, diskettes, printer cartridges, any handheld electronic device (cell phones, pagers, PDAs, iPods), batteries, chargers, and related cords and cables. In related news, Champlain will also host an electronic swap in which students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to swap or donate unwanted usable or unusable electronics.
Pomona College Installs Compost Bins
Pomona College (CA) has installed compost bins across campus to supplement ongoing efforts at the campus organic farm. The initiative was launched with funds from the President's Advisory Committee on Sustainability (PACS). Items that can be composted include produce, vegan food scraps, biodegradable paper, and thin paper products, such as tissues. If students begin to use the bins regularly, the committee plans to purchase four more. PACS has already purchased 20 smaller compost buckets that students can keep in their rooms or halls. The compost collected in the bins will ultimately be taken to the campus organic farm.
Humboldt State U Holds Clothing Swap
Humboldt State University (CA) recently held a Campus Recycling Program Clothing Swap. During the event, students were invited to bring clean and gently used clothing to a designated room on campus where they could swap items with others. Students were not required to bring pieces of their own wardrobe to be able to take home clothes.
Lehigh U, Lafayette College Offer Eco-Friendly Graduation Gowns
Lehigh University (PA) and Lafayette College (PA) have announced plans to offer environmentally friendly graduation gowns this year. Lehigh University has opted to offer graduation gowns that will be used in the future. After the ceremony, gowns will be cleaned with earth-safe products. Lafayette College's gowns will be made to be worn once and to quickly biodegrade. The gowns are made from acetate fibers made of wood from managed forests and decompose completely within a year of being buried in soil.
Pennsylvania State U Installs Pilot Water Refilling Stations
Pennsylvania State University has installed four water refilling stations for students and employees in order to research the stations' practicality and whether they reduce the use of bottled water. The stations were donated by three difference companies.
UMass Medical School Donates Office Furniture
The University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Office of Community Affairs, has donated surplus office furniture and equipment to five local nonprofit organizations. The school’s warehouse contains work stations, desks, chairs, file cabinets, book cases, and many other office items that are all in reasonably good shape, but no longer used by the department that first bought them. Rather than ship the material to a landfill, the school’s Facilities Department collaborated with Resource Max, a program started last year to work with school departments to optimize operations, to develop a program to make it easier for other UMMS departments to locate and retrieve items in the warehouse that could be of use rather than buying new. If no other department claims an item, it is then made available to community groups.
U Richmond Starts Student Run Compost Project
At the University of Richmond (VA) students and Backyard Farmer, a local business, recently constructed 10 composting units and one compost ingredient holding unit. The units will be operated by students and assisted by Backyard Farmer during the next year. The goal is to produce rich soil for the on-campus community garden. The initiative, URot, is part of a larger university project, GreenUR. The installation of the composting bins is the culmination of months of collaboration between GreenUR, Backyard Farmer, the Earth Lodge program and University Facilities, which cleared the land needed for the composting units. The composting project is the first student-run composting initiative at the University.
U Wisconsin Green Bay Changes Font to Use Less Ink
The University of Wisconsin, Green Bay Department of Computing and Informational Technology has announced plans to use Century Gothic instead of Arial as the default e-mail typeface. The former uses 30 percent less ink when printed to paper. The University expects to conserve ink and save money as a result of the change.
Rochester Inst of Technolgy PhD Student Wins Intl Scholarship
Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) first year PhD candidate was awarded the 2010 Jacqueline Shields Scholarship for Waste Management Research. The international scholarship goes to doctoral students conducting original research in pollution prevention, sustainable design, and waste reduction. The student, Errin Ryen, will utilize the scholarship to improve the recyclability and end-of-life management of electronic devices such as computers and cell phones.
UMass Medical School Reduces Bio-Waste
The University of Massachusetts has significantly reduced its bio-waste. Over the past year, the institution has reduced its hazardous bio-waste collection from chemotherapy activities by 59 percent by physically removing non-hazardous items. Given the success of the sorting program for chemotherapy waste, the process has been expanded for 2010 to include all other hazardous pharmaceutical wastes on campus.
Harvard U Starts Key Recycling Program
Harvard University's (MA) Office of Sustainability has begun collecting old or duplicate keys to recycle. The keys are melted down and sold to scrap metal companies. Since the program began in January, Harvard has generated $75. The money will be donated to local charities.
Davis & Elkins College Starts Recycling Program
Davis & Elkins College (WV) has started a recycling program in campus dorms. The program was formed by the student group “GreenWorks!” and the Center for Sustainability Studies. The two groups helped to assemble recycling bins to be placed in the campus' four dorms.
U Buffalo Converts Food Waste to Compost
The University at Buffalo (NY) has purchased a food waste decomposer to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill. About 350 - 400 buckets of food waste are processed through the decomposer each week and turned into compost that is used by local farmers.
Luther College Printing Cap Reduces Paper Usage
Luther College (IA) has announced that it has significantly reduced its printing paper use in the 2009-10 academic year due to the college’s implementation of the GoPrint print management solution in January 2009. With approximately 2,200 students on campus during fall semester 2009, each with a GoPrint allocation of 400 pages of printing, there was the potential for nearly 900,000 pages to be printed; however, only 307,948 pages were actually used. GoPrint, a program that tracks printing usage and allocates printing costs on campus, is part of a campus-wide effort to reduce paper waste and encourage better management of resources. The printing service was implemented as part of the Luther College Library and Information Services sustainability effort to reduce the amount of printing done on campus.
SUNY ESF Starts Aerated Composting Program
At the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the student environmental group Green Campus Initiative (GCI) has begun an aerated composting program on campus. By working with O2Compost, a national composting company, GCI was able to obtain the necessary equipment and has placed a number of collection bins in campus snacking areas. ESF's aerated composting system will take one month to produce Grade A compost, which is safe and usable, compared to the 90 days required for traditional composting. The organization hopes to expand collection so that students who live off campus will be able to compost as well.
U Colorado Boulder Starts Dual-Stream Recycling
The University of Colorado, Boulder has adopted a new dual-stream recycling system to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. Now, all paper products can go into one bin and all co-mingled items can go into another. Student workers separate them at the recycling facility. The University believes this new dual-system will capture 800-1,000 tons of recyclables that would otherwise have gone to a landfill.
U Pennsylvania Launches Composting Program with Waste Campaign
The University of Pennsylvania has completed a one-week waste-reduction campaign in campus dining halls to help diners understand how to reduce food waste and launch Penn’s new composting program. As part of the Scrape Bucket Challenge, students were asked to scrape whatever was left on their plates into large containers located in each dining facility on campus. The containers were measured each day to track the level of food waste over the course of the week. The campaign was combined with the University's participation in RecycleMania.
U Portland Bans Bottled Water Sales on Campus
The University of Portland (OR) has banned the sale of bottled water on its campus. The decision was viewed as an environmental and social justice issue. The University hopes this will reduce waste on campus and encourage students to drink tap water and use reusable containers.
U California Davis Dorm Programs Switch to Reusable Dishware
The University of California, Davis has introduced Aggieware, an initiative that utilizes reusable dishes and compostable napkins for any residence hall event or program where food is served. The University expects the program to pay for itself within two years with decreased paper plate purchases. Every UC Davis resident advisor stores a set of Aggieware in his or her room for the floor's use.
U Pennsylvania Organizes E-Waste Collection
The University of Pennsylvania has organized an electronics waste recycling collection. During the collection, Penn students, faculty, and staff will be able to drop off their old electronics and computer hardware from home for free disposal through the University's e-waste recycler, which ensures that the materials will be processed and recycled, destroyed, or displaced in an environmentally correct manner in accordance with all local, state, and federal regulations.
Luther College Begins Vermicomposting Program
Luther College (IA) students have started disposing of food waste in worm composting bins installed in seven residence halls by students from the Luther Sustainability program. The process, known as vermicomposting, allows students to place their fruit and vegetable food waste, as well as shredded newspapers, paper receipts, and old class notes in the compost bins where red worms will convert it to organic matter. Once the waste is converted to vermicompost, it will be used to fertilize the Luther Gardens.
Suffolk U Buys Biodegradable Cutlery, Begins Composting Program
The Suffolk University (MA) Sustainability Committee has worked with its dining company to purchase biodegradable cutlery and straws and has launched a composting program in its dining hall. Student volunteers will be available to raise awareness about how to participate. The organics will be stored in air-tight containers and regularly delivered to an area farm to be turned into compost and sold.
U Idaho Establishes Electronic Waste Guidelines
The University of Idaho has developed a process for eco-friendly electronics disposal. E-waste must now be sent to recycling centers or put back into the market for reuse. All e-waste from the university’s main campus will be sent to a vendor, who will recycle the materials and certify that they are handled in the most environmentally-friendly manner possible.
U Negros Occidental-Recoletos Creates Recycling Trees
The University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (Philippines) campus has created "recycling trees" to encourage students to recycle. Nets have been places around campus for students to shoot empty bottles and cans into, much like shooting a basketball into a hoop, to make recycling fun. Once the nets are full, they resemble holiday trees. The recyclables are exchanged for money to be used to fund on-campus recycling and organic farming projects.
Washington U in St. Louis Moves to Single-Stream Recycling
Washington University in St. Louis (MO) has implemented single-stream recycling throughout the Danforth, West, North and South campuses. Waste bins are now labeled either "Recycling" or "Landfill." Comingled recyclable items will be sorted off-campus by a vendor. The University hopes this new, simpler way to recycle waste will improve recycling in general.
Maharishi U Management Expands Recycling Program
Maharishi University of Management (IA) has introduced a greatly expanded recycling program that includes recycling bins in every residence hall room, 30 recycling stations in the major buildings, and 15 recycling sheds spread around campus. MUM also plans to increase awareness among the students, staff, and residents through a new recycling campaign. The project was funded by a grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Marshall U Hands Out Reusable Water Bottles
Marshall University's (WV) Sustainability Department handed aluminum water bottles out to students in an effort to reduce waste and promote recycling. The Department, which was created by a student green fee, hopes to distribute 6,000 bottles in the near future.
Albion College Recycles & Reuses International House Materials
Albion College (MI) has announced that, before Gerstacker International House was demolished, a significant amount of recyclable and reusable material was removed from the building. Along with recycling metals and plastics, the College's Facilities department salvaged materials that may be used elsewhere on campus, and gave other building materials to community groups such as Habitat for Humanity. The I-House site will be developed into green space and a garden, which will retain the I-House's courtyard sculpture and many of the current plantings.
California State U Bakersfield Hosts E-Waste Event
California State University, Bakersfield is hosting an e-waste event at the end of January to collect electronic waste from the surrounding community. Electronic items often contain hazardous elements, such as lead or mercury, and providing an event for citizens to recycle these items, helps keep them from landfills.
Grand Valley State U Begins Composting Program
Grand Valley State University (MI) has implemented a composting program to help the campus reduce its landfill waste. Two of Grand Valley's dining locations now offer guests the opportunity to compost food waste, serviceware, and packaging. Posters hang above receptacles to indicate items that can be placed into "landfill" and "composting" bins. The collection receptacles are lined with biodegradable bags. Bags are transferred to separate collection points for recycling, composting, and landfill.
Humboldt State U Installs 2 Hydration Stations
Humboldt State University (CA) has unveiled two hydration stations to help reduce the campus' dependency on disposable water bottles. The hygienic, hands-free stations filter local tap water and operated by a sensor. One hydration station was funded by a grant from the HSU Energy Independence Fund, and the other was donated by a manufacturer of the units.
Mississippi State U Completes Successful Trial Recycling Program
Mississippi State University has completed a recycling trial with three local companies that was determined a success, and a full scale program will begin soon. Over the three-month period, 75,000 pounds of recyclables were collected from the 27 campus buildings where the trial was conducted.
U Florida Increases Recycling During Football Season
The University of Florida has completed its 2009 Tailgator Green Team Recycling effort. This year, the stadium added more Green Team volunteers and increased access to recycling, with a recycling bin for each trashcan within the stadium. The program captured nearly four tons of recyclables per game. Over 190 volunteers donated more than 600 hours over the seven home games.
U Wisconsin Madison Students Work to Increase Composting
Students in University of Wisconsin, Madison’s School of Business are taking a class that focus on environmentally sound business practices. A recent project focused on increasing the amount of composting being done in the School’s dining hall by educating diners. Students in the course also work with local businesses to help them become more sustainable.
Luther College Begins Vermicomposting Program
Luther College (IA) students have started disposing of food waste in worm composting bins installed in seven residence halls by students from the Luther Sustainability program. The process, known as vermicomposting, allows students to place their fruit and vegetable food waste, as well as shredded newspapers, paper receipts, and old class notes in the compost bins where red worms will convert it to organic matter. Once the waste is converted to vermicompost, it will be used to fertilize the Luther Gardens.
Suffolk U Buys Biodegradable Cutlery, Begins Composting Program
The Suffolk University (MA) Sustainability Committee has worked with its dining company to purchase biodegradable cutlery and straws and has launched a composting program in its dining hall. Student volunteers will be available to raise awareness about how to participate. The organics will be stored in air-tight containers and regularly delivered to an area farm to be turned into compost and sold.
U Idaho Establishes Electronic Waste Guidelines
The University of Idaho has developed a process for eco-friendly electronics disposal. E-waste must now be sent to recycling centers or put back into the market for reuse. All e-waste from the university’s main campus will be sent to a vendor, who will recycle the materials and certify that they are handled in the most environmentally-friendly manner possible.
Washington U in St. Louis Moves to Single-Stream Recycling
Washington University in St. Louis (MO) has implemented single-stream recycling throughout the Danforth, West, North and South campuses. Waste bins are now labeled either "Recycling" or "Landfill." Comingled recyclable items will be sorted off-campus by a vendor. The University hopes this new, simpler way to recycle waste will improve recycling in general.
Slippery Rock U Greens Graduation
Slippery Rock University (PA) students will be sporting green gowns at their graduation this year. The gowns will be made at of GreenWeaver fabric, which is made out of plastic bottles. Each gown saves about 23 plastic bottles from entering a landfill and is expected to only cost students $3 more.
Appalachian State U Grads to Wear Eco-Friendly Gowns
Students graduating in December 2009 from Appalachian State University (NC) will be the first on campus to wear a graduation gown made of fiber from renewable and sustainably-managed forests. The gown and its plastic packaging have been constructed to decompose in a landfill in a reasonably short period of time, according to the manufacturers. The eco-friendly gown costs only $3 more than last year's polyester gown.
