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Seeing Green

Nowadays, students are challenging everyone, right down to their dining hall
services, to be more environmentally friendly. In fact, on Earth Day, April 22, 2008,
students at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, aimed to prove a big point
about waste reduction and recycling awareness by constructing "Mt. Trashmore",
a large pile of waste representing trash generated on campus.¹ So how can your
operation go "green"?

Getting started

If you analyze the cost of waste removal and janitorial services, you may find that
recycling is actually cheaper. Jennifer Hayward, Sustainability Coordinator at Lane
Community College in Eugene, Oregon said that waste hauling at $66 per ton is more
expensive than recycling. "If you're looking to start a recycling and sustainability
program, look at ways in which recycling is cheaper. Invest in recycling for long-term
pay off, not only in the interest of saving money, but also for the long-term effects
on the environment."

Recycling bin locator on the web

Incorporating environmental practices in your dining hall can be a lot easier than
one might think. In fact, it can be something as simple as identifying recycling bin
locations throughout campus on your college’s website, which is what Lane Community
College did on their site. "People call in asking where to recycle on campus, so we
thought it would be a good idea to post all of the recycling bin locations on the web. Now
when someone calls in, we just refer them to the site," Hayward said.

Collaborative composting

Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island organized a recycling program that is
not only eliminating the amount of waste being disposed in landfills, but it’s also helping
to sustain the local farmland. "We recognized the impact our waste products had on
the environment and, working with some other schools, have organized a remote
compost pile that we all contribute to. The compost is recycled back to local farms
that we go to for much of our produce and fruit," said David Miller, Dining Services
Director (Sodexo Marriott Services).

Consult an advisory board

To ensure your college or university’s short-term and long-term environmental goals are met, consult your staff and students. "I sit on a faculty and staff environmental advisory board and we have a student counterpart as well. We started meeting a little over two years ago and bit-by-bit we have come up with some small and large ways to make a difference. Everybody has a voice and the collective contributions are really adding up," Miller said.