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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM News WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2008
An Incon-green-ient Truth
In the past few years, the green movement has been gaining momentum. Individuals and businesses have been exploring ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. The University of Kansas is no exception.Here is a look at the entities on campus where green practices have excelled and where energy inefficiency is inevitable.
Market Fresh foods offered by KU Dining Services are all-natural and organic. Nona Golledge, director of dining servies, said that the dining services looking into establishing partnerships with local good markets as long as prices remain affordable.
BY DEEPA SAMPAT dsampat@kansan.com
CENTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY
The University jumped on board the green movement when the KU Center for Sustainability opened in January 2007. The center's mission is to promote a culture of sustainability on campus.
"A campus in some ways serves as a microcosm of a city," said Stacey White, director of academic program for the KU Center for Sustainability. "We have our own transportation, residences and dining. Campuses function as labs to explore what works well for sustainability."
With the time and dedication of students and faculty, the center has promoted several green efforts around campus, such as the planting of a rain garden, a compost study and a study to reduce paper waste.
DINING SERVICES
The KU Dining Services has partnered with the Center for Sustainability to make students' dining experiences more green on campus.
"Dining services on most college campuses is one of the largest users of our resources through food and supplies," said Sheryl Kidwell, assistant director of residential dining. "So we want to be proactive in making sure we are establishing the best practices as they relate to sustainability efforts
to make a positive impact on the campus and the community."
The Market, in the Kansas Union, features MarketFresh foods, which are all-natural and organic. Nona Golledge, director of dining services, said that dining services looked into establishing partnerships with local food markets as long as prices remain affordable. Last April, Mrs.E's dining hall eliminated the use of trays for one day in an attempt to reduce food waste. Kidwell said in addition to a decrease in food waste, the amount of paper thrown away was significantly reduced as well.
Golledge said dining services wanted to have more trials next semester and look into eliminating the use of trays completely across campus.
"We want to give students ideas of what they can do to work toward being more green in their lives," Golledge said.
The dining centers supply the transportation department with used oil for biodiesel testing. Golledge said the centers were starting to also supply peanut oil to the transportation department for additional testing.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM
Though the Environmental Stewardship Program, the University's recycling program, which was established in the 1990s, the University began recycling aluminum and glass
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Recycling bins placed all over campus make it more convenient for students, faculty and staff to recycle.
by Memorial Stadium in the 1970s. Most buildings on campus have blue recycling bins in which to deposit mixed paper, newspaper, aluminum
cans and plastic bottles.
"There is a tremendous amount of material generated by the day-to-day operations of a university," said Celeste Hoins, administrative manager for ESP. "I think we divert several hundred
tons of material a year and otherwise that would be straining local resources for disposal if we didn't."
One year ago, the ESP began a surplus recycling program. The program collects unwanted property and furniture on campus, such as old desks, bookshelves and chairs. The items are either reused somewhere
DIANA ROBERTSON Director of the department of student housing
"Maybe instead of a 20 minute shower you can try and do it in five or 10 minutes."
else on campus, given to non-profit organizations or sold.
Hoins said that about 1,500 items had been reused on campus
Hoins said that not only was recycling good for the environment, but it's also good for the economy.
or donated, which amounts to more than 15 tons. Fifteen tons that would have ended up in a landfill.
"Items that end up in our bins do turn into products that can be used everyday," she said. "Your waste has to go somewhere and if we can capture it and put it back in the system it creates more jobs; it creates more opportunities for creativity and invention."
KU ON WHEELS
With the rising cost of fuel, using public transportation is not only a method to be green, but also a method to save a couple bucks. Last year, almost 6,500 students purchased bus passes.
In March, KU on Wheels purchased five new buses. Danny Kaiser, assistant director of Parking and Transit, said the new buses had the most up-to-date technology and complied with low-emissions standards. Kaiser said that the department would buy an average of two to three new low-emissions buses every year. For the past two years, buses have been fueled on 5 percent biodiesel fuel.
"We are trying to broaden people's perspective," Kaiser said. "It's role modeling behavior. We are teaching students alternatives to what they may have grown up with so they know there are more choices for their future."
Edited by Rustin Dodd