WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2004
ENVIRONMENT
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
O
11
Program to expand recycling
Environmentalists increase recycling options on campus
By John Scheirman
jscheirman@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
A recent trash audit by the Environmental Stewardship Program showed that 67 percent of the trash left in classrooms at the University of Kansas is recyclable. The discarded materials consist largely of newspapers and beverage containers.
This year, Jeff Severin, the University's environmental services manager, is trying to do something to increase the amount of material recycled. Working with him are three student crew leaders and 10 student recycling technicians. They collect materials from most of the buildings on campus.
Severin, a full-time University employee, said the end of the summer was a good time for students to begin recycling. The peak season, however, is at the end of the spring semester, when the Environmental Stewardship Program provides containers for students who are leaving to get rid of items such as furniture that they will not be using anymore.
Regarding the level of awareness on campus about recycling, Severin said, "It's a tough thing to figure out. I think people are very aware that they should be recycling. The problem may be that they are not sure where to recycle."
Many new products are made from recycling used products. Severin talked about the benefits of recycling. "The obvious one? It reduces the amount of stuff going into the landfills. It's not as urgent in Kansas." Not having to mine for metals or cut down trees are also benefits, he said.
Severin said that blue boxes have been placed in most of the University's buildings to provide places to drop off recyclables. "We also purchased a couple of trailers to use as drop-off points for off-campus students to drop off stuff when people come into the parking lots," he said. "We would encourage off-campus students to drop off things there — it may be more convenient than going out to Wal-Mart."
There are going to be a few other changes in the program, Severin said. Most noticeable will be sets of outdoor containers for newspaper and plastic bottles, provided to address the issue of trash on the ground.
Celeste Fish, Pittsburg senior, works
for the environmental stewardship program part-time as a crew leader, a position she has held for almost three years. She said that students, faculty and staff have all been learning how to participate in recycling.
"There's still a lot of education that people can do for themselves," Fish said. "Recycling is a personal choice. It's not mandatory."
The volume of recyclable materials gathered depends on the type of material, Fish said. She said that because the campus dining facilities used a lot of cardboard, the beginning of the fall semester brought a definite increase in the amount of that product collected for recycling.
"Over a three-year period since I've been here, we have seen an increase in recycling, especially with electronics which we started recycling a couple of years ago," Fish said.
Fish said she thought students should get into the habit of recycling. "It's becoming more accepted nationally," she said. "If students here have been trained in recycling methods, they will be better prepared if they move somewhere where it is mandatory."
For more recycling information, visit www.ku.edu/~recycle/.
Edited by Julie Jones
WORLD
Missouri woman set to play checkers in world tournament
ELDON, Mo. — Kim Willis's past is about as checked as Bobby Fischer's eccentric life.
However, her spotty history deals only with a white and green checkers board.
The Eldon resident, who currently ranks fourth in the world, started playing checkers online.
During her first tournament in 1998 the rookie lost every game. Eight years later, she was crowned as the reigning American champion and one of the best in the world.
"I've got the fever," said Willis, 46.
"That's what it's called, the fever. It's not a child's game."
Willis is searching for sponsors to share the burden of traveling expenses. She hopes to attend the 8th Mind Sports Olympiad in Manchester England.
During the first week in August, Willis will be one of a few females to compete in the American Checkers Federation 2004 National and World Checker tournaments.
Through her success, Willis said she hoped to bring more attention to the game with a checkers program for Eldon elementary school children.
The Associated Press