Coastal Carolina U Recycles 700 Mattresses
Coastal Carolina University (SC) has given 700 mattresses that were removed from two campus residence halls to a company that recycles 94 percent of each mattress. The University also recycled the plastic packaging on the mattresses.
North Carolina State U Donates 538,000 Lbs of Dorm Furniture
North Carolina State University has donated 538,000 pounds of dorm room furniture to 18 different local shelters and non-profit groups. The six buildings’ worth of desks, beds, and chests of drawers, and book carols was diverted from going to the landfill.
Suffolk U to Launch Single Stream Recycling Pilot
Suffolk University (MA) has announced plans to launch a single stream recycling pilot in an on-campus residence hall starting in September. Residents and building staff will be able to recycle paper, cardboard, glass, metal, and plastic all in one bin. The University has also set a goal to achieve an average monthly recycling rate of 30 percent at the dormitory.
U Western Ontario Expands Recycling
The University of Western Ontario has begun accepting milk cartons, drink boxes, and plastics with the recycling number four and five in its recycling bins. The University also plans to add new labeling to every recycling bin on campus, with an icon or symbol illustrating acceptable items.
Grand Rapids CC Bookstore Rents Textbooks
Grand Rapids Community College (MI) has announced plans to begin renting textbooks to students starting this fall. GRCC's bookstore provider is testing the rental system at six of its 860 campus stores during the upcoming semester.
Portland State U Composts at Summer Orientation
Portland State University (OR) has announced that it is providing event composting services at its 15 orientation sessions for incoming first year and transfer students. Composting bins, along with student recycling and composting specialists, are located at each Lunch and Resource Fair. PSU collected over 300 pounds of compost and only 100 pounds of trash during the first 2 weeks of orientation.
Emory U (GA) Recycles Electronics
Emory University (GA) has completed its "Electronics Roundup" campaign. Through the campaign, faculty and staff were encouraged to donate institutionally purchased, nonessential electric appliances in order to reduce Emory's overall electricity consumption. Nearly 100 appliances were donated. The campaign is part of Emory's goal to reduce energy use by 25 percent per square foot by 2015 from 2005 levels.
Southern Methodist U Athletics Discontinues Paper Media Guides
Southern Methodist University (TX) Athletics has announced that it will produce only online media guides beginning with the 2009-10 academic year. The paperless production of media guides will help save more than three tons of paper each year. The Athletic Department estimates that it will save close to $100,000 through the new initiative.
Saint Louis U Introduces Single Stream Recycling
Saint Louis University (MO) has begun allowing campus members to recycle plastics and aluminum in the paper recycling bins. The change will affect personal office bins as well as large recycling containers located in public spaces.
U Guam Launches Recycling Initiative
The University of Guam has launched the "Green Initiative," a campus-wide program that aims to collect recyclable aluminum, plastic, cardboard, and shredded paper. The University plans to expand the program to include glass, newspaper, food waste, and used office paper in the future.
Eastern Illinois U to Replace Coal Plant w/ Renewable Energy Ctr
The Eastern Illinois University Board of Trustees has approved the construction of a Renewable Energy Center, which will replace EIU's coal-fired power plant. The new biomass plant will meet EIU’s heating and cooling needs by burning non-treated wood chips obtained as lumber industry by-products. The project is designed to be self-funded by energy savings over a period not to exceed 20 years.
Emory U Begins Pilot Composing Program
Emory University (GA) has begun testing a composting program at its Dobbs University Center (DUC) dining facility. Running for seven weeks, the program will take pre-consumer organic food waste collected at the DUC and haul it to a nearby composting facility. The new initiative is part of the University's goal to divert 65 percent of overall waste and 95 percent of food waste from landfills by 2015.
Florida International U Implements Recycling Program
The Florida International University Student Government Association and University Custodial Services have introduced a new recycling program using bottle-shaped recycling bins for plastic bottles and aluminum cans. The University obtained the bins free of charge from the School of Hospitality Management. The University also received thirty 95-gallon blue bins as part of a new single-stream recycling program.
U Alaska Fairbanks Reuses Unwanted Items
The University of Alaska, Fairbanks hosted a community-wide freecycling event in which students and members of the larger community were encouraged to donate unwanted items. Event attendees were encouraged to take all needed items, free of charge. No selling, bartering, or swapping was permitted. The effort aimed to reduce the amount of items sent to the landfill.
U Vermont Announces Waste Reduction Policy
The University of Vermont has announced a new policy that aims to reduce costs and waste on campus. The University has purchased a six inch high plastic trash can, known as the "mini-bin," for each employee. Under new procedures, custodial staff will no longer empty wastebaskets in individual offices — a task which they do daily now. Instead, faculty and staff will store trash in their mini-bins and dispose of it themselves in a receptacle centrally located near their offices. Employees will also be responsible for carrying their recyclable material such as paper, bottles, and cans to a central bin.
U Wisconsin Madison Begins Composting Initiative
The University of Wisconsin, Madison has launched a project to collect and compost food waste from campus eateries. Organized by We Conserve, a university-wide program that promotes environmental stewardship practices, the project aims to compost more than 400 tons of food waste annually when fully implemented. Food collection reservoirs are set up at two locations on campus, and waste from both sites is taken to a nearby research station run by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences for composting.
Dartmouth College Implements Several Green Dining Initiatives
Dartmouth College (NH) has implemented several new initiatives to make campus dining more sustainable. Among the new initiatives is the new “plate-default” program in the larger dining areas on campus, which means that real plates are used rather than serving items in to-go plastic and paper containers. The campus also implemented tray-less dining at its Sunday all you can eat brunch. In addition, new options on the catering menu offer low-waste event planning and more local food items.
U New Hampshire Supports Composting with New Tractor
The University of New Hampshire has purchased a new tractor and a windrow turner to aerate compost pulp. Purchase of the new equipment resulted from a collaboration with Dining Services, the Office of Sustainability, the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Parents Association.
Duke U Announces Paperless Payroll
Duke University (NC) has announced that starting in July 2009, all university and health system employees will receive electronic direct deposit statements instead of printed statements. Duke has purchased, printed, and manually distributed more than 600,000 paper pay statements in previous years.
Rice U Reuses Office Supplies
Rice University (TX) has held a "freecycling" event in which campus members were able to donate excess or unused office supplies for use in other departments. Items that were not claimed by the end of the event were donated to a charitable organization.
Kansas State U Begins Composting Project
Kansas State University dining facilities has partnered with the K-State student farm to develop a composting program on campus. Food waste in K-State dining halls is now taken to the student farm to be composted.
Maharishi U Mgmt Receives Recycling Grant
Maharishi University of Management (IA) has received a $12,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to support the construction of five more recycling sheds on campus, the construction of mobile recycling stations in the dorms, and an awareness campaign to increase the amount of recycling on campus. The sheds have bins for plastic, clear glass, colored glass, aluminum, white paper, colored paper, newspaper, and glossy paper, as well as an area for cardboard; the mobile stations for dorms will be dollies with recycling bins stacked three high; and the educational campaign will cover the value of recycling.
6 Colleges Test Electronic Book Reader
Case Western Reserve University (OH), Pace University (NY), Princeton University (NJ), Reed College (OR), Arizona State University, and the Darden School at the University of Virginia have partnered with Amazon and major publishers to supply a portion of the student population with the Kindle e-book reader this fall. Case Western has announced plans to give students the large-screen Kindle with textbooks for chemistry, computer science, and a freshman seminar already installed. Case hopes to compare the experiences of students with and without the new device.
Lafayette College Installs Water Refilling Stations
Lafayette College (PA) has installed seven "refilling stations" in high student traffic buildings on campus. The new installations, which work faster than a normal water fountain, aim to promote using reusable water bottles over disposable ones.
St. John's U Pilots Composting Program
St. John's University (NY) has begun a pilot composting program on campus. The University is currently leasing, with the intent to purchase, a large-scale compost tumbler that breaks down food scraps in a manner that passes health safety standards. Earth Club members, with support from the University's team of Sustainability Coordinators, will oversee the operation.
Western State College of Colorado Saves Paper with Printing Quota
The Western State College of Colorado has saved 90,968 sheets of paper through a new print management policy implemented at the beginning of the spring semester. The College implemented a 600 page printing quota in the computer labs for each student and only 1 percent of the student body went over the quota. The goal of the new policy was to raise awareness of unnecessary printing and to reduce the amount of paper waste in campus computer labs.
U Idaho Collects Compost with Bike Trailer
The University of Idaho has begun the Moscow Coffee Compost Project (MoCoPro) in which 15 volunteers collect coffee grounds by bike and trailer from 11 coffee shops located on campus and in the community. In the first nine weeks of the program, volunteers transported more than three tons of coffee grounds to various composting sites around town. The program is free of charge and it completed supported by volunteers.
Colorado State U Begins Single-Stream Recycling
Colorado State University has introduced a single-stream recycling system on campus. The new system accepts aluminum cans, glass, plastic, cardboard, and paper in one bin so that members of the campus community do not have to sort recycling themselves.
Mills College Opens Reused Items Store
Mills College (CA) has opened the Sustainability and Reuse Depot. The Depot allows students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community to donate unwanted items and/or take used items for free. The space is run by Earth CORPS, the student organization that founded the store. At the end of the year, donated items will be given to local charities.
Ohio State U Distributes Recycling Bins to Greek Houses
The Ohio State University Student Government has distributed 150 recycling bins to more than 30 fraternity and sorority houses as part of the Green Recycling Program. The new initiative is funded by the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council, both of which agreed to pay for weekly recycling pick-ups at 24 locations near campus.
U Florida Foundation Eliminates Disposable Coffee Cups
The University of Florida Foundation has eliminated the use of disposable coffee cups and plastic coffee stirrers. The Foundation informed its staff that disposable cups would not be replaced once current inventory was depleted and invited coffee and tea drinkers to bring their own mugs.
Davidson College Begins Large-Scale Composting
Davidson College (NC) has begun composting campus dining hall food and yard wastes. Batches of the accumulated waste will be composted in approximately 6 days using a newly purchased commercial-grade rotating drum built specifically for composting. The compost produced by the drum will then be added to campus gardens and flowerbeds after it matures for three to six months. The College hopes to reduce food waste by up to 50 percent once the project is fully operational.
Medical U of South Carolina Switches to E-Faxes
The Medical University of South Carolina has switched from paper to electronic faxes in an effort to conserve energy and paper consumption. The new effort has reduced the University's monthly paper usage by 60,000 sheets.
Seattle U Seeks to Reduce Food Waste
Seattle University (WA) has begun using a new scale and touch-screen monitor to keep track of the amount and types of food waste in its dining halls. The system allows dining hall staff to monitor their food waste, and provides incentives to encourage the employees to reduce the amount of waste they produce when preparing food.
Ohio State U Expands Recycling Program to Greek Houses
The Ohio state University Student Government has distributed 150 recycling bins to more than 30 off-campus Greek houses. The Greek associations have agreed to pay for weekly pick-up at 24 locations near campus. The bins were provided by the Department of Facilities Operations and Development and the Office of Student Life.
Virginia Tech Begins Composting Program
Virginia Tech has begun a program to compost its dining hall waste. Members of the VT community can now compost chopped vegetables, peelings, and cores. Since the program's launch in January 2009, VT has composted as much as 2.5 tons of waste per week. The initiative is the result of a partnership between VT Dining Services and a food processing center on campus.
Westfield State College to Begin Single Stream Recycling
Westfield State College (MA) has announced plans to switch the campus to 100 percent single-stream recycling on campus. WSC piloted the successful program in one dormitory in November and has decided to expand single-stream recycling to all dorms this spring.
UC Berkeley Installs Hydration Stations to Reduce Bottle Purchases
The University of California, Berkeley has installed two water-dispensing devices where people can fill up bottles twice as fast as a standard drinking fountain allows. The "hydration stations," which are part of the Recreational Sports Facility's Play Green initiative to diminish its environmental impact, aim to encourage the campus community to switch to reusable water bottles.
U Winnipeg Bans Sale of Bottled Water on Campus
The University of Winnipeg (MB) has begun to phase in a ban on the sale of bottled water on campus. Students will also be encouraged to refrain from bringing retail, disposable bottles on campus and to switch instead to reusable bottles. To encourage this practice, the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association will partner with Uwinnipeg to provide all first year, incoming students with reusable bottles for free as part of their orientation package.
U New Mexico Valencia Starts Several Green Initiatives
The University of New Mexico, Valencia has replaced an old watering system with efficient drip-irrigation. In addition, the campus is switching to green cleaning products and training the cleaning staff to use the new products. A recycling program has also been started on campus. The new system allows for paper, corrugated cardboard, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans to be recycled. Collection bins are strategically placed in all campus buildings, including in every university office.
Georgia Tech Begins Cell Phone and Battery Recycling
The Georgia Institute of Technology has begun a recycling program for cell phones and batteries on campus. The program, coordinated by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, allows the campus community to recycle AA, C, 9-volt batteries, rechargeable batteries, and cell phones at five appointed battery and cell phone recycling sites.
Governors State U Extends Recycling to Community
Governors State University (IL) has extended an invitation to surrounding communities to participate in the campus' paper recycling system. With the placement of two large collection containers on campus, GSU is asking people to bring their recyclable paper products for deposit. The University made the offer because some local communities do not have curb side recycling.
Northern Arizona U Initiates Office Supply Exchange
The Northern Arizona University Office of Sustainability has initiated an office supply exchange with the goal of reducing the amount of office supplies purchased. Building occupants can bring the office supplies that they are not using for a free exchange and take what they can put to use. The idea is based on "freecycling," a growing trend that promotes the exchange of items already in existence to extend their usefulness and keep them out of landfills.
Missouri Western U Begins Recycling Paper
Missouri Western University has begun recycling paper on campus. The campus maintenance crew takes care of the 96-gallon containers located behind all of the buildings on campus, except for residence halls. Members of the campus community can place any form of paper in the recycle containers, as long as it isn’t cardboard.
U Calgary Starts Waste Reduction Campaign & Composting Prgm
The University of Calgary (AB) has begun the Erase the Waste challenge. As part of the program, students and staff are being encouraged to reduce their waste by 200 grams per week. The University estimates that if each person on campus reduces his/her garbage by that much, six tons of waste will be prevented from going to the landfill each week. To achieve the reduction, the University has launched its first campus-wide composting program. 17 new multi-purpose collection bins have been placed throughout campus. In addition, 200 new recycling bins for beverage containers and paper have been added to the campus. Throughout the campaign, the Office of Sustainability is also offering free workshops for staff and faculty on sustainable procurement, recycling, and ways to reduce waste in the office.
Northern Arizona U Begins Composting Program
Northern Arizona University's Students for Sustainable Living and Urban Gardening, the Center for Sustainable Environments, and Sodexho's Environmental Action Program have partnered to introduce composting in NAU dining halls. The compost is collected and transferred to the garden located on campus.
Ohio U Implements Composting Program
Ohio University has implemented a new composting initiative on campus. OU purchased a 2 ton in-vessel composting system that can handle up to 28 tons of material to compost food from its Central Foods Facility. The University plans to expand its collection to all campus eateries soon. The resulting nutrient-rich soil will be used for grounds keeping once it is available.
U Washington Students Produce Video on Campus Composting
A group of University of Washington students have created a video that aims to educate students about the process of composting. The video, which is in the form of a musical, discusses the importance and availability of composting on campus.
