The recent Campus Sustainability Day conference at Maryville,
organized by Nadine Ball, Ph.D., associate professor of education
and chair of the University’s Sustainability Task Force, shone a
spotlight on Maryville’s present efforts and future plans to make the
campus more environmentally friendly.
Some University departments, however, like the physical plant, have
been focusing on sustainability, in all of its forms—from recycling to
construction to consumer products—for quite some time, said Pat
Apel, director of the physical plant and a task force member. “For
example, old roofing is usually recycled and used on the trails that
surround the school,” Apel said. “New carpeting is often made from
recycled fiber material and scrap metal and mechanical parts are also
recycled. Additionally, new butterfly panels (pictured) have already been put in
place around the University’s recycling center.”
A priority in his department, Apel said, is making the campus
environmentally healthy and aesthetically pleasing at the same time.
He noted new projects around campus are being organized, including
laying new sidewalks leading from the campus apartments, planting more
trees, and creating a butterfly garden behind the recycling center,
located near the footbridge leading to McNally House.
Peggy Lauer, the University Library’s serials/monographs
coordinator and a task force member, said a new pilot program for
paper recycling is underway on campus. Maryville’s task force is
working with the Aspen Waste Systems and Smurfit company to distribute
recycle bins to all campus offices. Large totters also will be placed
on campus in areas where faculty members can empty their bins. Each
week, Aspen will record the amount of recycling so the task force can
measure the success of their efforts.
The goal ultimately is to make bins accessible to students in the
Library, the Donius University Centers, residence halls and student
apartments. Although many faculty and staff members, as well as
students, have mentioned the need for a new recycling program, there
is still a gap between people wanting to make a difference and
actually taking action, Lauer said. “Everyone says they want to
recycle but our efforts have been inconsistent,” she remarked. “It is
going to take a concerted effort on the part of the administration,
faculty, staff and students for recycling to become a way of life on
campus. This pilot recycling project will give everyone an opportunity
to show that the Maryville community does want to recycle.”
Lauer and Apel suggest the following recycling guidelines:
• Do not mix papers with plastic, cardboard or aluminum in recycle
bins, this can contaminate the entire load and recycling companies
will often throw it away.
• Rinse out bottles and cans before recycling them, otherwise it may
attract insects.
• Crush metal cans and plastic jugs. This helps fit more material into
the bin.
• Open the flaps or tips at the end of cardboard boxes so they become
flat, this also allows more material to fit into the bin. |
