2008 Woodie Awards
Dorm recycling is up
Rate increases from two to 11 percent
Samuel Cohen
Issue date: 11/19/07 Section: News
The University of Maine resident halls have improved recycling 11 percent over last year. The school had previously been recycling only two percent of all possible materials.
Since the beginning of the year, Residence Life, Property Management and the Green Campus Initiative (GCI) have implemented numerous programs to improve recycling on campus.
Director of Property Management, Gordon Nelson, said he is glad awareness is increasing.
"Anything in the dumpster costs $100 to incinerate, while on the other hand, we get paid to recycle. There is a real value to recycling. People are becoming more aware with all of the global issues being discussed today and with programs going on around campus," Nelson said.
Even with the improvement, GCI coordinator and second-year mechanical engineering major, Michael Parker, believes the university can do better.
"It's good that we are improving, but we still have a long way to go," Parker said. "There are still a lot of ways to improve the whole process. People have to live in an environment that has a focus on sustainability. We can keep pushing awareness, but we need to change the overall feel of [the] university."
Parker hopes to see sustainability integrated into course curriculum. "Right now the university is in the process of creating a master plan. If we could integrate sustainability into a comprehensive campus strategy it would be great," he said.
With GCI, Parker has put into effect programs to create a more environmentally friendly mindset for students. The creation of the ReCycle program allows students to rent renovated bikes from GCI free of charge. GCI has posted flyers in every residence hall bathroom to educate students on recycling. The group has also been leading energy audits of buildings around campus to improve energy efficiency.
"GCI has brought a lot of attention to the recycling issue," Nelson said. "They highlight the simple things like defining sustainability or giving fun facts about how much recycling it takes to replace a single tree. The whole premise of GCI is to create awareness."
Since the beginning of the year, Residence Life, Property Management and the Green Campus Initiative (GCI) have implemented numerous programs to improve recycling on campus.
Director of Property Management, Gordon Nelson, said he is glad awareness is increasing.
"Anything in the dumpster costs $100 to incinerate, while on the other hand, we get paid to recycle. There is a real value to recycling. People are becoming more aware with all of the global issues being discussed today and with programs going on around campus," Nelson said.
Even with the improvement, GCI coordinator and second-year mechanical engineering major, Michael Parker, believes the university can do better.
"It's good that we are improving, but we still have a long way to go," Parker said. "There are still a lot of ways to improve the whole process. People have to live in an environment that has a focus on sustainability. We can keep pushing awareness, but we need to change the overall feel of [the] university."
Parker hopes to see sustainability integrated into course curriculum. "Right now the university is in the process of creating a master plan. If we could integrate sustainability into a comprehensive campus strategy it would be great," he said.
With GCI, Parker has put into effect programs to create a more environmentally friendly mindset for students. The creation of the ReCycle program allows students to rent renovated bikes from GCI free of charge. GCI has posted flyers in every residence hall bathroom to educate students on recycling. The group has also been leading energy audits of buildings around campus to improve energy efficiency.
"GCI has brought a lot of attention to the recycling issue," Nelson said. "They highlight the simple things like defining sustainability or giving fun facts about how much recycling it takes to replace a single tree. The whole premise of GCI is to create awareness."
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