So I went around our campus to observe how green we are. I believe our campus is not green enough. I noticed that last quarter, there was a trash bin, with 3 compartments (cans, trash, plastic). I only saw 2 of these bins in the 3rd floor eating area, and in the basement eating area. I also noticed that in the 2nd floor computer lab, there was no recycling bin for paper (there was 1 trash bin, with all the unwanted paper along with other trash). In our library, there were 3 small bins (for which I assumed were for recycling paper, because they had no label on them). These bins were next to the printer, which was a good place for them, but as I did some work in the library, I noticed that some of the students who were also doing work there, threw scrap paper in the regular trash can. Next, I went to 20 different classrooms and none of them had a bin for recycling paper, plastic, or paper. I also did not see one recycling bin for old news papers within the campus (I know many students read the news paper and the red eye). In the women's restroom, I did noticed that there are no paper towels and the toilet paper being used were from recycled paper. I believe our school could be a lot more green. The first step to becoming "green" is to promoting "green". How is a school supposed to be green, if many of the students don't know how to be "green"? This will make students become more aware of their surroundings and will hopefully make them take action. I would start by adding more recycling bins throughout the school, starting from the classrooms, by adding recycling paper bins. I would place 2 more small bins next to trash cans in the hallways, with a sign above saying; "recycle cans or plastic". Most of the students that I know take public transportation to school, because of the U-PASS we acquire from school. This I believe is also a good start of being more "green". A good recycling program should be developed to encourage students to be more green. Just like they awarded a student last year with a free lab top for registering for classes early, this should also be available for students who help the most with making our campus more green. According to The Princeton Review, UIC was one of the 286 elected "green colleges". They have many Eco-friendly programs that helped them get noticed. Here is a little bit of info I found on their website. Recycling Program, the UnPlug! Campaign, and Climate Action Plan. To see UIC's entry and the other colleges chosen, download the free “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges.” I know that UIC is a much bigger University, but this is no excuse for East West not to become more efficient on being green. I know a lot of it is done through funding, but we could have fundraising events to help us.
Here are some links that will help us be more green:
http://www.ulsf.org/pdf/going_green_saves_green.pdf
http://corporatekindness.org/blog/green-office/?gclid=CPa6rLWEpagCFQnrKgod0D1OIQ
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/28WaysToMakeYourFunEcoFriendly.aspx
http://freelanceswitch.com/working/29-simple-ways-to-become-a-more-environmentally-friendly-freelancer-help-us-donate-500-to-charity/
this is all very true. i think our campus does need more recycling bins around. i think our school is adequate in other aspects though. we use very little lightbulb wattage, which is a plus. we also use an efficient amount of energy.
ReplyDeleteyes, I do like the fact that we have light sensors in many of our room and bathrooms. This is a plus on our part, but I still think we need to continue to work on being more green.
ReplyDeleteIs great that universities are even thinking on how green their campus is. I´m sure that people want go to college.See that is clean and that they even have a recycling program.
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