Written by Samantha Holschbach
As more opportunities arise to reuse and recycle, Harding anticipates adding a trial run of donation boxes to women’s dorms for year-round use. Previously, donation boxes were only placed in dorms near the end of semesters, when students moved out.
“Items will be collected and donated to local in-need organizations,” said Greg Tatera, director of Aramark’s building services, who is heavily involved in Harding’s environmental activities.
Donation boxes will be available by the end of this week or sometime next week. Requested donations include usable clothing, bedding and linens. Tatera said permanent donation boxes may be expanded to the men’s dorms in the future, though both men and women will be able to donate items before Thanksgiving break. Boxes will be placed in the lobbies of men’s and women’s dorms, as well as some first-floor laundry rooms in applicable women’s dorms.
Additionally, the number of recycling containers around campus has exploded, contributing to the university’s notable recycling output even compared with last year. Since July 1, 2009, about 118,228 pounds (the equivalent weight of about 18 Hummers) of campus material has been recycled. In last year’s entire fiscal year, that total was 154,539 pounds.
Recycling bins are progressively being established in classrooms. Eventually, 265 bins will collectively fill classrooms across campus. Buildings that are completely filled with classroom recycling bins are already seeing a sharp decrease in the amount of trash collected.
“There has been a 50 percent increase in [classroom] recycling,” Tatera said. “The percentage of trash has decreased significantly.”
To date, 577 public-use recycling containers are spread through Harding’s hallways, common areas, computer labs and workrooms. Five outdoor recycling containers were added within the past two weeks. Bins have been placed in the cafeteria and student center to collect Green Thread take-out containers, a number of which have not been returned after use.
A trial run of dorm room recycling may occur in spring, which entails students placing their recyclables in containers or bags located in their rooms.
“We’re not going to mandate it,” Tatera said. “I’d rather pinpoint students who really want to recycle.”
Harding’s environmental actions may soon be reported on the university’s Web site. The online eco-information will debut in roughly a month. Until then, students can offer suggestions to improve Harding’s carbon footprint in the comments section of Pipeline. Tatera noted that students’ previous comments sparked more bike racks and the introduction of outdoor recycling bins.
To increase recycling awareness, Harding Academy fifth-grade students recently participated in a poster-drawing contest with a green theme. The winning posters will be distributed across campus.
Sunday, Nov. 15, is recognized as America Recycles Day, a nationwide initiative by Keep America Beautiful and National Recycling Coalition. Because this day coincides with Thanksgiving break preparations, Tatera encourages students to be especially mindful of how they treat the environment when cleaning their rooms before leaving for the holiday.
“The timing is going to be great,” Tatera said.
As such, Tatera encourages students to do as many of the following before leaving town:
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Turn off lights
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Turn off or unplug alarm clocks, radios and televisions
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Turn off power to laptops, monitors and printers
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Unplug chargers and unused power strips
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Ensure that windows are closed
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Report broken windows, doors, water leaks and running toilets
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Adjust thermostat to 68 degrees in applicable dorms
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Remove trash; recycle as many items as possible
Considering the magnitude of Harding’s expanding green actions, the Environmental Stewardship Committee’s goal of recycling 250,000 pounds within this fiscal year seems entirely feasible.
