RHA recycles

IU turns out a lot of trash. To deal with waste from building construction and management of dorms and dining halls, many universities, including IU, have departments devoted to recycling and conservation efforts. It's not as common, however, for a Residence Halls Association to publicize and support those efforts. IU's RHA is doing exactly that. Bravo. \nThe novelty of recycling disappeared for many of us a long time ago, along with memories of fourth-grade science projects and field trips to the recycling plant. The mantra, "reduce, reuse, recycle," is a part of our world perspective, thanks to elementary school education programs, but one that loses importance in the face of tough courses, salaries, tuition and exams. \nRecycling is often left to "hippies" who major in environmental studies or dismissed as a project too complex for a large student body to tackle as a single force. The constant and pressing need for environmental awareness, however, is being effectively supported by IU's RHA, a campuswide organization.\nLast year, IU recycling services expanded to provide bins for newspaper, glass, aluminum, paper, printer cartridges and plastics in every dorm. Brand new this fall are bins for Dasani and milk bottles in Wright and Gresham food courts -- high traffic dining areas where, previously, the only way to dispose of an empty water bottle was the trash can. \nRHA did not fund the new recycling services; we have the Physical Plant to thank for that. But RHA has contributed to the new recycling efforts' success by shifting more bins to high-traffic buildings with the most waste, such as Wright and Gresham. By cutting slotted lids in bins to reduce contamination, clearly labeling bins and publicizing their locations online and in dorms, RHA has also increased the effectiveness of existing recycling initiatives. The significant increase in poundage of recyclable material leaving IU since August proves RHA's strategies are right on the money.\nIU still produces plenty of waste: about 600 tons per month, although 150 tons of that is recycled. Enthusiasm for the environment might not spike even with new policies. \nLet's face it, a new and improved recycling program is still not the most exciting development in a college senior's life. But new services make it easy for a student -- one living on campus at least -- to help IU recycle, even if the environment isn't his or her top priority. Students living off-campus are out of luck, however, since Monroe County only provides recycling services to single-family homes. All the more reason to appreciate RHA's efforts to make bins accessible on campus. \nClearly labeled bins and a well-publicized recycling campaign can go a long way toward establishing earth-healthy habits. With the spotlight on efforts to conserve and recycle increasing in intensity, students may begin to once again view recycling as a necessity, and apply that sense of responsibility to an even more crucial component of environmental responsibility: that of conservation. By integrating the program thoroughly into campus and dorm life, RHA is sending the right message: Environmental responsibility is a lifestyle, one with far-reaching consequences for all of us, from third graders to graduate students.