Bringing sustainability to the IMU

Lara Hamburger, Kelly Harman, Daric Lepper and Tim Perez are students in Geography G315: Environmental Conservation.

Before 2009, there was only one method of waste disposal in the Indiana Memorial Union kitchens: the dumpster. Now, because of initiatives set in place by Nora Kayden, a sustainability intern at IU, hundreds of pounds of waste become useful resources instead of trash.

Kayden focuses on improving the sustainability of food service in the IMU through recycling, composting, local purchasing, pest control and green cleaning.

To improve recycling, Kayden moved 90-gallon bins to more convenient locations in the IMU, where they fill up on a weekly basis.

Kayden has also implemented a major composting project that, since its inception in July, has collected over 7,000 pounds of pre-consumer waste that includes fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and eggshells.

The compost is distributed between Hilltop Garden and Nature Center and local pig farmer Jeff Mease. This project greatly reduces waste and provides farmers with fertilizer and feed that boosts local food production. Further, Kayden has strengthened relationships with local farmers by creating a weekly lunch serving fresh, seasonal goods from nearby farms.

Steve Mangan, a general manager at the IMU, said many challenges the Union faces come from the consumer, so addressing them “is a community effort.” As students and consumers, we can bring reusable coffee mugs, participate in the local lunch Wednesdays in the Tudor Room and pressure the ad- ministration to adopt more sustainable practices.

By getting involved and educating ourselves, we can make a huge difference in the name of sustainability.