IU’s new color is green

Sophomore Matt Saddler shuffles to the table where his friends are eating, juggling two plates of food and a glass of chocolate milk in his hands. Without a tray to balance his dishes, Saddler makes every move with the stealth of a hunter.

“This is just inconvenient,” he says. “I need to have more body parts to facilitate this.”
Though Saddler and other students might protest the lack of trays in the Landes Dining Room in Read Center, environmentalists certainly won’t.

As of Oct. 1, the traditional dining facility went “trayless” in order to reduce food waste and conserve water.

The new trayless initiative is just one of several other sustainability efforts in the University’s residence halls. And since the Task Force on Campus Sustainability formed in 2007, IU has focused on establishing more environmentally conscious programs. From encouraging recycling to teaching students smart conservation habits, the school is striving for a greener campus.

Energy conservation

One University program working to address conservation is the Energy Challenge, a competition between residence halls, greek houses and academic buildings to see which in each category can save the most energy and water.

The challenge, which was created in 2008, has since conserved 22,753,850 kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough to power 2,753 average American homes for 12 weeks — and 6,061,365 gallons of water — enough to fill more than 10 IU Outdoor Pools.

In the past, the Energy Challenge occurred in spring semesters. This year, however, the competition took place in the fall to more accurately determine whether or not conservation habits were sticking with students throughout the year.

Steve Akers, associate director of Environmental Operations, said he has noticed Energy Challenge participants habitually turn off lights after leaving a room.

“I’ve seen tangible proof where even though the challenge period has ended, people will continue to use energy in a wiser way and not be quite so wasteful,” Akers said. “I’ve even had parents contact me and comment that their kids have come home and been more aware of their home usage, walking more, switching off lights and taking shorter showers.”

Though Akers said the school is concerned about both the expense and use of water, especially after this fall’s drought, efforts are also being made to save electricity.

“We are trying to install more occupancy sensors — light sensors that will go off at a certain time or automatically,” he said.

This technology was installed in the new Union Street Apartments. The hallways, for example, use only 50 percent lighting when no one is occupying them. Akers said he hopes other buildings begin to use this kind of “smart” technology.

Waste reduction

Every year, IU sends almost 5,000 tons of waste to its landfill, which is equivalent to 218 semi-truck trailers full of trash.

“We’re really into the whole lowering-the-waste effort,” Akers said.
For residence halls, this means both food and trash.

Victoria Getty and Krisha Thiagarajah, lecturers in the department of applied health science, are conducting a study to compare the environmental impact of a tray and trayless delivery system in the Landes Dining Room. They are looking at changes in food waste, food costs and water, electricity and detergent usage.

Though the study is still in progress, Read Dining Manager Linda McCoy said she has already noticed a decrease in the amount of waste and in water usage.

Some students, however, complain about having to make more trips to carry plates.

“There have been negative comments made directly to the staff and myself,” McCoy said. “I think it’s just because we’re all creatures of habit, and we went trayless later in the semester.”

IU is also aiming to decrease trash by improving its recycling system.

Akers said Residential Programs and Services is attempting to redesign the recycling system on campus to make it more uniform. These changes include a more efficient placement of recycling bins and better signs indicating what each bin is
designated for.

Though IU currently diverts 20 percent of its waste from the landfill through recycling efforts, Akers said anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of trash a year ago could have been recycled.

“Bottom line is, this means we’ve got to start educating students on recycling,” he said.

IU vs. Other Indiana schools

Other schools in the state have also taken initiatives to become more sustainable. The Student Government Association at Butler University recently launched a green movement, which is aimed at educating and implementing sustainable actions on campus.

Matthew Kasper, the student government’s vice president, said the movement was developed after members continued to hear student feedback about more ways to go green on campus.

“Right now we are dealing with recycling,” Kasper said. “We’ve done a poster campaign with facts and are planning a video now. But the implementation phase includes funding more recycling bins, specifically outside for more types of plastics.”

In 2007, Robin Ridgway initiated a Sustainability Council at Purdue University to disseminate information and help students with ideas and questions. The council works closely with student groups and is currently working on a campus energy plan, Ridgway said.

“Many of the programs in existence today at Purdue would probably have happened anyway, but the Sustainability Council gives it relevance, exposure and connectivity to other campus undertakings,” Ridgway said.

What’s next?

As more universities adopt sustainability programs, Akers said he hopes IU will be at the forefront of the green movement. His immediate plan, he said, is to focus on the recycling awareness campaign.

“We need to continue to look at where we need bins, and make them as convenient and clear as possible,” he said. “Lowering the amount of waste on campus is very important.”

McCoy said she also encourages more recycling and said she thinks dining halls will start using more locally produced food. Additionally, she said, one of her goals is to start a composting program for the dining halls.

“There are a lot of things that we could compost, from prepping vegetables in the kitchen to food waste from people’s plates,” she said. “It’s something that would have to involve the grounds people and maybe Hilltop [Garden and Nature] Center. As of yet, we haven’t collaborated, but it would be nice if we could.”