Post Classifieds
Initiative boosts BSC recycling
By Katie Anderson
On November 30, 2012
As stressful as the end of the fall semester may be for students, this transitional phase of the academic
year can also cause stress to the environment as well.
Some students will be graduating and moving out, leaving trashcans filled with unwanted, recyclable
items. The cold, snow and ice are just moving in, bringing with them the detrimental rock salt that eats
up campus grounds.
One campus volunteer group, however, is combating this stressful period on behalf of the environment.
The Evergreen Initiative is taking on new projects as well as continuing pre-established ones to maintain
an environmental friendly campus throughout the year.
Evergreen's program, Don't Throw It Out, is a way for graduating students to recycle unwanted items
such as clothing, appliances, furniture and food. During the move-out process in the spring, trucks are
set up on campus to collect items that are later donated to local non-profit organizations.
"A lot of times students can't take it home on the plane or the train, so rather than throw it out, we take
care of it for them," said Lauren Bostaph, staff assistant of Business Services.
Although Don't Throw It Out is most successful after graduation in the spring, Bostaph said students
who move out in December will still have the opportunity to recycle any unwanted items.
"Not a lot of people move out in December so we don't put the trucks out, but the custodians will bring
us anything that the students leave for it," she said.
Custodial Services is also in charge of the salt used on the sidewalks and parking lots during the winter.
Although sodium chloride, or rock salt, is used on wide sidewalks and parking lots, Paul Murphy, director
of custodial services, said that the campus is striving to be as green as possible.
"What we use as ice melt on sidewalks in front of building entrances is a potassium chloride product
which is the most environmentally friendly," he said. "It doesn't harm vegetation or chew the concrete."
Murphy said that the potassium chloride mixture is not used in parking lots or major walkways because
it would cost 10 times more than rock salt.
With regard to snow removal, Murphy said that they can't get much greener than shoveling.
"Most places it's done by hand on all steps and building entryways," he said. "We do use snow blowers
if the snow is deep enough and for expediency."
Evergreen was established 10 years ago, making recycling of glass, plastic and metal more of a priority
for the campus, Bostaph said. Since then the initiative has expanded, almost eliminating any limitations
for what students can recycle.
Bostaph also said that Evergreen often partners with NYPIRG to increase student involvement.
Patty Ceravole of NYPIRG said that one reason they partner with Evergreen is to "make sure that
students are aware what they can recycle and where they can recycle it."
Together, the two groups held an electronic collection in the union for America Recycles Day on Nov. 15.
"We filled seven 65-gallon bins with electronics," Bostaph said. "It was anything from cell phones to
monitors, keyboards and speakers."
Evergreen also took on a project to help reduce the amount of cigarette butts polluting campus. After
the smoking ban was implemented, some ash trays near buildings were removed, causing students who
still smoke to throw their cigarettes on the ground, she said.
"We handed out portable ash trays," Bostaph said. "It's one of our ways of hopefully reducing the litter
of cigarette butts."
Composting is another project that Evergreen has put time and energy into.
Although Campus House is currently the only place composting on campus, Bostaph said she would like
to see the Campbell Student Union, Caudell Hall and campus landscapers all participate in a composting
program.
"We're talking to a couple different companies, and I'm hoping, at the very latest, to have it started in
the spring semester," she said. "Maybe even sooner, depending on what the vendors can offer us."
Evergreen also hosts an annual eyeglasses collection for third-world countries, as well as an information
fair during the spring semesters.
"It's never just one project," Bostaph said. "It's always preparing for the next thing and ongoing public
awareness."
Katie Anderson can be reached by email at anderson.record@live.com.
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