Greetings from Boston! I am writing this column as I work my way back to UNH after an inspiring day at the Interfaith Walk for Climate Rescue. A group of our peers from Students for New Hampshire Public Interest Research Group (NHPIRG) and I traveled to Cambridge, Mass. last Saturday to walk in the march to stop global warming that took us from Cambridge to Back Bay, Boston. The walk was a part of Climate Rescue Day, which concluded with a large rally for climate change in Copley Square. I just want to take this opportunity to acknowledge those from UNH who comprised the approximately 800-person crowd at this historic event.
While it is great to observe that much is happening on a national level to fight climate change, it is my hope that Chris Skoglund and I can inform the UNH community about the university's efforts to embrace sustainability. Therefore, this week's column will do just that in regards the three big "R"s: reduce, reuse, and recycle! So read on to learn about how the university is watching its waste.
UNH has both indoor and outdoor recycling containers all over campus for the collection of paperboard, mixed paper, glass, metal, and plastic containers. In 2006, UNH recycled more than 130 tons of trash, according to the 2006 Annual Report for the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. In Jan. 2007, UNH began a pilot project to install outdoor recycling containers adjacent to trash receptacles for glass, plastic, and aluminum containers. Fourteen containers were installed as Phase 1 with more to be installed as part of the Main Street project in summer 2007, so look for these recycling containers as you dispose of your trash around campus!
Did you know that more than 17,500 lbs of food waste is composted monthly from UNH dining halls? When you place your tray on one of the rotating dish shelves in Holloway, your food waste is separated from the non-food waste items on the tray and pushed into a liquid waste stream. The water is eventually removed and the remaining solid food waste is processed by a "pulper." The solid food waste is sent to Kingman Farm to be composted and used for fertilizer. In 2005, 218,292 lbs of compost were generated from all the UNH dining halls.
Can you think of a certain time when you dispose of more trash than any other time of the year? I sure can, and that time will be here before you know it. At the end of each school year, students flood the dumpers with all the trash that has accumulated in their dorm rooms since September. However, there is a program at UNH called RENU that helps students turn some of their "trash" into treasure for those in need. During the month of May before graduation, boxes will be placed in each of the dorms, in each of the Gables towers, and in one or two centralized locations in the Woodsides in order for students to dispose of their unwanted clean clothes and any unopened food. During the two weeks of collecting, volunteers spend time sorting donations and distributing the goods to local charitable organizations and food banks such as Project Blessing, Crossroads House and UNH Cornucopia. If you are interesting in learning more or volunteering for RENU, contact Elizabeth Joseph at eaf5@cisunix.unh.edu or Brian O'Donnell at bnt3@unh.edu.
The university is doing its part in reducing, reusing and recycling waste on campus. As a member of the UNH community, you can also help the university in its efforts. UNH Dining launched a campaign for food waste reduction for the week of March 5-10 by challenging those who eat at the dining halls to reduce their food waste. UNH Dining estimates that those eating at Holloway collectively throw out 3,000 lbs of food each week, the equivalent of more than 5,000 meals at one pound of food per person. The results of the challenge will be posted at each dining hall shortly, and already UNH Dining announced that Philbrook Hall won the tray waste reduction contest with a 1.6 percent reduction per person. However, the challenge does not stop just because the campaign week has come and gone. Remember before you load up your plate with food to think about how hungry you really are. Are you really going to eat that extra cookie or french fry?
One of the biggest purchases you make in college directly impacts your contribution to the waste stream. The university disposed of over 300,000 lbs of waste electronics, mostly personal computers, from 2003-2006. Since electronics contain many toxic metals, there are some guidelines you can follow when purchasing your new computer and disposing of your old computer to minimize the impact to the environment. For instance, laptop computers are so much smaller and lighter than a traditional desktop computer so they contain fewer hazardous constituents and are less expensive to dispose of when no longer usable. If you must purchase a desktop computer, consider buying a flat screen monitor as it does not contain toxic lead and is more compact. If your old monitor is still working, keep it and only replace your CPU, and thereby contribute less to the waste stream. Some of us purchase a new computer not because our old one is not functioning, but in order to upgrade to a more technologically advanced system. If you fall into this category, consider selling, donating, or giving your old computer away.
I have only touched on a couple of the numerous ways you can make a difference on your waste impact. Please seek out other ways to reduce your use. The UNH Facilities Support Center and the UNH Office of Environmental Health and Safety are excellent resources to learn more about waste reduction. The Office of Sustainability also has more information about waste reduction on its website at http://www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/. Always remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle during your time at UNH and beyond.
Now that Chris and I have been writing this column for half a semester, it is time to make sure that you have the opportunity to let us know what you think! Besides writing a response to TNH about the content of one of our columns, you can reach Chris and me at sustainableyounh@gmail.com. Let us know what you liked or did not like about our column, and let us know if we miss reporting any important information about sustainable efforts at UNH. We also serve as a resource if you are interested in becoming more involved with programs promoting sustainability at UNH.
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