EC Sustainability News | March 2011 Brought to you by the EC Sustainability Committee Recommendations may be sent to sustainable@elmhurst.edu
News and Campus Initiatives Electronics Recycling Event – April 9th Spring cleaning time is here! Recycle your electronics, small household appliances, batteries and many more items. This event is sponsored by the Sustainability Committee, the Greenjays and the City of Elmhurst. This event is free and open to the campus and the public. See the long list of recyclable items below. Saturday, April 9th 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Park and Myrtle (North of Mill Theatre)
Employee Challenge April 6 – 8th.
Now, for the real fun, employees! While the Greenjays are hosting the second annual Green Cup in the residence halls to reduce waste and decrease utility usage, employees can compete too. The College office or department that recycles the greatest number of electronic items per employee in the unit will receive the Green Office traveling trophy AND a sustainable lunch (this does not mean rabbit food!) courtesy of Chartwells. Employee collection bins will be located inside the fence at the west end of Langhorst Field by the south bleachers (behind Goebel Hall and the Heat Plant/Boiler House). A reserved parking space for drop off will be available. If you need help lifting items out of your car, call Residence Life at x3150 in advance and help will be there.
Our Greenhouse Gas Inventory – April 19th, 11:30 a.m., Illinois Hall On December 6, 2010, the members of the Sustainability Committee were briefed on the recently completed greenhouse gas inventory conducted by Affiliated Engineers of Madison, WI. The inventory looked at the uses of energy by the College which contribute to the greenhouse effect. Three levels of emissions were considered: • Level 1: directly occurring emissions from sources that are owned and controlled by the institution - natural gas, refrigerants and fleet vehicle use; • Level 2: emissions generated in the production of electricity consumed – electricity and chilled water; and • Level 3: indirect emissions that are a part of doing business – commuting, business-related air travel, paper/waste consumption. The inventory produced some comparative figures which indicated that the College had already made some progress over the years in energy conservation, particularly in Facilities Management operations. We placed well with our peers in several categories such as emissions per sq. ft. or per FTE (full time equivalent person). However, the long term value of the inventory and the briefing was to identify new directions for continued carbon footprint reduction in the year ahead. There will be plenty of suggestions to come and a role for everyone on campus.