May 2011 - EC Sustainability News

EC Sustainability News | May 2011 Brought to you by the EC Sustainability Committee Recommendations may be sent to sustainable@elmhurst.edu

News and Campus Initiatives Coffee Grounds for Your Garden:

Chartwells has begun to make containers of used coffee grounds available for pickup at the Seattle’s Best Coffee Shop in the Founders’ Lounge. Travis Orman, our Food Services Director, deserves a big “Thank You” for arranging this. It will put what had been waste into a great use in many gardens. Coffee grounds will be available as long as coffee is brewed! Email torman@elmhurst.edu to put yourself on the call list for grounds. See the Top 10 Uses for Used Coffee Grounds.

Electronics Recycling Event Results:

What an outstanding effort by all! Many, many people contributed to the success of this terrific event. The response and request for future events was overwhelming. Watch for another collection in the fall.

Special thanks to departments: Campus Security, Financial Affairs, Grounds, Communications and Public Affairs, Leadership, Service and Engagement, and Residence Life.

Special thanks to individuals: Andrea Poplawski, ’14 (City Council attendance), Linda Kang, ’13, and Nicole Perri, ’12 (poster distribution), Chris Kirkpatrick, ’13 and Nick Patterson, ’14 (set up and take down), Ethan Escareno¸’13 (employee unloading), Jessie Moyemont, ’12 (photography), Tim Lester (tent) and Paul Krohn, Susie Regan and Rachael Willits (Green Office Motivator Door Tags), and Megan Kelderman, Christina Lees and Tony Marotta (posters to local schools).

Special thanks to student organizations: the GreenJays Total Collection diverted from landfills................................................................................. 28,291 lbs April 6-8th Employee Challenge Collection .............................................................................. 6,421 lbs April 9th Community Collection .............................................................................................21,870 lbs Employee Challenge Itemization: PCs ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Laptops .............................................................................................................................................. 10 CRT Monitors..................................................................................................................................... 33 LCD Monitors..................................................................................................................................... 10 CRT Tvs .............................................................................................................................................. 42 LCD TVs ................................................................................................................................................ 2 Large Peripherals............................................................................................................................... 32 Total ................................................................................................................................................ 165 Miscellaneous EED Electronics (615 lbs.)

Miscellaneous Uncovered Electronics (515 lbs.)

And the Green Department Challenge winner is . . . With eighteen administrative and academic departments represented, the competition was intense! The Registrar’s Office captained by Joyce Callahan took the Gold!

The team will receive a sustainable lunch sponsored by Chartwells and be the first recipient of the Green Department Trophy. The offices of Residence Life and Information Services receive the silver and bronze! The competition will continue next year. Watch for future events.

Partner for Clean Air Award: The Chicago Area Partners for Clean Air Association has awarded the College the 2011 “Partner for Clean Air Award”. The award was received as a result of the environmental impact of our LEED West Hall and our bicycle program whereby students, faculty and staff leave their cars at

home in exchange for a free bicycle, helmet and lock. The Association is a non-profit coalition committed to improving air quality through voluntary actions.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Presentation:

On April 19, Ms. Jeannette LeBoyer, a consulting engineer from Affiliated Engineers in Madison, Wisconsin debriefed the College Community on the results of the inventory they completed at the College in 2010. The inventory measured the metric ton (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) generated by: 1) EC’s internal operations (heating and fleet operations; 2) purchased electricity and 3) indirect emissions (business-related air travel and commuting). Although each category contributes to the overall carbon footprint, purchased electricity at 50%, natural gas use at 25% and commuting at 11% were the three largest generators of carbon emissions. The College was responsible for 13,363 MT of CO2e in 2009.

It is important to note that the College has made significant efforts in recent years to reduce its carbon footprint. Among the efforts has been the installation of new boilers and chillers, major HVAC and lighting upgrades; installation of control equipment for electrical use and a serious addressing of commuting issues. In a comparison with 11 regional colleges of similar makeup, the College ranked 5th lowest in carbon emissions per 1,000 square feet and 1st in comparison on student full-time equivalents. These are positive results, and efforts will continue to make improvements. See the briefing here.

What You Can Do “Hit the Switch”.

Based upon the results of our GHG Inventory, we must pay special attention to our electricity usage rates on campus. You will be asked to double-check that you have turned off lights and other electronic equipment when your leave your room, office or work area overnight or for long periods during the day. Your simple action is directly related to the GHG Inventory – it will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and it will have a direct effect on utility costs. Look for posters and other reminders of the “Hit the Switch” program in your building and work area.

Collections: What You Can Recycle On Campus Collection containers are located in each residence hall and the Office of Residence Life in West Hall for the items listed below. Many employees have been bringing over their contributions. Keep them coming! Enjoy the day and walk on over to West Hall, call x3150 or email reslife@elmhurst.edu for a pick up.

Plastic Bags: New Life for Old Bags

12,617 plastic bags collected to date.

These are made into mats for the homeless.

Battery Recycling!!

976 batteries totaling 22.4 pounds have been recycled.

Bottle Caps Recycling

8,216 plastic caps collected.

Bring in any battery.

That is 62.6 pounds!

Pop Tabs

4,280 collected to equal 3.7 pounds.

Printer Cartridges - Laser and ink jet cartridges can be recycled in the Instructional Media Center, Daniels

Hall, Room 111. Bring them in and say good day to Chris Curtin.