CPB, ISG go for the green
By Ashley Keihn
Staff Writer
Recycling, turning the lights off when leaving a room and turning the water off when not in use are all ways of making the world a little better.
The new Green Team on campus is all about making the campus a better place to live, and those are just a few simple solutions on how to change the way students and faculty at the University of Indianapolis can give back to their environmental community.
The Green Team, affiliated with the Indianapolis Student Government, meets every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Schwitzer Student Center Room 005 and is open to any student that wants to get involved with changing the way students and faculty live at UIndy.
Green-related goals and activities are already in the works for the 2008-09 school year.
“[This year’s plans are] to get a campus wide recycling program in effect and will involve the residence halls and offices,” said Secretary of ISG Caitlin Deranek. “But at the moment the main focus is the residence halls. Our hope is to expand on what is already there by probably ten-fold because we only have about nine recycling containers campus wide.”
A proposal is going to be made to the President’s cabinet to make the campus more green in regards to lights being turned out when facilities are not being used, using less water and paper and utilizing more electronic resources.
A campus-wide recycling contest will be in effect Oct. 6-10. ISG and Campus Program Board will be providing either boxes or bins for contestants to put their recycling in for the week and one point will be given for each item. The winning hall will receive personalized shirts. Also, CPB will be distributing black tote bags as part of Hump Day Special on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
The short-term benefits of going green include less trash on campus and reduced costs.
“One long-term benefit, depending on the degree of how far we take this, is if the campus gets really into the green living then we can be known for being the greenest campus in Indiana. Or it could be taken even further, the goal could be the greenest campus in the nation, which could be a big selling point for the campus,” said sophomore Green Team member Melanie Orr.
A greener campus could lead to media benefits and an overall increase in enrollment.
“People are so interested in trying to affect the world in a positive way, and if they hear that UIndy is the greenest campus, that would really entice them to come here,” Deranek said
The Green Team is also in the process of applying for a federal grant from the Indiana Recycling Grant Program funded by the State Solid Waste Management Fund through the Office of Pollution Prevention and Technical Assistance with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).
The grant, if received, would pay 50 percent of the campus’ cost for recycling resources such as bins, processing and marketing to get the program off the ground.
Deranek has high hopes for the new program, and it all starts with a few recycling bins.
“Keep your eyes peeled for new bins. As soon as we can get them they will start appearing around campus,” Deranek said.
If students cannot attend the meetings but would like to voice ideas for the Green Team, they can contact Caitllin Deranek at ISG@uindy.edu.
