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10 Ways EMU is Being More Eco-Friendly
by Princess Gabbara 1
T ese days, it seems like everyone is looking for new and simple ways to reduce their ecological footprint. We at Eastern Michigan University are no strangers to the trend. With trayless dining options and buildings that contain re-used and recycled materials—let’s just say EMU wasn’t ranked by T e Princeton Review as one of the top green colleges in the country for nothing. Check out some of the cool and innovative ways EMU is doing its part to help the environment.
Recycle, recycle, recycle More than 260 recycling bins for paper and plastic have been placed around campus, diverting almost 1,300 tons of waste from landfi lls in the last four years. EMU also recycled 688 tons of paper and cardboard and 60 tons of electronics and increased its recycling rate by 74 percent during this same period.
Trayless dining Since going trayless in 2008, EMU Dining Services has signifi cantly reduced their food waste. Prior to ditching the trays, students would pile more food onto their plates than they could
2 14 Eastern | FALL 2013 3 4 Photographs by Randy Mascharka
consume, creating a lot of waste, accord- ing to Tom Murray, executive chef of Dining Services. With smaller plates and no trays, students are more likely to eat smaller portions.
Say goodbye to hard copies T e days of using the good ole Xerox machine to run off a hundred copies of Monday’s lecture are over—well, almost. To help save trees, many profes- sors are sending their students syllabi and class notes via email, and accepting assignments and papers electronically as well. For instance, let’s say a profes- sor assigns six short papers (three pages each) during one semester. With roughly 30 students in a classroom, EMU could save around 540 pieces of paper. If every professor did this, can you imagine how much paper we’d save?
New technology Green technologies were incorporated into the renovations at Pray-Harrold and the Science Complex. A new heating and ventilation system was installed at Pray-Harrold to provide bet er energy management, saving EMU in energy costs. Further, 50 percent of the mate- rial from the building’s demolition was either recycled or reused. At the Science Complex, a rooſt op gar- den was added to act as an insulator, which helps the building stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter, saving EMU another $3,600 in energy costs per year.
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