Tips For On and Off-Campus Move Out

Well, it's that time of year again: Week 10 of Spring Quarter! And you know what that means, it's time for everyone to start packing up their lives into boxes before the big move home for the summer. So, while you're packing up your dorm room, your house or your apartment, keep in mind that much of what you throw away is actually reusable!

The Campus Recycling program will be collecting reusable items on campus until June 11th. According to the Campus Recycling Web site, there are re-use collection sites located by the recycling site at every building and also at the ground floor area in the New South Green.

In a recent email to students from the Ed Newman, director of Campus Recycling, there was a list of all reusable materials that the university is collecting. I have decided to re-post this list here as a resource for students.

Materials that the university is collecting include:
All carpeting
Any unused paper
Appliances
Art supplies
Art paper
Aquariums
Banners
Pens/Pencils
Bed Frames/Lofts
Books
CDs
Cinder Blocks
Clean Clothing/Linens
Clean Mattresses/Pads
Computer Diskettes
Coolers/Refrigerators
Curtains
Cosmetics and Toiletries
Dishes/Silverware
Electronic Components, Accessories
Folders, Notebooks, Binders
Hangers/Closet Organizers
Intact Furniture
Luggage/Backpacks
Magazines
Posters/Pictures or Frames
School or Office Supplies
Science Equipment
Shelving
Toner Cartridges/Ink Jets
Toys and Sports Equipment
Unopened Food
Unused Detergent and Soap
Wood


So remember to recycle when you are cleaning and packing this next week!

Recycling Is Essential For a Greener Environment

One of the biggest problems contributing to the degradation of our environment today is waste. It is a well-documented problem in the United States that people throw away items that could be reusable, and then these items occupy space in a landfill with the hundreds of thousands of tons of additional trash that is thrown away each year. Well, good news ... there is something that we, the average American, can do to combat this problem: RECYCLE! Here in Athens, there is an extensive Campus Recycling program at Ohio University that contributes significantly to the sustainability of campus and makes use of its reusable resources. For more information on how this program works, I interviewed Ed Newman, director of Campus Recycling.

Newman says that the easiest and most efficient way for Ohio University students to participate in the sustainability of campus is to use the recycling bins that are available at every campus building. These bins, pictured below, separate newspapers, plastic bottles and aluminum beverage cans. When students use these recycling bins to properly dispose of such items, it makes it easier for the school janitors to collect the recycling. After this is done, the recyclable materials are sent off to the Campus Recycling plant on Dairy Barn Road to be sorted and reused.















Photo: Recycling bins lined up in Bentley Hall
















Photo: Newspaper recycling bin
















Photo: Recycling bin for plastic bottles
















Photo: Recycling bin for aluminum beverage cans


According to Newman, Ohio University began its recycling program in 1990. Since then, it has developed into the current system, which is: using recycling bins around campus to collect reusable materials, sorting and revamping those materials at the Campus Recycling plant and then redistributing the reusable materials throughout campus. Newman says that with this system, approximately 30% of all recyclable materials that are thrown away on campus are saved and reused. However, he says that even with this rate, still nearly 70% of all waste that is thrown away on campus is actually recyclable. He advocates that students should be conscious about what they are throwing away and should take the time to make use of the recycling bins!

In addition to pushing for student contribution to the recycling program, Newman is also implementing several other ideas that will contribute to the Campus Recycling program. First, he and a team of workers at the Campus Recycling plant are starting a compost pile there. The university spent $3.5 million to make this project possible. Newman says that within 2 years, he and the team hope to have a fully-functioning compost pile to make use of all of the food waste that is generated by the university.

Secondly, the Campus Recycling program is introducing more environmentally-friendly products on campus. These include the innovative biodegradable place and utensils at the Baker University Center's food court. Also, Newman says the recycling program is trying to make recycled-content printing paper available at all computer labs throughout campus. Labs that current use recycled-content paper include the School of Communication Studies Lab in Lasher Hall, the Computer Services Center and several labs in Alden Library. Newman says he hopes to make recycled-content paper available in all campus computer labs by the end of the 2008-2009 academic year.

Finally, Newman says the Campus Recycling program is adopting a contract of "green purchasing policies." He says this involves a commitment made by the university as a whole to make smart purchasing decisions with regard to materials and to make every effort possible to not generate waste in the first place. One example that Newman cited of this policy in action involves the current construction on Porter Hall. Newman says that materials used during the renovation of the building will be saved and recycled. He says in the past, most notably with the renovation of Grover Center, all of the materials from the construction project were thrown away. So, this effort to recycle materials from the Porter Hall construction will be a big change for the university.

How Can Your House Be Like The Eco House?

First and foremost, thank you to the users who have left comments and suggestions. I appreciate them, so please keep them coming.

I have had several requests to give an update on how some of the sustainability features shown at the Eco House can be integrated into everyday living for the average Athens resident. So, I have compiled a list of some suggestions, based on what I learned and observed at the Eco House.

1. Recycle.
This may seem like an obvious factor, but it is important to remember that so many things we use everyday can be recycled! This includes glass, plastics, paper and cardboard. And recycling is now made easy: for students who live on Ohio University's campus, simply use the pre-sorted recycling bins that are in every campus building; for those living off-campus, contact the company that collects your trash in order to request recycling bins at your residence.

2. Use a low-flow shower head.
The Eco House uses a low-flow shower head to cut down on water use, and now you can too! Low-flow shower heads are environmentally-friendly because they reduce the amount of water needed for regular bathing purposes. There are several models available at the Athens-area Lowe's store.

3. Make a compost pile.
Compost piles are beneficial to the environment because they provide a use for old food scraps and other food waste, as well as cycle carbon back into the environment. If you cannot create an outdoor compost pile, the worm composting piles (like the one displayed at the Eco House) are available for order online. These worm composting piles are space-efficient, so they would be perfect for someone just looking to maintain a small amount of compost.

4. Be conscious of your usage habits.
The most important thing I learned from my trip to the Eco House is to simply be mindful of your usage habits, particularly with regard to water and electricity. Easy ways to conserve include taking shorter showers, using a water filter for drinking water instead of buying bottled water, turning off lights when exiting a room, turning off your computer at night and maintaining a reasonable setting on the thermostat in your residence. All of these simple, one-second acts will contribute to the effective use of resources and will help cut down on energy waste.

The Ohio University Eco House

The Ohio University Eco House is a university-sponsored and student-run project to promote sustainable living. According to the Eco House homepage, its mission statement is: "The purpose of the OHIO Eco House is to demonstrate affordable, green technology and sustainable living. It provides education and serves as an outreach platform for Ohio University, the local community and the Appalachian region."

The Eco House was developed in 2005 by a group of three Ohio University professors who wanted to make sustainable living possible in Athens. For the past three years, these professors have chosen students to live in the house. Residents are selected for the Eco House each year based on a competitive application process and a rigorous interview by the panel of professors. A preliminary statement on the application reads that "students must express interest in living in the house and must demonstrate that they will effectively contribute to the sustainable living environment."

Current resident Daniel Young, a mechanical engineering major at Ohio University, says that living in the Eco House has been a fantastic experience. He says, "Living at the Eco House has been both a challenging and rewarding experience. I have learned to make conscious, everyday choices to live more resourcefully and make use of what the world provides."

The Eco House runs on renewable energy that is generated by solar panels. These solar panels generate 2.4 kilowatt hours of energy, which is enough to produce 70% of all necessary energy needed to maintain the house for an entire year. The solar panels function by absorbing sunlight that is transferred into a meter that then generates power to the house. These solar panels are adjusted twice per year at different angles facing the sun in order to ensure that they catch the greatest possible amount of sunlight.
















Photo: Solar panels at the Eco House


Another outdoor resource used by the Eco House is this rainwater catcher. This device is a barrel that is attached to the gutters that surround the roof of the house. Rain water from the gutters flows into the barrel and is then used to water the grass, plants and gardens at the Eco House.





















Photo: Rainwater catcher at the Eco House


Residents at the Eco House grow a majority of their own vegetables, including tomatoes, green peppers, green beans and squash. In addition to providing a food resource, this garden also contributes to sustainability by using Athens-area compost. The compost used to fertilize this garden is horse manure that comes from the Last Chance Corral, a horse farm in Athens that rescues former racehorses.
















Photo: Vegetable garden at the Eco House


Residents at the Eco House have also developed a composting system for disposing of food scraps and other waste material. Resident Daniel Young says, "This project took several months to really work into a functioning compost pile, but now that we (the residents) have learned what materials can be composted and how to maintain the pile, it has served as a great resource." Young explains that the composting pile functions by using old food scraps as a source of nitrogen and things such as decaying leaves and dried grass as sources of carbon. These carbon sources break down the nitrogen in the food scraps, and then what is left is usable soil.















Photo: Compost pile at the Eco House


In addition to the composting pile shown above, the Eco House residents have also developed a worm composting system that is used in their kitchen. Shown below, this system is a pile of trays that are filled with potting soil and worms. Food scraps that cannot be thrown into the outdoor composting pile are thrown into the worm composting pile. This system functions as the worms eat food from the bottom tray up, thus making the potting soil fertile.





















Photo: Worm composting system at the Eco House

Welcome to My Blog

This blog began as a project for my Fundamentals to Online Journalism class. The professor instructed each member of our class to select a newsworthy topic that we could use as a basis for a journalistic blog. When trying to decide what topic to cover, I wanted to choose something that would interest Ohio University students and be informative. I chose the topic of "Going Green in Athens" because I feel the topic of a "greener world" is pertinent right now. The media are constantly reminding the public to "go green" for the benefit of the world at large, but I decided to hone the topic to focus specifically on Athens. The intent of this blog is to provide students at Ohio University with tips, tools and resources that they can use to create a greener community in Athens, Ohio.

While this project is a work in progress, I hope that it will provide readers with interesting and useful information. It will explore opportunities and resources that are available to Ohio University students in order to help them conduct an environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

I appreciate any feedback about what you like/dislike about the blog and what you would like to see more of.