GAEA fights for new recycling policies
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by Bryan Howcroft
Class of 2002 |
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If you were at Homecoming, which took place on Saturday, the 4th, you may have noticed some people, armed with clipboards, walking around dressed as soda cans.
WPI's environmental club, Global Awareness of Environmental Activity (GAEA), along with Plant Services and Administration, is developing a new recycling program for campus. At homecoming, the soda cans got signatures from over 700 students and alumni in an effort to impact the Cabinet and get their support. Letters were written to each of the members informing them of our campaign.
Up until now, WPI has made little effort to recycle anything other than white paper. In order to instate Paper recycling, Terry Pellerin of Plant Services reallocated a trash compactor on campus for the purpose of paper recycling. Additional compactors will not be necessary in order to add the recycling of new materials because, obviously, the volume of trash will not change. The use of existing compactors can simply be adjusted for recyclables.
GAEA's main objective is to try to have a place to recycle materials such as aluminum, tin, glass, and plastic. This would not only be beneficial to the environment, but it would also reduce the cost of WPI's waste removal. According to Terry Pellerin, paper recycling has been extremely cost efficient, and GAEA believes that recycling of other materials will also be cost efficient.
Meetings with Janet Richardson, Dean of Student Life, and Plant Services suggest determining factors will not only include costs, but campus aesthetics as well. When it comes to campus aesthetics, GAEA believes that "attractive" multi-compartment bins will be easily available for the school. They hope to replace the black trash bins around campus with multi-compartment bins, which will have slots for recyclable waste.
The most important message that GAEA wishes to relay to campus is a call for student support. It is understood that even with the paper recycling project, students often times do not separate their paper properly from other trash. Garbage ends up in the recycling bins, and white paper ends up in the garbage. With the extent of the work going into to the recycling campaign (from, among others, John Miller, Director of Plant Services), it can only be successful with student help.
GAEA believes this project can have a great impact on the school and the environment. Although devoted to technological leadership, WPI is still playing catch up with other college campuses in the area of global environmental influence.
Email wpigaea@wpi.edu if you have any suggestions/comments/questions! GAEA meetings are open to all students. This term, GAEA meets in Forkey Conference Room, Harrington, on Mondays at 5:00pm.
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