Building a Sustainable Campus at IU South Bend

I like checking the student-housing camera periodically because it reveals important changes that are occurring on this campus. Most notably, this construction symbolizes a different way of thinking about how our actions impact the environment. Because IU South Bend is taking strides to obtain LEED certification for student housing, that means there's a conscious effort to reduce waste while constructing this site. It also means designing a building with the ideals of sustainability in mind. I commend the administrators at IU South Bend for daring to be great by creating an eco-friendly student residence.

Plans are underway to renovate the Administration Building. Let's encourage the administrators to continue these eco-friendly practices.

Data Crunching w/ Trash

Beth from Fake Plastic Fish has encouraged me to join the Tess' Trash Challenge from American Public Media. I had been debating on whether to join this trash challenge for a couple of days, but with a little prodding, I decided to participate. I guess I figured this really wouldn't be a challenge for me; I already compost my food waste, reuse items regularly, and recycle like a fiend. I know I'm beating the national average when it comes to generating waste. (Each day, a person generates about 4.5-6 lbs of trash.)

But maybe I'm being overly confident about my trash collection. (This is me playing Devil's Advocate with myself--gosh, am I my own worst critic or what?) Besides, I reasoned, I love statistics. So why not track how much trash I generate? I've decided to collect my garbage data for exactly one week, starting today. So far, I've used three paper towels and one coffee stirrer. (I may actually hang on to that coffee stirrer for later use. Lord knows I need the coffee!)

So let's see what'll happen this week as I become more cognizant of my trash--yah, here's the catch: As part of the challenge, you're supposed to carry your trash with you throughout the day. I've stowed my garbage in a compostable bag, which you can see in the photo. Now I'm no goody-two shoes...because I'm throwing away items that will end up in the landfill, including that bag, there's no chance for that bag to decompose. (Landfills lack sufficient oxygen for biodegration, so I might have well have used a plastic bag.)

A Paradigm Shift

Last Saturday, during the BagFest Event, I had the opportunity to participate in the discussion panel which consisted of representatives from SB Waste, Wal-Mart and Rocky-Mountain Recycling. It was interesting to listen to the responses to some of the questions being asked by the audience. My question to them (particularly to Rocky-Mountain) was, "Is recycling plastic bags reducing the use of natural resources?" The representative of Rocky-Mountain replied with a "yes", stating that (because the bags were being recycled) they reduced the need to use the materials to make new plastic bags. This is somewhat problematic because plastic bags do not necessarily become plastic bags again after being recycled. They become lawn furniture, wood composite and other misc. items. So, unless everyone is using re-usable bags, plastic bags are still being manufactured.

I have been recycling my plastic bags for years, largely because I knew there is an outlet for them. In essence, I had a false belief that I was not damaging the environment because I was recycling. The question that begs to be answered is, "Does recycling decrease the use of natural resources or does it only decrease the amount of waste going into landfills?" On one hand, recycling prevents "waste" and compilation of materials in landfills; on the other hand, recycling increases the demand for materials to be recycled. Hmmm...somewhat of an oxymoron.

Elizabeth Royte made a statement during her lecture on campus last Saturday that puts this issue into perspective. To prevent mis-quoting, I am going to paraphrase the statement. She was discussing "Zero Waste" and told us that in order to have zero waste, there needs to be a Paradigm Shift. I took that statement to mean that we need to change how we view our world, our environment, our behavior and how we live. Recycling isn't the only answer and it does not solve all of the problems. Reducing the use of natural resources combined with recycling and reusing should be viewed a collective process rather than as options from which to choose from.

semester review

I used to be a big re-user of the plastic bags. Like the documentary guy I used them for kitty litter clean up, or to pack my lunch, or to throw in clothes my kid has outgrown to give to a friend. I used to enjoy my abundant pile of plastic bags, like Royte’s pack rats, except I never urinated on them. Now, I use my old forgotten canvas bags, I even resisted the urge to buy the pretty silk ones, because I didn’t need them.

I’ve learned to take in small chunks, and I do enjoy and try to remember Royte’s great sense of humor alongside looming global catastrophe. I realize it’s important to make one decision at a time and stick with it. I will never buy anything but 100% post consumer recycled toilet paper again, I never thought I would feel so proud simply wiping my you know whats. I use my canvas bags, it’s easy and I can clearly see the difference that makes after our 72,000 some odd bag round up. I ask myself if I really need it before I buy it, and I avoid ridiculous packaging. I talk my son out of happy meals. And I talk to other people about zero waste, virgin paper, the whole thing because like me, most people just don’t know about this stuff. And I try to remember I am a work in progress, and I am excited to imagine where I’ll end up. I may even compost this summer.