Ever wonder
how "green" the College of Forestry is?
Well, we did. We
went looking for statistics on how much we, at the College of Forestry, recycle
and what types of things do we recycle. Although we were able to find this information
for the entire university, we could find no data specific for the College of
Forestry.
So, we decided to
do some investigating ourselves.
The questions:
We went around to the main
offices of each department in the College of Forestry and asked about their
recycling practices and other "green" practices. We also asked people
at the College of Forestry help desk, accounting and information center about
their "green" practices.
The results:
Here's what we found out:
| Paper: Most people in the College of Forestry really make an effort to recycle their used paper. Most of us take the time to put used paper into the recycle bins provided by the university. However, as you can see here, some of it still ends up in the trash. |  |
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Evidence found in the Forest Science graduate students' computer room and next to a printer on the second floor of Richardson show that we are printing out unnecessary documents. Look at the amount of unclaimed paper left next to the printer at the end of a day. And this isn't as big a pile as can usually be found here. |
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When asked, two departments in the College of Forestry stated that they specifically purchase paper with recycled content. The determining factor for most of our paper purchases is cost. Thus, it is important for those of us who use this paper to print on both sides, and reduce our paper consumption. The majority of the paper in our printers and copy machines does not have post-consumer recycled content. |
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Printer cartridges, computers, disks and CD's: Most of the departments questioned, didn't know that CD-ROM's and computer disks could be recycled by OSU. However, the majority of them answered that they do recycle toner and printer cartridges. Additionally, most of the departments turn old computers and nonfunctioning computers over to OSU's Surplus for recycling and/or reuse.
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Energy Conservation: As this has become a hot topic this year, we added questions about energy conserving practices to the list. Most of the departments asked stated that they turn off most, if not all, of their lights when they leave the office as well as turn off the unnecessary computers. One department even said that they have taken steps to reduce their light usage during the day. However, several people said it is not uncommon to come to the office in the morning and find lights that had been left on all night. Walking through the halls of Richardson and Peavy, it is easy to see many rooms - both classrooms and offices - with lights on, but no one in them. Here's a simple suggestion for all of us. When you are leaving the room for more than twenty minutes, turn out any unnecessary lights. When you walk by an empty classroom with the lights still on, stop and turn them off. When the day is bright, take advantage of natural lighting and give your lights a rest. This is something that is easy to do and will not only save energy, but help the University save money. |
Cans and bottles: Although we don't have any specific data on this, most of us have walked around Peavy, FSL and Richardson and found cans and plastic drinking bottles in the trash. Although recycling bins for these items are limited, they are around. In Richardson, these can be found near drinking fountains. Hold on to your can and find a bin to put it in.
Every day in Peavy, Richardson or the FSL, you can find at least one item that could be recycled in a trash can or find a light left on in an empty room. Those of us in the College of Forestry should set an example for the rest of the University. Take the time and effort to turn off that light or find a recycling bin for your used Coke can or bottle. Make sure you print on both sides of the paper. We are doing pretty good so far, but we could be doing so much better.