Texas State goes green by recycling

By Nancy Pavlich and Amanda Givens

In the last few years, it seems as though “going green” has become a growing trend throughout college campuses. Texas State is also doing its part in the green movement.

There are numerous programs and organizations on campus that allow students to become more involved in recycling and waste management.

The Recycling and Waste Management program at Texas State gives its efforts to heighten on-campus recycling awareness through various campaigns and special events.

The program employs five full-time staff members that each focus on one material, such as plastics, aluminum, paper and other recyclables.

They collect recyclables throughout the university.

“We have over 100 different bins of various sizes over campus”, said Jenna Gonzales, recycling and waste management employee.

There are also students that work part time, but the program always welcomes volunteers. The students service all of the outdoor container bins and clean them.

“It’s a dirty job,” said Gonzales.

The Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management office at Texas State provides recycling of all kinds of batteries, ink jet cartridges and cell phones for the entire campus.

They provide collection boxes and once-a-month pick-up service at Texas State.

“Recycling is a good habit to develop because the future depends on us using less raw products and recycling those we’ve developed already,” said Elizabeth Arceneaux, environmental health and safety specialist for the office.

The program provides several tips to help students manage their recycling.

Students can view their Web site; www.fss.txstate.edu/ehsrm/, which tells the locations of the 34 battery, ink-jet and cell phone collection boxes around campus.

Also, if you live in a dorm, look for the Planet Green cardboard boxes near the offices, or check out http://www.earth911.com/ to find national recycling locations and information on how to reduce our carbon footprint.

“If you are interested in recycling, please spread the word to other students. It is very cool to recycle. It shows that you care for your world, and realize that we are all in this together,” Arceneaux said.

The National Association of Environmental Professions at Texas State works on promoting sustainability both in the community and on campus.

The group does this through environmental service projects, such as trail building or river cleanups, and through educating individuals.

According to Leah Gibson, co-president of the association, any student or faculty member can dream up a green project and fill out an application for funding, present their application to the Environmental Service Committee (ESC), and, if approved, will be granted the funding necessary to make their idea come to life.

“This is probably the biggest thing Texas State has done to make the campus more sustainable because it funds environmental improvements,” said Gibson.

Gibson said one of the noticeable programs that has been funded by the ESC has been the Bobcat Blend service available in the dining halls. These Bobcat Blend bins allow you to put your recyclables in them they are later turned into compost.

“The problem is not that there is no recycling present, it’s that students are not well educated about the benefits and reasons to recycle,” said Gibson.

The Office of Community Relations at Texas State strengthens the relationship between university resources and the community of San Marcos.

One of their programs is the “Pack It Up and Pass It On” event. The annual event allows students to give away items that they no longer need to benefit needy San Marcos residents.

According to the Web site, more than 1,000 family members benefitted from the program in 2008.

Kim Porterfield, director of community relations, said the reason they do the event is because it reduces waste and incorporates the reuse part of recycling.

“It is important that Texas State students recycle, because we have a finite amount of landfill space and many of the items that students discard are perfectly good,” said Porterfield.

Porterfield said she thinks Texas State is doing a great job of being green-conscious.

Students at Texas State may think that they are doing their part by throwing away their trash in recycling bins. However, there is so much more that they can do to help contribute to the greening of Texas State.

Photo by Nancy Pavlich