“Going green” is not just a fancy slogan here at Carnegie Mellon. CMU and CulinArt Catering Services, the university’s campus food vendor, have worked together to bring about new changes in many locations on campus that promote sustainable practices, and they have proven successful in terms of reducing waste production and lowering CulinArt’s cost.
One of the “Green Initiatives” is to reduce the amount of bottles used on campus. Starting from the summer of 2010, the freshmen received metallic water bottles as a gift during Freshman Orientation, which shows the university’s determination to reduce the use of plastic bottles to a minimum number.
The Reusable Cup Program, another promotion that increases environmental awareness on campus, encourages faculty and students to bring their own cups and bottles around campus and thus reduces the number of fountain cups used. Various dining locations in the University Center and the Resnik Building participate in this campaign by offering $1.00 fountain drinks to people who use their reusable cups.
Stever House, one of CMU’s first year dorms, is one of the first “green” residence halls in universities all over the United States. Stever is designed in a way that ensures there is almost no negative impact of the building on the environment and its residents. In 2003, Stever House received a Silver rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is definitely an important step CMU takes toward a green and sustainable lifestyle.
CMU also has a Green Room that is located on the first floor of the University Center. This special space is used to educate people about the basics of recycling. The different categories of recyclables such as paper, glass, plastics, and cans are shown on the walls, with a short list of common things in their categories listed under them, and a bin corresponding to each placed right below. The two computers in the Green Room provide information on the specific locations on campus that recycle a particular recyclable, and where and how it is disposed of. Apart from all this, the room also has a cardboard box that recycles batteries, cell phones, and many other machines and electronic cords. It serves the important role of providing faculty and students with the important knowledge of recycling (and it provides an extra place to recycle things if you don’t want to leave the UC!).
From January to December of the year of 2011, CMU is under contract to purchase an amount of renewable electricity that is equivalent to 100% of the university’s electricity requirements. This promotes sustainable living through the use of green energy, which is part of what CMU has been advocating so hard for.
In addition to just some of the changes on campus listed above, you’ve probably noticed that more dining locations on campus now have labeled bins that take leftover food scraps, trash and recyclables. It is many of the small changes like these that get CMU closer to its goal of bringing sustainability into everyday life. As sustainability programs and practices are promoted on campus, more and more CMU faculty and students are realizing their responsibilities to their working and living spaces and working hard to protect the environment. As the quote on the walls in the Green Room says, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do,” we believe that it is important for everyone to take action to protect our planet.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CMU chapter.