The Colleges have introduced a more efficient and environmentally friendly Recycling Program designed to reduce total resources consumed on campus, divert as much trash from the landfill as possible and decrease emissions from number of hauls to waste processing facility. THe program includes a composting project, which will handle all of the food waste and biodegradables from Saga in an environmentally sound manner. The campus also participates each spring in RecycleMania, a nation-wide recycling competition of more than 400 colleges. The goal of the 10-week contest is to increase the rate of recycling among students, faculty and staff on campuses across the country. The President's Climate Commitment Task Force and the Green Team made recycling even easier by launching a new "Pitch In, One Bin," no-sort recycling campaign on in April 2008. Since then, HWS community members are being "caught green-handed" in the act of recycling.
Did you know that HWS produces less carbon per student than several of the top liberal arts colleges in the country? In fact, HWS uses approximately 7.99 tons of carbon per student compared to Smith College's 11.59 tons per student and Middlebury's 14.5 tons per student. These figures are a part of the comprehensive carbon inventory completed in spring 2008.
Sitting lakeside along South Main Street, Sill House has been the Green House on campus for more than five years. Every year, students with outstanding interest and activism related to the environment live at Sill, the hub of environmental activities for all students on campus and the site of weekly meetings of Campus Greens, Green Art Day and a host of other eco-focused events.
In addition to the variety of courses about eco-issues that are available to students, the President's Climate Commitment Task Force and the Green Team recently introduced the HWS Goes Green Education Program. The program is designed to educate and engage students in a culture of environmental sustainability, supplying every student with a reusable HWS Goes Green shopping bag. Recently a group of students planted and took up maintaining an organic vegetable garden on campus. The group hopes to create a greenhouse on campus to further their organic mission.
As they walk from class to class, seniors Nick Wallas and Samantha Wason imagine future campus buildings made with the environment in mind. These students are working with Buildings and Grounds Assistant Director Scott Woodworth and Buildings and Grounds Senior Projects Manager Chris Button on ways to ensure that future construction is green. Woodworth and a team from Buildings and Grounds already replaced more than 2,500 light bulbs on campus.
Hobart and William students and staff departments alike are finding innovative ways to get around high carbon emissions by changing the way they get around campus. A Green Trolley, running on biodiesel and on a predetermined schedule, will service the campus and downtown Geneva area. Inspired by an environmental studies course, Greg Dlubac '08 and Jake Podkaminer '08 were inspired to convert a carbon-heavy truck into an electrically-powered machine. Buildings and Grounds purchased two utility carts that run on rechargeable batteries. The community bike program is still going strong. And those students who use their cars around campus are paying the price: a $5 Green Surcharge is being added to every on-campus parking ticket to build awareness of the transportation initatives and decrease on-campus driving.
All over campus, the Colleges are finding ways to buy and even sell environmentally friendly products. Buildings and Grounds now uses only Green Seal-approved, “green” cleaning chemicals. Seniors Rob Martinez and Greg Davidson are also working with Buildings and Grounds to create a comprehensive green purchasing policy. At the College Store, there’s a regular stock of eco-focused products. The store also uses a "green" approach, continually finding new ways to maximize recycling and minimize waste and carbon emissions.
