Initiatives to include pollution prevention, clean energy
Newly hired Manager of Campus Sustainability Sarah Temple plans to organize committees and bring more sustainability to campus.
Temple, a University graduate in environmental management systems, joins Assistant Director of Facility Services Tammy Millican in the sustainability program.
“Sustainability-related initiatives will not only help ensure that this campus can be enjoyed by students, staff and visitors for many years to come, but will also propel LSU into the role of being a forerunner among universities in these areas,” said Temple.
Millican said Temple’s hiring would be positive for sustainability efforts.
“Sarah’s experience that she’s bringing to the University is going to grow the program in a
major way,” said Millican.
Temple wants to develop an environmental management system at the University to ensure Facility Services incorporate pollution prevention everyday, like disposing chemicals correctly and using the best fuels in campus vehicles.
Sustainability efforts began in 2008, when a group of students requested former LSU Chancellor William Jenkins create a sustainability office. Sustainability on campus has been student-led ever since, Millican said.
The University will participate in the Environmental Protection Agency’s GameDay Challenge  — a competition between universities to increase recycling — during the Alabama game on Nov. 8.
“Students can beat them on the field and in a recycling competition,” said Millican.
Recycling bins placed throughout campus are for recycling basic items like paper and plastic, and Temple said Facility Services is working to expand electronic recycling for batteries and cell phones on campus as well. A campus-wide electronic waste collection day is planned for later this fall.
The University recycling rate has increased from about 27 percent in 2008 to 41 percent in 2014. Temple said they found a new way to recycle old journals — weighing six tons — from Middleton Library, and it greatly contributed to the rate.
Construction sustainability is a major goal of Facility Services for the semester as there is a push for more construction waste recycling.
Facility Services is working on a new competition for the fall where buildings in the Quad would compete for most recycled materials.
Millican said Residential Life has been a proactive partner in sustainability.
The residential hall in construction will be LEED certified, meaning the building saves money and resources while promoting clean living. The Hilltop Arboretum was the first of the University’s buildings to have the certification.
Facility Services has many grants available for student groups interested in campus beautification and sustainability efforts, but some students have mixed feelings about sustainability and if efforts are prevalent on campus.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Hattie Duncan said there are many recycling bins on campus, but she is not sure if students know what to recycle.
Kinesiology sophomore Sophia Wojkowski said students may not use the bins, even if they are there.
Some students do not see recycling as an important issue. Undecided sophomore Alyson Dohn said she thinks it takes too much effort, and there are not bins at every trashcan to give her the option to recycle.
Millican said most students come to the University with knowledge of the importance of sustainability, but Facility Services aims to improve communications with students through outlets like social media.
Temple said a campus committee used to meet and discuss sustainability measures in past semesters. She hopes to reorganize the committees this fall.