Efforts to raise environmental awareness and become a more environmentally friendly campus have increased at the University.
The Daily Reveille reported Jan. 20 that the University averaged 122 tons of recycled material per month in 2010, which was a 400 percent increase from 2005.
The Daily Reveille also noted an increase in non-traditional methods of recycling across campus. Denise Scribner, campus sustainability manager with the Office of Sustainability, said workers have been recycling concrete from construction projects to be re-used in future projects such as road construction.
The Daily Reveille reported Jan. 20 that 367.78 tons of concrete were recycled in 2010.
“We have a lot of different programs going on all over campus,” Scribner said.
The University is also using cooking oil to make biodiesel fuel that is used in many campus lawnmowers, according to the Jan. 20 issue of The Daily Reveille.
The Daily Reveille reported in February that Horticulture 4012 students strive to institute a composting plan on campus.
William Carney, associate professor and head of the W.A. Callegari Environmental Center, told The Daily Reveille on Feb. 25 about the benefits of composting on campus, which include eliminating waste-removal fees and keeping waste on campus instead of putting it in landfills.
“Mother Nature already does it, so why not us, too?” Carney said.
The Daily Reveille reported on April 16 that the seventh annual Louisiana Clean Energy Expo was held in the LSU Energy, Coast & Environment Building to promote alternative fuels for transportation.
The event championed the use of emerging alternative fuels like propane, natural gas and biodiesel.
“We just wanted to see where the technology is and where the future is,” finance senior Michael Canseco said.
The Daily Reveille reported May 2 that the Horticulture 4012 class presented its plans for campus sustainability.
One section’s suggested sustainability plan involved composting.
Amanda McWhirt, an agronomy graduate student who helped write the composting plan, said the proposal would take about two years to be approved and another year after to be implemented on campus.
The Daily Reveille also reported May 2 that the class suggested a student-run farm, a bike-sharing program and a wildlife habitat as part of its campus sustainability presentation.
Elizabeth Jenkins, an agricultural economics graduate student involved with the composting presentation, told The Daily Reveille the University’s annual expenses for waste removal total around $115,000.
She said composting would cost a one-time startup fee of about $52,000 and an annual fee of $77,000.
 
____
Contact Kevin Thibodeaux at [email protected]