Going Even Greener at MSU
Michigan State University is known for its famous motto Go Green! Go White! But what many students don’t think about at their all green school is how recycling works at MSU. It is one of the top sustainable campuses in the country and has many programs in place to help raise its standards of being Spartan Green. What they don’t know is how much is still being thrown away in conventional landfills. Michigan State should invest more into its sustainability programs for the wellbeing of the country and to bring a new meaning to “Going Green.”
It is true that MSU already sends 43 percent of its trash to landfills (as of 2015) while recycling the rest but this number can be pushed even lower. This corresponds to 10,605,657 pounds of materials being recycled or 3,533 Sparty statues. With programs like the 24/7 recycling center and the MSU surplus store it is a good start and a necessary step to getting the number down to thirty percent by 2017 like MSU director Ann Erhardt, director of MSU sustainability, is planning on. Composting is another large program that MSU conducts to help reduce food waste and keep it from ending up in landfills.
The programs for renewable energy could also use an overhaul, many campuses such as Colorado State University gain higher Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) scores by investing more into their education about sustainability and to their campus by putting up solar panels, managing their water and waste, and coming up with four innovative campus sustainability programs. CSU outscores MSU by almost 30 points by this rating system showing that there is a lot Michigan State can do to increase its sustainability programs. It can start by beginning to implement energy plans to reduce the need of fossil fuel powered plants in exchange for solar power grids, renewable power is far better for the sustainability of the school.
People complain that tuition is high enough already and that it should cover a lot of these costs but Western Michigan University has a lower tuition and has a gold rating in sustainability. This does not have to require a massive money dump, small steps every day can be taken by students and faculty alike by turning off lights, recycling waste instead of trashing it, and being conscious of their water use. On personal levels, they may not seem like much but with over 60,000 faculty, students, and staff it can make a big difference over the course of a year. On the part of the administration more can be done to help this process like removing traditional trash bins in favor of recycling bins with multiple item slots and lower impact light bulbs.
Another huge component of sustainability is the cafeteria programs. Where food comes from, where it ends up, and how it is disposed of can all have huge impacts on a school’s environmental footprint. In a score, out of 4 from STARS, MSU achieved a 0.84 for its Food and Dining purchasing. This number is not quite as high as it could be and the University can increase its score by purchasing more locally grown food and using less conventionally farmed animal products. The amount of food that gets thrown away by 50,000 per day people gets to be quite high, the ways MSU combats this by giving smaller portions is a great but people still over eat and end up throwing away a lot of food. Food is also thrown away at the end of the night when it instead could be donated. This is not likely for all food but products like bread could easily be bagged and given to local shelters to help feed those less fortunate. This could save hundreds of pounds of food while simultaneously helping the local community.
Michigan State University has a long way to go if it wants to call itself green. Reducing the amount of garbage, it sends to landfills is a small first step in creating a more sustainable and environmental campus. This school prides itself on being covered in vast green fields and tall trees but we won’t have that forever if it isn’t being properly cared for. The need for further investment of sustainable practices by the Universities administrators should strongly be considered since it can be done even without a massive investment of funds. Going Green is more than a saying, it is a lifestyle.
It is true that MSU already sends 43 percent of its trash to landfills (as of 2015) while recycling the rest but this number can be pushed even lower. This corresponds to 10,605,657 pounds of materials being recycled or 3,533 Sparty statues. With programs like the 24/7 recycling center and the MSU surplus store it is a good start and a necessary step to getting the number down to thirty percent by 2017 like MSU director Ann Erhardt, director of MSU sustainability, is planning on. Composting is another large program that MSU conducts to help reduce food waste and keep it from ending up in landfills.
The programs for renewable energy could also use an overhaul, many campuses such as Colorado State University gain higher Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) scores by investing more into their education about sustainability and to their campus by putting up solar panels, managing their water and waste, and coming up with four innovative campus sustainability programs. CSU outscores MSU by almost 30 points by this rating system showing that there is a lot Michigan State can do to increase its sustainability programs. It can start by beginning to implement energy plans to reduce the need of fossil fuel powered plants in exchange for solar power grids, renewable power is far better for the sustainability of the school.
People complain that tuition is high enough already and that it should cover a lot of these costs but Western Michigan University has a lower tuition and has a gold rating in sustainability. This does not have to require a massive money dump, small steps every day can be taken by students and faculty alike by turning off lights, recycling waste instead of trashing it, and being conscious of their water use. On personal levels, they may not seem like much but with over 60,000 faculty, students, and staff it can make a big difference over the course of a year. On the part of the administration more can be done to help this process like removing traditional trash bins in favor of recycling bins with multiple item slots and lower impact light bulbs.
Another huge component of sustainability is the cafeteria programs. Where food comes from, where it ends up, and how it is disposed of can all have huge impacts on a school’s environmental footprint. In a score, out of 4 from STARS, MSU achieved a 0.84 for its Food and Dining purchasing. This number is not quite as high as it could be and the University can increase its score by purchasing more locally grown food and using less conventionally farmed animal products. The amount of food that gets thrown away by 50,000 per day people gets to be quite high, the ways MSU combats this by giving smaller portions is a great but people still over eat and end up throwing away a lot of food. Food is also thrown away at the end of the night when it instead could be donated. This is not likely for all food but products like bread could easily be bagged and given to local shelters to help feed those less fortunate. This could save hundreds of pounds of food while simultaneously helping the local community.
Michigan State University has a long way to go if it wants to call itself green. Reducing the amount of garbage, it sends to landfills is a small first step in creating a more sustainable and environmental campus. This school prides itself on being covered in vast green fields and tall trees but we won’t have that forever if it isn’t being properly cared for. The need for further investment of sustainable practices by the Universities administrators should strongly be considered since it can be done even without a massive investment of funds. Going Green is more than a saying, it is a lifestyle.