 |
Stage 2: Launched in September 2002
At the 40th anniversary of Silent Spring, September 27th 2002, we
launched the second stage of our campus greening project with the following
goals and new commitments to be implemented this year.
ENERGY
Goals: 15% of Chatham's energy will come from renewable sources by 2010 and we will see continued significant reduction in overall energy usage, each year.
Commitment: We will begin purchasing 10% of our current energy from wind power.
TRAC Initiative (Toxic Reduction and Alternatives on Campus)
Goals: incrementally phase out application of toxic chemicals, where feasible and reasonable, and substitute environmentally responsible alternatives
Commitment: introduce non-toxic cleaning supplies, switch to VOC-free
paint, and cease application of harmful pesticides on the grounds
WASTE
Goals: NO contamination of recycling bins, expand the amount and scope of
recycling program, introduce composting to handle organic waste
Commitment: Increase the number of recycling containers; introduce recycling of new products, including newspapers, and wide education on what can and cannot be recycled
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ENERGY
Challenge:
As people in the United States continue to plug in, turn on and turn up at a higher rate than ever, we are also using more energy than in the past. Rising levels of consumption and resulting pollution in the U.S. affect not only our own population, but also the rest of the world. With less than 5% of the world's population, the U.S. consumes 26% of the world's energy from non-renewable sources. Out of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio Brazil, a treaty was developed to set international standards for reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions, culminating in the 'Kyoto Protocol'. Though the U.S. contributes 24% of the world's carbon emissions, we refused to sign onto the treaty.
* Conventional energy production from the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels like coal, oil, gas and wood, releases fine particulates that are toxic and are linked to heart and lung disease, including cancer
* The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that retains heat and is linked to global climate change
* Coal-fired power plants release 2/3 of a sulfur-producing acid rain
Choice:
Like most of the environmentally responsible world, Chatham is looking for a cleaner, greener way to meet its energy needs. We are committed to increasing our use of renewable energy sources and decreasing our overall consumption of energy through conservation.
Wind.
During the second stage of Chatham eCollegie, we will begin purchasing 10% of our energy from wind power. We are setting a 15% renewable energy goal by 2010, consistent with that set at the 2002 United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development. Unlike traditional energy production, the production of wind energy is emissions free and does not pollute the environment or squander valuable non-renewable sources. One turbine in a wind farm producing 4 million kWh of power is equal to planting 320,000 trees or taking 329 cars off the road each year. Wind power is part of an overall strategy for sustainable development, effective land use and environmental preservation.
Conservation.
The Chatham community can reduce its impact on the environment by reducing its energy consumption. By turning off lights, televisions, computers and stereos when we leave the room, using natural lighting, taking shorter showers, reporting leaking faucets and walking more, we can significantly reduce our strain on the earth, while becoming an active part of the global movement for sustainable living.
Alternative
Community Energy, Inc.'s New Wind Energy will supply Chatham's wind power. They brought the first wind plant on line in the PA market in 1999, helping to make Pennsylvania a leader in the revolutionary field of wind energy production. The energy they supply is 100% produced by wind and is completely renewable and clean. Our power will be generated locally, on a wind farm in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, providing rural economic development in the region.
Back to the Top
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
TOXICS
Challenge:
The products used to make our lives easier and our surroundings more aesthetically appealing can also have a negative impact our health and the Earth. Ingredients in everyday products such as household cleaners, lawn care compounds and even the paint on our walls have been linked to minor and chronic medical conditions, as well as serious and irreparable environmental pollution. And we don't have to drink the products to be at risk. Because particles in many of these products are airborne, exposure through everyday use in compliance with the product's instructions can put us in danger and seriously damage the health of workers on campus.
Cleaning products:
* Common household cleaning agents have been linked to cancer, birth defects, central nervous system depression and chronic respiratory diseases
* Because cleaning products are manufactured through petrochemical process, they pollute the air and have been linked to global warming
Lawn care Products:
Paint:
* Volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in paints, thinners and solvents emit poisonous vapors that are known to cause cancer in humans and cause damage to the respiratory system.
* Chemical compounds in paints have also been linked to ground-level ozone and contaminate water systems during disposal
Choice:
As part of Chatham eCollegie Stage 2, we will be launching the TRAC (Toxic Reduction and Alternatives on Campus) Initiative. TRAC was designed as a long-term project to reduce the use of toxic chemicals and replace them with alternatives that are effective in cost and performance, yet safe for humans and the environment. In the first phase of this initiative, we will eliminate specific toxic chemicals used on campus in our cleaning supplies, lawn care products and indoor/outdoor paint. Through student research projects we will evaluate progress at each interval and set new goals for further toxic reduction.
As part of the TRAC Initiative, Chatham has formed a partnership with the National Wildlife Federation. NWF will track the goals and challenges of this initiative and document our progress in an effort to encourage other colleges and universities to implement a toxic reduction program.
Alternatives:
Cleaning Products
Green Village will supply Chatham with their line of industrial cleaning products, made by Sun and Earth, that are free from conventional cleaning compounds that are hazardous to human and environment health. These toxic-free cleaning products will be used on floors, carpets, windows and surfaces. Green Village, co-founded by Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, will work closely with Facilities Management to ensure a successful transition and to develop additional cleaning products specific to Chatham's needs.
Paint
PPG Paint, a Pittsburgh based company, will supply Chatham with their new line of VOC-free paint called Pure Performance. Pure Performance paint does not contain the harmful VOC's that pollute the air and are hazardous to workers health. PPG paint has generously donated all of the indoor paint for the Gatehouse renovation.
Lawn Care Products
To further commemorate the 40th anniversary of Silent Spring and pay
tribute to the legacy of Carson, Chatham College will also announce its
commitment to implement organic methods of landscaping so that campus will not
only be beautiful, but healthy as well.
Back to the Top
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
WASTE
Challenges:
Consumption. We cannot de-link environmental problems from our consumption-- single serving packaging, endless reams of paper, throwaway water bottles and styrofoam cups are emblematic of the culture of waste that permeates richer societies. There are limits to the resources we consume, just as there are limits to the amount of waste we can find places to dispose of. People in the U.S. and worldwide are consuming material goods at record-setting rates and churning out millions of tons of waste per year. The technology boom has only intensified production and the trashing of paper, creating pollution in production and pollution in disposal. The result is a constant strain on our waste disposal systems. Chatham is no exception to this rule.
* In one year, the United States produces nearly 232 million tons of solid waste--an average of 4.5 pounds of garbage left behind by every person every day.
* 55.3 % of all waste is deposited into landfills
* Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television set for 3 hours
Choice:
Adopt the 3 R's: Reduce the amounts you consume- from energy to material goods, and reduce the amount and toxicity of what you throw away; Reuse containers and products, repair what is broken or give it to those who can repair or use it; Recycle as much as possible, including buying recycled products.
In the first stage of Chatham eCollegie, recycling on campus greatly improved, however, we have had a serious problem of contamination or the co-mingling of garbage with the recyclables. To combat this, cards have been attached to all of the recycle bins describing what items are appropriate for recycle. Our goals in the second stage of Chatham eCollegie are to 1) decrease our overall level of waste, through conservation and reduced use of paper products 2) increase the volume and efficiency of our recycling program, through greater recycling efforts with zero contamination. These goals will be reached through the commitment and consciousness of the community toward one another and our environment.
Back to the Top
|
