Seven of those people discussed their role in helping Emory be environmentally sensitive at a Nov. 6 panel discussion. The event, which attracted 40-50 audience members, was co-sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega, ECOSEAC and Outdoor Emory as a means of informing students and other community members about Emory's efforts in the environmental arena and of obtaining student input on environmental issues on campus.
Dave Gojdics, assistant vice president for Facilities Management, and three of his staff members who deal with environmental concerns on a daily basis, served on the panel. Recycling Coordinator Elaine Gossett, the newest Emory staff member serving on the panel, said that she has submitted a proposal for a comprehensive campus recycling program and expects to hear soon on the proposal's status. Gossett said the proposal calls for staff and facilities for recycling several commodities in all major campus buildings and a central drop-off recycling facility.
Russ Seagren, director of Campus Planning and Construction, said his staff is working to gain support for a new campus master planning initiative that will go beyond the immediate central campus to include identification of green spaces on the fringes of campus as valuable natural resources whose preservation should be a priority.
Charles Scott, manager of grounds maintenance, said his department has been replacing every campus tree lost to construction with two new trees. Scott also said through the use of synthetic chemicals, his staff has nearly eliminated the use of toxic chemicals in grounds maintenance. He said that all grass mowed on campus is put back into the ground rather than being bagged and disposed of.
Gojdics said the University has made great strides over the past several years in saving energy through practices such as installing high-efficiency lighting and electronic controls of heating and air conditioning units in newer buildings and retrofitting older buildings with modern climate control equipment.
Piper Freeman, director of the Dobbs Center Food Plaza, stressed the importance of Food Plaza diners placing their trays on the tray belt when finished. She said her staff is able to reduce the volume of non-food waste on each tray by 80 percent, a task that cannot be accomplished when diners place the contents of their trays into a garbage can.
Cheryle Crumley, manager of alternative transportation programs in Parking and Community Services, said that programs begun last year to encourage MARTA ridership and carpooling among employees not only have helped reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, but also are delaying the need for Emory to build more parking decks. She said her office is considering increased use of electric shuttle buses.
Bill Buzbee, law school faculty member and chair of the University Senate Committee on the Environment, said he wants to see the committee play a major role in teaching students to be effective proponents for environmental issues. Buzbee said the committee is in part reactive, in the sense that community members submit proposals to the group and seek guidance from it. It is also proactive, he said, in the sense that it investigates University projects and makes recommendations on how to complete projects in a more environmentally sensitive fashion.
Many of the questions addressed to the panel after their presentations dealt with the recent practice of student groups plastering sidewalks with fliers to promote their events and with reducing the volume of waste generated in campus dining facilities. Suggestions for the flier dilemma included seeking a Student Government Association ban on placing fliers on sidewalks, and placing large, glass-enclosed bulletin boards at the entrances to major buildings for the placement of fliers.
A number of the questions about waste in the dining halls ultimately led to the dilemma of sanitation and quality vs. waste generation. These include the replacement of large ketchup containers with small plastic packets, and the replacement of large drink dispensers with packaged beverages. Freeman said that as a relatively recent graduate of Emory, she is particularly sensitive to the student body's desire for dining facilities to be as environmentally friendly as possible. But there are times, she said, when concerns about sanitation and product quality can outweigh environmental concerns.
--Dan Treadaway