You know you've been wondering why they were carrying their trash. Those thirty-something students and faculty doting shirts provoking you to "ask me why I am carrying my trash" with all of their accumulated waste attached to themselves. Really, what were they doing?
In honor of Earth Day/Week, these students and faculty members constantly carried all of the immediate waste produced within a week or a day's time to try to demonstrate to themselves and the Dartmouth community the sheer volume of waste generated by Dartmouth students. While most of the students participating labeled themselves as environmentally conscious before the "experiment," each and everyone found ways in which they could reduce their direct waste production.
At the end of the week, students performed a "weigh in" and evaluation of their personal trash use. While many know that Dartmouth produces 2,800 tons of solid waste each year, with nine percent of that composted and 25 percent recycled, few realized the extent of their personal contribution until it was strapped to their bag for a week.
But there is hope for improvement: we saw that much of our glaringly excessive waste is just that: excessive and thus preventable. Judging from the results of the weigh in and "report" from their "trash-capade" experiences, students easily identified ways to reduce their personal load.
1) Paper plates, paper coffee cups, plastic to-go containers brimmed student after student's bags. Noticing the sheer volume of trash and biodegradable waste accumulated, many students turned to reusable plates or carrying Tupperware if they either wanted take-out or would be eating in Collis. Carrying Tupperware too much of a hassle? Borrow a real plate from an alternate dining hall on your way into Collis, and return it to Thayer at your next meal. Save the Collis to-go containers and reuse them for use as cereal and soup bowls in your room.
Get creative.
2) Your mom has been telling you since you were old enough to ignore her: eat all of the food on your plate. Even better: only take or ask for what you know you are going to eat: you can go back for seconds, or even thirds if you are still hungry. If you get a single serve to-go option and cannot finish it, cover it back up and save it for later. You will be hungry again. Or, share with a friend who has a larger appetite. Excessive food waste filled so many bags to the point that the smell generated caused many students to cease their carrying before the week drew to a close!
3) Unwanted mail. Repeated solicitation from a mail source can be ended by sending them a letter requesting removal from their list: it works much better than during a Blitz war. Federal law prohibits the constant bombardment by unwanted mail. Stock forms for this should be available at the Hinman Boxes.
4) Newpapers and magazines. Almost all major publications are now available to read on-line, on any of the public computers around campus that are on 24 hours per day! Or, if you want to read a hard copy and don't want to spend money or generate excess waste, the Newsroom in Baker Library is an excellent resource. Student Assembly's new free newspaper program is also wonderful, especially if you remember to bring back your copy so that other students may reuse those same newspapers.
5) Last but not least: wasted white paper. Simply recycling paper when you are completed with it provides a modicum of conservation; energy is required to recycle that paper and paper fibers cannot be reused indefinitely. Better, reduce your usage through double-siding of drafts, papers and copies, reading articles and sources on-line, editing on the computer, etc.
Trash, recycling and compost don't just go "away" when you throw them "out." They go somewhere, use energy to get there and either use energy to be converted to a new product or take up space in landfills. And the above are far from our only sources of trash on a daily basis: the production of our food inherently uses water, our products are shipped to us through use of gasoline, packaging, manufacturing, etc. Only when we begin to realize just how much we accumulate can we begin to understand our inherent need to reduce this before recycling, before compost and certainly before the landfill.
Think about everything you throw "away." Maybe try carrying your trash for a period of time.
I can lend you a shirt.
