As the end of the term approaches quickly, many students around campus will soon be looking around their rooms and marveling at the large quantities of "stuff" they have accumulated over the course of the term or year. Perhaps the most common reaction is simply to toss everything possible into the nearest trash can, pack up and go home. However, I would like to suggest a more environmentally friendly and philanthropically minded way to deal with the clutter and will now walk you through just how to do this.
First, think ahead. If you know you have rugs, furniture, appliances, bikes or other large objects that you will no longer need, but are in good enough condition to donate, please blitz "Dartmouth Recycles" to arrange for pickup. Others can still use these items, even if you can no longer use them.
After you take care of the large unwanted object you have and finally decide to tackle your closet and bureaus, you'll probably find articles of clothing that you'll never fit into again, or will simply never wear again. Instead of just throwing these things out, donate them to the Listen Center. There are plenty of people in the area who would love last year's styles from J.Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch and the Gap, and others who can probably fit into your favorite pair of jeans from high school. Any article of clothing that you no longer want can be placed in the labeled green bin located in your dorm's lounge starting May 27, and the contents of the bin will be brought to the Listen Center.
Then, if you're anything like me, when you glance around your room, you see mountains of papers -- articles, exams, notes, "to do" lists, sheets of paper you're not really sure why you even have and so on. All of this paper can and should be recycled. For each ton of paper recycled, 17 up to seventeen trees are saved.
Now, you might be thinking, "hey, I don't have a ton of paper in my room! Why should I take the time to recycle the small amount that I have? It'll only save a couple trees." Well, campus-wide, in the fiscal year from July 2001 to June 2002, Dartmouth College recycled 119 tons of paper, and most likely more paper was included in the 2056 tons of trash produced by the college in that same time period. So, while your own paper mountain might seem small and insignificant, as a whole, the college has the potential for a large environmental impact and recycling your paper will help to minimize this impact. White and mixed paper can be recycled by placing it in your dorm's recycling room or in your floor's waste warrior.
Now that you've cleared out most of your mess, you'll probably find a stray Coke bottle under the bed or maybe a glass jar of jelly in your fridge. All glass and #1 plastic bottles can be recycled in your floor's waste warrior. Between July 2001 and June 2002, the college recycled 29 tons of glass and two tons of plastic bottles. Recycling both materials has their benefits. For instance, making glass products from recycled glass saves 50 percent of the amount of water required to make glass products from virgin materials and for each two-liter plastic bottle recycled, enough energy is saved to light a 60 watt light bulb for six hours.
Most likely, along with the stray Coke bottle, you'll come across a plate or fork you "borrowed" from Food Court and just never got around to returning. Every year, DDS spends over $20,000 replacing silverware, plates, cups, etc. and would greatly appreciate any items that can be returned. Fortunately, this term, returning your DDS silverware is easier than ever. Just place it in the labeled green bin located in your dorm's lounge anytime after May 27.
While you clean out your room, you'll probably get thirsty and perhaps drink a can of Sprite or perhaps a Fresh Samantha. When you're finished, don't forget to recycle that container! Aluminum cans can be recycled in the bins near the trash cans on your floor, and #2 plastic, like Fresh Samantha bottles, most shampoo bottles and other opaque plastic with the #2 symbol, can be recycled in your dorm's recycling room.
Now that you've successfully taken care of your clutter, helped the environment and provided clothing and other items to people in need, and you can go home and enjoy your summer or go home only to return in a couple weeks for sophomore summer, knowing that you have done your part to make the Earth a little greener and have made someone else's life a little better.
