Since I am a conservative, it is generally assumed that I do not care about the environment. Judge me after this opinion column. Dartmouth projects itself as a very ecological and clean campus, but how green are we really? For all of its talk and big proposals, the College only weakly addresses the greatest ecological disaster on campus: Coed, Fraternity and Sorority recycling.
Dartmouth has done very well introducing high-profile sustainability projects. The recent proposal to convert North Hall into a sustainable lifestyle dorm is certainly a splashy initiative, but what will its overall impact be? While the impact of North Hall on the environment will be greatly reduced, what about the rest of campus?
I'm not suggesting we all adopt a rigidly environmentalist lifestyle. My point is that while the conversion of North Hall makes headlines, its overall impact will be very small. Creating a practical recycling program for the CFS houses would go much further in terms of real impact: making cans out of recycled aluminum takes 95 percent less energy than making them from virgin ore.
This issue is a bit complex, but it is certainly easier and cheaper than refurbishing a dorm. This fall, a group led by James Watson '10 tackled this problem for "Introduction to Engineering" (ENGS 21). They learned that Dartmouth -- through its CFS houses -- consumes more than 3 million cans of Keystone Light a year. Currently, we recycle less than 1 percent of those cans. In fact, only one house reported successfully recycling their waste.
This, of course, makes too much sense. In order to recycle cans (plastic cups are also eligible), there can be no food, liquid or waste residue on them. We've all seen trash bins in houses (mainly in fraternities); they're disgusting and no one would want to sort through them. Specially marked green recycling bins have been tried but have failed. In a test run, Watson's group placed these bins in 10 houses on campus. The group's estimates showed that a measly 5.4 percent of cans were recycled, and many of the bins were soiled.
Watson's proposed solution is not ideal, but it is much better than the current system: he created what he calls the "Revac." A funny looking contraption, it uses a sensor to activate the motor of a shop-vac placed on top of a trash bin. The plastic tubing is sized just so to allow only empty aluminum cans to pass through. Watson's system eliminates the need to sort through a trashcan and prevents recycling from getting soiled by any uncooperative partiers. The machine is relatively cheap too. Watson's group hoped to sell machines for $220 a piece.
The biggest obstacle this machine faces is a lack of encouragement of its use. Many CFS houses were interested in Watson's contraption but refused to buy it because they worried it would go unused. Why walk to a machine and hand feed it cans when you can just throw them in a bin from where you're standing?
It would be nice if our illustrious students would recycle just for the sake of recycling, but that's too idealistic. After all, we can't even refrain from soiling marked bins.
If incentives were offered, however, houses would participate. All of the houses Watson spoke with reacted favorably to the possibility of a monetary incentive to use his recycling machine and to recycle in general.
The machine would remove the gross part of recycling so that the remaining hassle would be easily overcome. Knowing that money was on the line, members of CFS houses would be sure to regulate both themselves and their guests. As this is not a high-cost program, I'm sure the money once salaried to our now-departed sustainability coordinator could be redirected.
I spoke with Anthony Arch '09, the Green Greeks Intern, about the potential of such a program. He was encouraging, but the College is reticent to adopt the initiatives of students, especially those in fraternities. Arch mentioned the provision of "Waste Warriors" (segregated recycling bins) for College-owned houses. Although he suggested the change months ago, Arch only recently found out that his idea was approved.
The fact that the College will not support a more comprehensive CFS recycling plan is ridiculous. There is hope though; Arch believes greater student demand for such a program may result in new action.
Students, raise your voices. Dartmouth should create an incentive program to encourage CFS recycling. Apathy is not an excuse; neither is insufficient administrative support. Until something better is designed, CFS houses should begin to use Watson's machine.
Saving 3 million cans from landfills each year is worth it.
