Bradley University is seeing a different kind of green. The university’s campus has dedicated a lot of its time and money over the last 11 years to becoming more environmentally friendly.
Being Green at Bradley University
By Alexandra Stelzer
It has been a little over a decade since Bradley made its first environmentally conscious decision and placed a greenhouse on top of Olin Hall. Since then, the University has seen many changes, and one of the main reasons it continues to make “green” updates to its campus has largely to do with its sustainability committee.
“One of the commitments at Bradley that everyone agrees upon is that our students are engaged,” said Bradley University’s Sustainability Committee leader Gary Anna. “Our environment goes way beyond the classroom, and whether you live on or off campus, you realize that you’re part of a community.”
The most noteworthy change is the creation of the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center and the rehabilitation of Westlake Hall. Both buildings received LEED certification standards from the U.S. Green Building Council, which measures how well a building meets the requirements necessary in order to be considered an eco-friendly facility.
Westlake Hall may look brand new on the inside, but a decent amount of the materials used in the restructuring of the facility consisted of recycled resources from the original building. Similar to the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center, the new Westlake Hall is more energy and water efficient, which reduces the amount of CO2 emissions.
Upon entering the facility, you can easily distinguish between the former Westlake and the new, from the addition of plant life to the latest water bottle filling stations located on each floor. The openness of the building allows for natural sunlight to pour in from the middle of Westlake Hall, thus reducing the amount of energy it would have taken if there were lights in place of the sunroof-style ceiling.
“I personally love Westlake,” said senior Special Education major Erin Antony. “It has great resources and is designed to give us a comfortable space to collaborate.”
The green options extend beyond buildings. Since 2001, Bradley University’s students have been able to choose between natural, organic and gluten free foods in selected dining halls. Not only are students eating healthier foods, they are no longer running the risk of consuming foods that could have potentially harmful chemicals such as pesticides in their meals.
In addition to the changes in food preparation and selection, the food distribution is also more environmentally friendly. The University has utilized biodegradable products for takeaway foods. Instead of Styrofoam plates and to-go boxes, students are given biodegradable products in the form of plates, to-go boxes and even bowls.
“I think it’s great that Bradley has made these changes, because they’re making an attempt to be environmentally friendly,” said senior Health Science major Jenna Hohenboken.
In addition to the university’s changes in food services and utensils, Bradley University has expanded its recycling program. Blue recycling bins can be found in every learning facility, dormitory, dining hall and every other building typically found on a college campus. Each bin is labeled aluminum, plastic, glass or paper. At least 24 tons of these recycled materials are collected every quarter of the semester on Bradley’s campus. Among the other recycled materials students gather are lights, capacitors and batteries.
Anna says that he tries to meet with students at least once a semester to collaborate on ideas and discuss possible alternatives to current campus utilities. The purpose of these meetings is to make sure the projects they create can be maintained.
“Rather than having one person being responsible, we felt that there was a larger commitment in our community and involving students. The student involvement has been very important. It’s helped us keep in touch with certain priorities that are reflected within the student body.”
Social responsibility is a contributing factor to the ways in which Bradley students make environmentally friendly decisions.
“This is part of the real world,” says Anna. “Communities are becoming better stewards of their resources, and you’ll make decisions as a consumer and decide if you want to pay more for something that may be more socially responsible, or find an alternative way of dealing with a situation – and this is just a small part of that.”
Anna said it’s far from perfect, but any endeavor has the opportunity for improvement.
“Having student involvement and input becomes not only meaningful but very productive,” he said.
Today’s generation is the future of the sustainability committee’s effort, and the commitment that Bradley students make to these opportunities could make a difference in the future. In some respects, it’s really part of the educational experience while at Bradley University. However, students must participate and make a visible change in order for this to work.
“Looking to the future, we are trying to define some good standards for energy consumption,” said Anna.
Going Green at Bradley University
While at one of Bradley University’s main dining halls, I asked people who chose to recycle why they do it, and if the University does enough in terms of recycling.
Bradley University’s Green Spaces
Locations on Bradley University’s campus where eco-friendly changes have taken place.
View Bradley University’s Green Spaces in a larger map
Eco-Friendliness at Bradley University
A timeline of Bradley’s transition to becoming more environmentally friendly.