Bradley University is seeing a different kind of green. The university\u2019s campus has dedicated a lot of its time and money over the last 11 years to becoming more environmentally friendly.<\/p>\n
By Alexandra Stelzer<\/p>\n
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 \u201cgreen\u201d updates to its campus has largely to do with its sustainability committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the commitments at Bradley that everyone agrees upon is that our students are engaged,\u201d said Bradley University\u2019s Sustainability Committee leader Gary Anna. \u201cOur environment goes way beyond the classroom, and whether you live on or off campus, you realize that you\u2019re part of a community.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI personally love Westlake,\u201d said senior Special Education major Erin Antony. \u201cIt has great resources and is designed to give us a comfortable space to collaborate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The green options extend beyond buildings. Since 2001, Bradley University\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s great that Bradley has made these changes, because they\u2019re making an attempt to be environmentally friendly,\u201d said senior Health Science major Jenna Hohenboken.<\/p>\n
In addition to the university\u2019s 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\u2019s campus. Among the other recycled materials students gather are lights, capacitors and batteries.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather 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\u2019s helped us keep in touch with certain priorities that are reflected within the student body.\u201d<\/p>\n
Social responsibility is a contributing factor to the ways in which Bradley students make environmentally friendly decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is part of the real world,\u201d says Anna. \u201cCommunities are becoming better stewards of their resources, and you\u2019ll 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 \u2013 and this is just a small part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna said it\u2019s far from perfect, but any endeavor has the opportunity for improvement.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving student involvement and input becomes not only meaningful but very productive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s generation is the future of the sustainability committee\u2019s effort, and the commitment that Bradley students make to these opportunities could make a difference in the future. In some respects, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking to the future, we are trying to define some good standards for energy consumption,\u201d said Anna.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n