Cincinnati State expands recycling initiatives
October 7, 2008
Cincinnati State’s student-run Environmental Club will be helping the college launch a recycling initiative on Thursday, Oct. 9. Between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. students will engage in a variety of recycling-themed events as part of Club Day activities in the courtyard of the ATLC.
Among the scheduled events:
- Recycling basketball game
- A trash guessing competition
- A recycling relay
- Wheelchair racing
The lighthearted games – co-sponsored by Student Activities and the Surge Green Committee -- are part of a serious effort to promote environmental awareness at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.
The effort began earlier this year when Interim President Dr. John Henderson signed the American College and University Climate Commitment, which is designed to bring the academic community into the fight against global warning and ensure that concepts involving environmental sustainability find a prominent place in the curriculum.
Henderson and Cincinnati State’s Board of Trustees have also embraced Hamilton County’s “Go Green’’ Challenge.
Tangible results of those pledges are now starting to appear.
This week, for example, the Overlook – the main dining area in Cincinnati State’s Clifton campus – began phasing out plastic and styrofoam cups, utensils and plates. They’re being replaced with biodegradable varieties generally made from plant materials. Cold drink cups are made from polylactic acid, a corn-based plastic, while hot drink cups rely on materials made from natural plant sugars. The college is also stepping up its recycling efforts. Bins for paper, aluminum and plastic have long been staples of the Cincinnati State environment, but soon containers for other types of items, including glass, will be installed throughout the campus.
On a larger scale, Cincinnati State has launched a far-reaching effort to cut its energy usage by at least 20 percent. The plan includes installation of a high-efficiency boiler at its Evendale campus, new controls for lighting and appliances at the main campus and upgrades to its electrical distribution system. Many of the projects are scheduled for completion by January, 2009. For more information on Club Day recycling activities, contact Brenda Maples-Sterry, Director of Student Activities, at 513.569.1555.
