Columbia Recycling Program

ANNUAL REPORT
Academic Year 2010-2011

Photo by Jacob Boll (12)

TA BLE OF CONTENTS
1 Columbia Recycling Program Mission Statement Introduction Columbia Recycling Program Timeline

CAMPUS RECYCLING
3 4 5 7 What We Recycle Contamination Recycling Outlets on Campus Recycling Vendors Green Spaces on Campus

DIVERSION DATA
9 10 11 Recycling Diversion Data Waste Minimization and Reuse Cornice and Faade Repair & Removal Projects

PROMOTION
13 15 16 17 18 Promotional Events Recycling Program Feedback Survey Promotional Outreach Recycling Program Staff Looking Toward the Future

Photo by Jacob Boll (12)

COLUMBIA RECYCLING PROGRAM M I S S I O N S TA T E M E N T

Columbia College Chicago is committed to creating a greener campus and a greener world. We believe that it is the responsibility of each individual and every institution to work to reduce landfill waste. To that end, Columbia Colleges Office of Campus Environment conserves and reuses as many resources as possible. The office has also established an aggressive recycling program including paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic and will continue to proactively educate and engage the community to live consciously and participate in the Columbia Recycling Program and to make environmentally friendly choices on and off of campus.

INTRODUCTION
The Recycling Program 2010-2011 Annual Report is an overview of Columbia Colleges recycling and waste minimization programs from September 1st, 2010 through August 31st, 2011. The report focuses on the progress in all areas of our program. Most notably, we want to present the programs diversion data. We hope the information within will raise awareness and encourage participation in our campus recycling efforts.

COLUMBIA COLLEGE RECYCLING PROGRAM TIMELINE

1989 1993 2000 2006 2008 2009 2011
Student group Students for a Better World begins recycling as a community service project (faculty advisor was Professor Louis Silverstein) Students are employed for recycling collection managed through the office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. Office of Facilities and Operations begins to manage student recycling efforts. Recycling Program is awarded Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DECO) Expansion and Modernization grant. Campus Environment is awarded DCEO Assessment grant. The position of Recycling Manager is created. The positions of Outreach Coordinator and Field Supervisor are created. Recycling Program begins compost collection

CAMPUS RECYCLING
> What We Recycle > Contamination > Recycling Outlets on Campus > Recycling Vendors > Green Spaces on Campus

Photo by Jacob Boll (12)

WHAT WE RECYCLE
Paper recycling includes office paper, colored paper, newsprint (newspapers, magazines, and phone books), any grade of cardboard, books (hard and soft cover), envelopes and other paper products. Staples and paper clips are acceptable. Commingled recycling includes all glass (clear and colored), aluminum (tin and steel), and plastic (resin coded #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7). Battery recycling includes Alkaline, Lead, Nickel, Zinc, and Lithium batteries in all sizes. Techno-trash recycling includes VHS, DAT and cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, mini discs, floppy diskettes and all cases or inserts. Film strip recycling is a function of the Film and Video department. The Advanced Camera office collects used film strips for recycling. Collection containers are located only in Film and Video departments Book recycling includes hard and soft cover books (collected for recycling or donation). Fluorescent bulbs and ballasts are collected from all campus fixtures with support by our engineering and building services staff. For other faculty/staff, Recycling will collect compact fluorescent light bulbs from departments in their office. Any bulb with mercury (Hg) has to be recycled. Plastic bag recycling includes commercial grade plastic bags, #2 HDPE of #4 LDPE (no zip lock or food storage bags). For more information, please download our Campus Recycling Procedures flyer on our webpage. Or request one which can be delivered to your department. delivered to your department.

C O N TA M I N A T I O N
Our workers diligently remove waste materials from our recycling collection. When our student workers empty recycling bins, they remove items such as food wrappers, coffee cups and other recyclable materials. We ask that only recyclable materials be placed in the proper receptacles. Please empty all liquid and food contents from products before you place them in the recycling bin. Liquid waste leaks on paper collected in recycling bins, contaminating it and making it garbage. The general garbage contaminants we see are mostly hot beverage cups often found in our paper recycling bins. These waxed lined cups and polystyrene lids are not recyclable and need to be placed in garbage bins. During events where composting is present, these cups can be places along with food scraps. Waxed lined material and paper products break down in composting facilities. They do not mix with paper when collected for recycling. We urge participants to be aware of this issue of contamination when placing materials into recycling bins.

RECYLING OUTLETS ON CAMPUS

Recycling receptacles are located in each Columbia owned building. Paper recycling and commingled recycling bins for plastic, metal, and glass are located on every floor across campus. Paper recycling bins are blue containers in various sizes. Paper is also collected in small cardboard deskside recycling bins. In the future, these bins will not be given out. We will reassess our deskside program at that time. Commingled recycling bins are slim green bins. In spaces where special events occur frequently, slim grey bins are in place to collect commingled recycling. Any bins purchased since 2006 are made with at least 35% post consumer recycled content. We believe it is our duty to not only recycle materials, but to support the use of recycling material through purchase and procurement. The collection of Techno-trash is only currently available in our media arts and film/video departments. These collection bins are grey slim bins with appropriate signage. Film strip recycling is available in the film/video department. The collection bins are similar to our techno-trash bins, grey slim bins, differentiated by their signage. Battery recycling bins are located across campus in lobbies of our main buildings. Lobby bins are thin four foot pillars. Department bins are 5 gallon buckets. The break down of recycling to garbage dumpsters on campus is at a ratio of 27:18. We have increased recycling outlets on campus from previous years to eighteen recycling dumpsters and over a dozen wheeled recycling totes. We have decreased the amount of garbage dumpsters on campus this year to twenty seven garbage dumpsters (eliminating all our trash compactors). This equates to one recycling dumpster to every one and a half garbage dumpsters. Veolia Environmental Services provides all dumpsters and toters. The volume of a dumpster is two cubic yards and the toters are 96 gallons.
Photo by Jacob Boll (12)

RECYCLING VENDORS
We have had two recycling haulers this year. Our contract with Recycling Services Incorporated (under the combined contract with Waste Management) ended on July 31st 2011. RSI is an independent fiber options company who hauled our paper and comingled recycling. The contract was awarded to Veolia Environmental Services (www.veoliaes.com). Veolia is an international company who provides environmental services worldwide. Recycling materials are brought to their facilities or nearby transfer stations before they are sorted, bailed and sent off to commodities markets. When we recycle batteries, we employ: Retrofit Recycling (www.retrofitcompanies.com) (located in Minnesota) and the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation. Retrofit has a fleet of trucks that make pick-ups throughout the Midwest. RBRC offers a free program where rechargeable batteries and cell phones are sent in a postage-paid mailer to be recycled. RBRC packages are shipped to Inmetco, a metals recycling facility in Pennsylvania. The recycling of our fluorescent light bulbs and ballasts is handled by Everlights (www.everlights.com). They are the oldest lamp recycler in Illinois and are a certified Woman-Owned Business. We recycle fluorescent bulbs that contain mercury (Hg) and used PCB and electronic ballasts. This year, we began recycling our techno-trash with GreenDisk (www.greendisk.com). They are based out of Sammamish Washington, but work with regional recycling facilities. Based on the type and amount of materials we are sending to be recycled, GreenDisk schedules shipments to nearby facilities. Most of our materials are shipped within the Midwest. All material sent has its data wiped before the material is shredded into plastic scrap. This material is then sold to resale markets.

Photo by Stacie Scott (13 Photography)

Print and toner cartridges are handled in two ways. For cartridges from deskside printers, we promote that they be returned to Theresa Kerr, the Associate Director of Administrative Services. The used cartridges are then sent back to manufactures for reuse. Recycling or mail room staff collects these materials. We ask faculty and staff to place used cartridges into empty toner boxes and mark them for Recycling. For larger design style printers, these cartridges are sent to Recycle Tech Solutions (www.recycletech.org). They are a Chicago based company that collects, repurposes, or recycles used toner cartridges. Donated books are shipped to Better World Books (BWB) (www.betterworldbooks.com) in Mishawaka, Indiana. These include books from our Librarys catalogue librarian, which are older and slated for discard or removal from circulation. We then also collect textbooks from students at the end of the semester during the bookstore buy back or in our residence hall donation drives. BWB offers free postage to ship materials. BWB donates used textbooks to developing countries and various literacy programs. They sell donated books online to fund their operations and projects. The Library has began to partner with BWB, placing a donation container on the first floor of 624 S. Wabash across from the check out desk. Also, the campus bookstore, owned by eFollet, follows their companys policy by sending back their own stock of books to be reused. All other materials or periodicals are given to the Recycling Program.

Film strip recycling is managed by our Film and Video departments Advanced Camera studio. We have provided them recycling bins and collection bags to collect scrap film. The film is sent to Universal Scrap Metal (www.universalscrap.com) in Chicago where the silver is recovered and the plastic is either sold as scrap or discarded. The Recycling Program, when contacted, has used Universal Scrap Metal to recycle scrap metal and materials. Plastic bags and plastic scrap is a new outlet in our recycling collection. Material is delivered to Antek Madison (www.antekmadison.com), a North American company with a location in south Chicago. Antek sells plastic scrap domestically and internationally for various manufacturing needs. From October 2010 to May 2011, we collected 540 lbs of plastic bags. The Recycling Program handles the environmental disposal of chemical waste. Material is not limited to hazardous chemicals but includes anything from paints and solvents to aerosols and oils. The office of Facilities and Operations has worked hard on creating health and safety plans that address federal and local health and safety codes. Our campus Waste Minimization and Management Plan and Hazardous Communication Plan addresses the proper guidelines for dealing with such materials. All aforementioned plans are available to view on IRIS. The Recycling Program acts as contact for the proper disposal and reuse of any unwanted material. For disposal, we employ R3 Environmental (www.r3environmental.net), a local chemical waste disposal company. This year we began working with Illinois based Chicago Caribbean School Initiative (www.ccsicorporation.org). They accept classroom and dormitory furniture as donations. All donations are then inventoried and matched to specific schools, hospitals and shelters in the Caribbean Basin, as well as selected cities in the US. Doing this saved the college money on waste removal fees and diverted useful material from the land fill. For Electronics recycling collection, we have an established partnership with the IT department. Before any material is sent to be recycled, IT tries to find outlets for materials to be reused on campus only. When materials are at the end of their life, a recycling pick up is scheduled with Vintage Tech Recyclers (www.vintagetechrecyclers.com). Vintage Tech is a local Woman-Owned Business with a focus of keeping materials out of the landfill. Our newest initiative was our collection of materials for commercial composting. Employing the services of the local non-for-profit Resource Center (www.resourcecenterchicago.org), we collect all landscape waste and food scraps. Landscape waste is collected by our Outreach Coordinator when he manages the campus green spaces. For food scraps, Recycling sets up compost collection bins alongside recycling containers at special events. By composting organic material, we not only divert material from the landfills but and to reduce the amount of green house gases they would produce.

G R E E N S PA C E S O N C A M P U S
The Recycling Program has been managing the maintenance and care of Columbias green spaces. Spaces include Columbias Native Sculpture Garden located at 11th Street and Wabash and the green roof on 33 E. Congress. The colleges other green roof at 1600 S. State was still under maintenance contract so it was not tended too, only monitored. This spring and early summer, the 33 E. Congress roof system was revitalized and renewed. In early May, soil samples were sent to Pennsylvania State University for testing. The results showed that many nutrient levels were unbalanced. In early June, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Nitrates were added to the roof through fertilizer and direct application. 150 pounds of unrooted sedum clippings were added to the roof to diversify species and fill in dead zones. Most of the clippings were placed in areas that saw the most wear and tear due the natural elements and contractor traffic. Along with the addition of soil amendments and sedum clippings, certain areas were remediated with large river stone. This addressed erosion caused by downspouts and dead areas below HVAC systems. The work was done by the Outreach Coordinator under the supervision of Molly Meyer at Rooftop Greenworks. The Native Sculpture Garden effort is to keep all of the plants in it native. A native plant is one that grows naturally in a particular region without direct or indirect human intervention. Native plants are great for maintaining a balanced ecosystem and are more likely to thrive under the local environmental conditions. They maintain and improve soil fertility, provide familiar sources of food and shelter for local wildlife, reduce erosion, and often require less fertilizer and pesticides than many alien plants reducing the amount of harmful run-off into our water systems. Mulch was added to the garden and grass seed was spread in selected areas. We acquired a battery operated weed trimmer this year as an energy efficient alternative to gas-powered or plug in models. Pest removal in the garden is done using alternative techniques that Photo by Molly Meyer, Green Roof Top Works stray away from chemicals and pesticides. One approach employed the use of old promotional shirts. These were cut into pouches, filled with mothballs, and dabbed with mint oil, before being buried in the holes that animals burrowed into the soil. In October, a few plants were added to the garden including Witchazel, Serviceberry, Cardinal Flower, and a Lilac Bush. In addition to the Green Roof and Native Garden, other plants were added to the south campus. Stone planters were installed near the front doors of the Columbia Dance Center in August and annuals were planted in there. These planters were watered by employees of the Dance Center. In the spring, we worked with Creative Services to generate identification signage for the plants. This signage was printed on 20% recycled plastic squares and adhered to stakes. These stakes were constructed by Building Services Carpenter Mark Sramek. The signs detail information about the species of native plants in the garden. A pilot run of signs were installed at the end of the summer 2011. The rest of the signs will be installed and unveiled in the spring of 2012.

D I V E R S I O N D A TA
> Recycling Diversion Data > Waste Minimization and Reuse > Cornice and Faade Repair & Removal Projects

Photo by Jacob Boll (12)

R E C Y C L I N G D I V E R S I O N D A TA
Diversion data only started to be collected on campus less than five years ago. The companies we employ to handle recycling and waste removal provide reports that detail the weight of materials diverted from land fills. Diversion data is collected during the academic year beginning September 1st through August 31st. In the 2009-2010 academic year our dual stream collection of paper (Fiber) and commingled (Plastic, Glass, Aluminum) yielded 178 tons of recycling. To calculate our diversion rate, we track recycling data for all commodities such as batteries, computers/electronics, books, campus shredding, techno-trash, scrap metal and donated materials. Chemical disposal and fluorescent blubs are special wastes which state of Illinois regulations ban from being land filled; therefore we did not count this information toward our diversion data. We also did not included many of the donations we send off-site due to the inconsistent reporting provided by charities and third party haulers. All diversion data is compared to garbage reporting data and monthly averages. Concerning Construction and Demolition, we have not included data gathered from campus construction projects. When we can collect such data, it is included in specific project reports (see Cornice and Faade Repair & Removal below). The diversion rate is calculated by dividing the total amount of materials diverted from the landfill by the total amount of waste generated on campus. The diversion rate for the 2008-2009 academic year was 31%. The diversion rate for the 2009-2010 academic year was 34%. The diversion rate for the 2010-2011 academic year was 48%.* * This year, we worked diligently with our waste haulers to get the most accurate monthly reporting data. In August 2011, the last month of our academic reporting period, the college changed waste and recycling hauler. Due to this transition, we did not include accurate reporting data for that month. Therefore, this year our diversion data encompasses an 11 month period rather than a full year. This might make the diversion rate appear higher. We consider that we did increase our recycling rates adding in new streams (plastic bags and composting). We also reduced the amount of garbage dumpsters across campus. Both factors would be proof of greater waste diversion.

2010-11 Recycling Reporting Data (in pounds)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Recycling Paper Recycling Mixed Computers Batteries Books Technotrash Donations Shred Scrap Fluorescent Bulbs Plastic Bags Compost
TOTAL RECYCLING TOTAL GARBAGE

Recycling Data 2006-2011

RECYCLING (PAPER) TONS RECYCLING (MIXED) TONS

343,945 13,237 24,386 1,348 1,048 2,160 73,565 8,400 7,808 1,308 535 1,200 404,067 435,048

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

158 166 177 173 172

NA 4.7 4.1 8.5 6.5

WASTE MINIMIZATION & REUSE

Resource conservation and waste minimization has been a large focus of the Recycling program this year. In spring 2011, with help from Student Affairs office of Special Events, we created a Green Seal initiative. The main component of this effort is to establish a set of attainable green guidelines for college-produced events. To strategically reduce waste, we created a rating system in these areas: Promotion, Food Service, and Education. For an event to receive a Green Seal, event planners will commit to items on the checklist. We encourage all events planners on campus to meet with us in the initial planning of their events. Once meetings occur, Recycling will classify the event as Green Seal Approved. Each event will be awarded a logo to use in promotional materials. Student Affairs Special Events received this certification at Industry Night, Commencement and Printers Ball. Since 2007, we have hosted a Move Out Donation Drive for our residence halls at the end of the year. This year was our first collecting materials from the leased space at Dwight Lofts. Other locations included 731 S. Plymouth Residence Center and the Buckingham. We collect household items (clothing, furniture, and electronics) and food that students would otherwise discard as they move out. 7,250 pounds of clothing and household items were collected and sent to Nandorf Inc, a company that donates funds to charities such as Vietnam Veterans of America and Little City Foundation, among others. Items will be sold through Unique Thrift Stores in the Chicago area. Clothing not brought to Unique will enter the international wholesale market, to be exported to third world countries for reuse, the creation of industrial rags, or shredded for insulation. 815 pounds of food was donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. This amounted to 627 meals for those in need throughout Cook County. Roughly 175 pounds of books were donated to Better World Books. The other residence center activity we operate is collection of cardboard during student move in. When students occupy residence centers, we set up recycling collection for their cardboard waste. We generated over 6 full dumpsters (an average of 200 lb/dumpster) and various amounts of plastic bags. By doing this, we make students aware that the campus has a recycling program. It establishes recycling in the building and diverts a large amount of material from the waste stream. We worked to donate various items on campus during the year. Most items included furniture from our 731 Photo by Caro Griffin (12 Interdisciplinary) S. Plymouth residence center. This was accepted by the Chicago Caribbean School Initiative. Our donations had an estimated worth of $15,045. It amounted to over 65,000 pounds of material including beds/frames, tables and lounge chairs. Other items donated throughout the year included desks, chairs and classroom furniture. Items were places on Craigs List and accepted by local schools, religious organizations and charities. We reserve the right not to donate materials. The newest reuse initiative we undertook this year was the creation of Richs List. This campus reuse exchange acts like many online material swap websites. We worked with Information Technologys Web Applications Administrator to develop this website. The site can be found on IRIS and can only be viewed by using a Columbia login. Employees can post, view and accept campus purchased materials. Materials have to be kept on campus and reused in departments. The aim of this project is to assess the resources we have stored on campus and find reuse outlets for them. 10
Logo Design by Caro Griffin (12 Interdisciplinary)

C O R N I C E A N D FA A D E R E PA I R & R E M O V A L
In the spring of 2010, the office of Facilities and Operations began working with Bulley & Andrews Masonry Restoration (BAMR) to perform necessary repairs to the exteriors of both 600 South Michigan and 624 South Michigan. Projects included demolition and removal, as well as repair and replacement, of masonry. Work from projects spanned the months of August 2010 through April 2011. These projects generated 239 tons of material. This included mostly concrete and brick followed by wood and metal. 199 tons of all material was recycled. The landfill diversion rate for this project was 83%.

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PROMOTION
> Promotional Events > Recycling Program Feedback Survey > Promotional Outreach

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Photo by Jacob Boll (12)

PROMOTIONAL EVENTS
Being a presence on campus, we have created a culture of recycling. To support that, the recycling program staff has developed key promotional ideas and events. We have partnered with campus organizations and departments as well as community organizations. As a visual thread to all our events, we created a program mascot, Polar Pete. Each year we have annually reoccurring events as well as new ideas and partnerships. Our campus partners over this past year have been/but not limited to: Anchor Graphics, Center for Book and Paper Arts, Art and Design, Residence Life, Student Affairs office of Special Events, Student Affairs office of Student Engagements, Student Communications, New Student Programming, the English department, Shop Columbia, Learning Studio, Columbia Bookstore, Columbia Chronicle, the Television Department, Columbia Library, Columbia Hillel, and the Sustainability Task Force. Events beginning in the fall semester kicked off with Weeks of Welcome. We sponsored two events for incoming freshman. One was a Trip to West Town Bikes where students could learn about how bike friendly Chicago is and then purchase a bike. The other event was a Sustainability Tour and Picnic. Our Outreach Coordinator walked students on a tour showcasing some of our sustainable practices. The campus native garden and green roofs were showcased. A picnic, with donations by the south loop Whole Foods, took place at the MPC green roof. Our Sustainable Swap celebrated its second year. This was an event where students were encouraged to bring in non-commercial materials for recycling (cell phones, batteries, and plastic bags). The Recycling Program has partnered with Citizens Utility Board (CUB) to provide hundreds of free Compact Florescent Light bulbs. Participants that brought in materials to be recycled were given a bulb to promote energy efficiency. In addition, we have asked for petitions and signatures that supported the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

Student Zack Green (11 Poetry) crafting a Menorah. Photo by Caro Griffin (12 Interdisciplinary)

In 2009, we held an event to support the 350.org coalition on climate change. This year, we held an event to support their current initiative the 10/10/10 Global Work Party. For the event, we unveiled plastic bag recycling to all our residence centers. Student volunteers decorated the bins with recycling signage and then distributed them. December brought the holidays and with it our fourth annual Green Menorah event. Weve partnered with Hillels Around Chicago Art in the Loop, an organization that gathers area college and university Hillel chapters and plans a traditional holiday event. We support the event as it melds art and the environment. This year students created Menorah from recycled materials at the event. Those designed were judged and winners received a prize. In January 2011, with the help of the colleges Sustainability Task Force, we scheduled the screening of the documentary Forks Over Knives. This was in partnership with Mindful Metropolis magazine.

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Our program employees also aided in the construction of a campus window farm. The idea was generated by one of our student workers in a class for his Television major. This is a representation of vertical farm, using a closed watering system to sustain plants. Plants in the farm included a variety of lettuce and greens. The finished window farm was hung in the 916 S. Wabash lobbys window. The maintenance of changing the water and adding plant nutrients was done by our recycling student workers. The structure was taken down in the summer as the class project ended. We sponsored the Illinois Student Environmental Coalition (ISEC) scheduling its annual fall conference on Saturday, November 6 at 33 E. Congress in Chicago. The conference featured a speaker, State Senator Heather Steans. Our Outreach Coordinator ran a seed bombing workshop. In the April 2011, we held the event Silkscreen for a Smaller Carbon Footprint. We promoted reuse by supplying t-shirts from thrift stores and offered to silkscreen an environmentally friendly message onto it. Anchor Graphics partnered with us to make the silkscreen and apply the image on shirts. Students were encouraged to bring their own shirts as well. The silkscreen images were designed by students. We put out a call for work and selected the winning designs. We then held Sustainability in the City. This was a take on our Sustainability Swap adding in the partnership of Shop Columbia. The event offered the shops sale of artwork by student artists who embraced the concepts of reuse, recycling, and reduction. In addition to the sale, there was also an Art Supply Swap. Artists could come and take or leave unwanted materials. Materials were donated from the Art and Design department, Student Affairs, and Recycling. Earth Day 2011 celebrated our third annual Eco Fair. The Program Outreach Coordinator invited businesses and organizations that aimed to make a positive environmental and social impact. It was an afternoon that provided awareness about environmental problems and solutions. Patrons perused crafts, food, education and advocacy tables, a photography station with the Recycling Program Mascot, screen printing, and games.

Photos by Neale Baldyga and Caro Griffin (12 Interdisciplinary)

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RECYCLING PROGRAM FEEDBACK SURVEY

In January 2011, we sent out a survey to selected faculty and staff. We generated 30 responses to questions ranging from the usefulness of recycling promotion, recycling collection and what the public associates with campus recycling. The data was helpful in determining the roll out of our plastic bag recycling collection. We asked if people would participate in such a program. 93.3% responded positively, and the remaining 6.7% said that they might participate. Questions that addressed the useful areas of our promotional efforts showed us what has worked the best and outlets we might look to expand to. Data broke in this listing: 15.5% for posters or faculty announcements in class, 8.3% chose Recycling swag or a commercial on Frequency TV, 14.3% mentioned sustainability having a larger presence in the curriculum, 6% opted for recycling training sessions, and 10.7% felt that Chronicle advertisements and Recycling Program sponsored events were the best way to engage. We have since scheduled periodic recycling sponsored events and utilized newspaper advertising for said events. The high percentage of replies that addressed sustainability in the curriculum is something we would share with potential Sustainability Green Teams (groups of staff that resulted from the Sustainability Roadmap plan). It was rewarding to receive positive anonymous comments.

We are lucky to have a thorough and concerned recycling team, said one. Another was, Its great to see the program is striving to continually do better.
Photo by Molly Meyer, Green Roof Top Works

A detailed report of this survey can be downloaded from our website.

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PROMOTIONAL OUTREACH
The Program Outreach Coordinator has continued to raise awareness for campus recycling. A culture of recycling has been established on campus and supported by our outreach and promotions. He speaks to classes and departments on ways in which they can get involved with our recycling program. He also oversees our social media promotion. Keeping with the idea of conservation, we use social media as a paperless alternative to promotion. The recycling program has a Facebook and Twitter account for our mascot, Pete the Polar Bear. We send out a monthly message to our email list. These are avenues we would encourage other departments on campus to utilize for their promotion. One of our ongoing promotional outlets is our Eco Columbia blog. We allow a collaboration of all student ideas, events, and artwork. Students are encouraged to send us ideas and articles for posts. We promote Columbia and Chicago wide events that have environmental themes. Our Eco Installations project utilizes graphic design to promote an environmental theme. A call-for-work is sent to students and designs are selected based on our submission criteria. The theme in the Spring 2011 was Chicagos Battle for a Citywide Recycling Program. It was our most successful yet. We formed new partnerships, securing three more spaces for Photo by Caro Griffin (12 Interdisciplinary) gallery installations. Currently, installations can be found in The Underground Caf (600 S. Michigan, Basement), The Loft (916 S. Wabash, 4th Floor), and the Columbia Library (624 S Michigan Ave, 3rd Floor). Art installations educate people on the effect of their actions and remind them of the beauty in this world. The Green Biz Channel was created as an avenue to promote green videos that Columbia students created. Of those videos we have displayed, our recycling staff was involved in the process (from interviewing, filming, and editing). Videos are uploaded to YouTube. Search for the Columbia Recycling Program channel. There were no videos recorded in the 2011 academic year. Due to the demand of recycling collections, we have not pursued this promotional outlet. The Environmental Protection Initiative at Columbia (EPIC) is the only environmentally focused student organization on campus. They started in the fall 2009 semester. Our Outreach Coordinator is their staff advisor. Some of our programs student workers are also members of this group. In the past five years, there were two former student environmental groups on campus: GREEN and Environmental Justice. GREEN piloted the plastic bag recycling program in the 731 S. Plymouth Residence center. Environmental Justice was involved with issues surrounding mountain top removal. Both groups dissolved once its members graduated.

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R E C Y C L I N G P R O G R A M S TA F F
The Columbia College Recycling program works out of the Office of Facilities and Operations, which is part of the department of Campus Environment. The recycling staff is comprised of student workers, an Outreach Coordinator, a Field Supervisor, and a Recycling Manager. Columbia Colleges Recycling Manager is John Wawrzaszek, an alumni of the college. The Recycling Manager is acting supervisor over the programs workers and equipment. He oversees the programs promotion, expansion, and implementation of waste reduction efforts. He is a member of the National Wildlife Fund Chicago Area Sustainability Network which consists of sustainability and facilities directors from Illinois colleges and universities. He is also a member of the College and University Recycling Coalitions Tech committee. The Recycling Outreach Coordinator, Neale Baldyga, is a recent 2008 Columbia graduate. The position was created specifically to work on events, programming, and campaigns to raise awareness regarding our recycling efforts. His positions focus has shifted, moving towards managing of the campus green spaces. Student Recycling Collectors are Columbia student workers. Student workers collect recycling materials Recycling Program Staff during annual Eco Fair 2011 throughout the campus. All students hired are done so following Columbia Student Employment guidelines. We stress the importance of school first, meaning student hired for this position must work around their class schedule. We currently employ 8-9 student workers per academic year. The student recycling collectors work efficiently to remove recyclables from each Columbia College building. There are 17 Columbia buildings, owned or leased, spread along Chicagos south loop. Every buildings recycling is collected at a minimum of two to three times a week. We do not service recycling at the leased space located at 218 S. Wabash.

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LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE

Each year we strive to build upon the success of the past. Our focus in the upcoming year will be more on recycling collects and waste diversion over anything else. Our Program Outreach coordinator will be undertaking a larger roll in managing our green spaces. And lastly we look forward to the possibility of an working with an established Office of Sustainability.

Here are ideas we will work on in 2011-2012 Establish a consistent diversion rate. Reach 50% diversion by the end of the spring of 2013 Compile Construction and Demolition recycling reports Promotion of our Green Seal initiative addressing the idea of cradle-to-grave, looking more at product waste from the point of generation (manufacturing, purchasing, usage) Management of Richs List, developing an inventory and promoting the service Promotional campaign to recognize students, faculty and staff who actively participate in campus recycling Hire new recycling staff, training and development of efficient recycling pick-up schedule (by the spring of 2012, we lose 80% of our current recycling staff due to graduation) In our Native Garden we plan on installing more plant signage, outdoor waste receptacles, and area fencing Promoting campus green spaces through educational talks and tours Expansion of compost collection to include student/ faculty spaces
Student worker Kevin Kern (12 Film & Video) collecting recycled materials. Photo by John Wawrzaszek

Design By Corinne Mock (12 Graphic Design)

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