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Archive for October, 2012


Will Rice Eco-Rep Goals for the year

October 19th, 2012 by tel1

Goals for the 2012-2013 year

1. Continue with the selling of recyclable  cups.

For this I can thank Archit Chaba WRC ’15. He was the one who really encouraged me to get this started at WRC and he is now the one in charge of sales. Our goal is to get WRC Diet to approve a clause in our by-lawd that every single public event have recyclable cups available and to get the eco-rep involved in setting up the recycling bins. So far we’ve sold over 2000 cups and the numbers are getting bigger everyday.

2. Improve recycling sites around WRC

I want students to know that there are three types of recycling that are available at WRC

-Regular Single Stream Recycling

-Plastic Bag Recycling

-Electronic Waste

I’m working on them being available and more convenient for students (right now the electronics and plastic bag is located only in one spot, I’m hoping to maybe having them be available on all floors of the drms.

3. Get the word out better

I need to do a better job of putting up posters and signs for students to be better aware of what should be done on campus. I also want to hold a few study breaks for people to get to know me and exactly what I do at WRC.

-The recycling poster is awesome and I intend to put a few of those up

-Double sided printing instructions in the computer lab

I want also to leave a good legacy for the next WRC eco-rep who will be taking my place next year.

Will Rice Eco-Rep History 2011-2012

October 19th, 2012 by tel1

EcoRep Info 2011-2012

Tatyana Luttenschlager: Junior Environmental Engineering and Environmental Policy

tel1@rice.edu
832-528-3034

This is my first year as EcoRep so I’m quite unsure of previous projects but my goals for the year are:

1. Better Recycling
a. Hopefully have more recycling bins around our dorms and in more of the common areas
b. For ppl to learn about single stream recycling
c. Recycle more than just paper-have ppl recycle batteries, cartridges plastic bags…

2. The College Dorms
a. Encourage ppl to keep their rooms at a good temperature (I have a few labels with the appropriate temperatures and how much more you spend if not on the right temperature…I’d like to have more of those so everybody can have them in their rooms.)
b. Have a list of things to do before you leave the room poster for each room
1. turn off lights
2. Turn off A/C
3. Unplug Electronics
For this I mabe wanted to give them out and then go by a few weekslater to see if the temps were good and if they were I’d give them a reusable bag or something…I’d need more bags though

c. I also want to put posters in the bathroom about taking shorter showers or “military style showers”…I don’t know whether or not that’d be a good idea though. I tried putting an email to our listserv but from what I can observe it hasn’t been very successful

3. Double sided printing
a. Thanks to the person who uploaded the signs! Hopefully I can put those up 🙂

4. I liked the bike sharing program ppl were talking about at the meeting and being from WRC I figure we should love our bikes! I talked to my VPs and they said it wasn’t too successful at McM but I was still hoping to maybe start it.

5. Farmer’s Market
a. I’d like my college to be more interested in local foods I was hoping to have scheduled times to take ppl and maybe even have some sort of incentive for ppl to get local food…like prices or money back…I’m still thinking baout thi idea.

I think for my goals thoseare it for now, I’d be open to any suggestions!

October 17th 2011

-Emailed Brad Thacker about single stream recycling stickrs since I haven’t seen them on individual recycling bins
-Also asked him for a extra bin in order to recyle plastic bags
-So apparently the Farmer’s Market isaccepting tetra points???? Is this true?
-Trying to get information about where to recycle all the batteries and things we have laying around the college
-Trying to sart a RESET proposal for a green roof and rainwter catchment system
-Talked to H&D about low flow shower heads for old dorm–I’ll need to follow up on that because that would be fantastic!
_______________________________________________________________________________
BUDGET:

$100-200 Plastic Cups
$50-100 Reusable Bags
$50-60 Study Break Material
$50 Printing Material

Jones 2012-2013

October 11th, 2012 by amj7

Goals as Jones Eco Rep

Facilitate proper recycling at Jones in general so that recycling bins do not get contaminated with trash

Encourage food waste and garbage to separated when throwing away waste in the servery

Make plastic bag recycling more of a habit across Jones. Maybe use green funds to purchase reusable shopping bags? Gauge college-wide interest first

Do something about solo cups whether it be washing them or encourage people to reuse them or using green funds to get recyclable ones

Remind everyone to turn off lights and other appliances and turn the A/C to a reasonable temperature while they are out of the room, including public spaces such as the kitchen

Baker Cups Inventory

October 10th, 2012 by cmh6
Subsidized sale price: $1.00/25 cups
Product description: #1 recyclable plastic, transparent, 16 oz
Contact info: 
Christina Hughes
cmh6@rice.edu
Room 361D
(713) 249 3848
Please try to give me 24 hours notice of when you need the cups.
Current supplies log:
  • October 8th – 1000 cups
  • October 9th – 825 cups
  • October 13th – 525 cups
  • October 19th – 450 cups

Recyclable Cups

October 9th, 2012 by bas3

One of my biggest projects that I have been working on for a while has in many ways just come to fruition: Recyclable Cups.

David McDonald (Head of H&D) has offered to order cups and store them at H&D for EcoReps to come by and pick up at their convenience.  So now, these cups are across campus and will hopefully continue to replace Solo cups.  Now, the next task is to see how this works, possibly tweak it, and try to expand to other parts of campus.

Past Info

October 9th, 2012 by bas3

8/31/2012

This year I want to focus on 1) expanding the recyclable cup program (combined with staff and student education) and 2) lower energy use at Lovett, especially through the use of LED lighting and RESET.

 

11/16

My budget:

Saint Arnold Cups: $270.00 (already sold first 1400!)

1 Lock Box: $31.49 (bought)

134 Water Bottles: $400.10
http://www.silkletter.com/index.php/drinkware/sports-water-bottles/25-oz-bpa-free-aluminum-bottle.html

90 CFLs (30 cases of 3): $117.00
http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/63382/FC13-SSW3PK.html

50 Power Strips: $147.50
– http://www.macconnection.com/IPA/Shop/Product/Detail.htm?sku=9893423&cac=CartItem

Materials for HURI Study Break(s) from Farmer’s Market: $33.91 + Extra not spent on St. Arnold Cups

———

12/19

Recyclable Cups:  I have had great success so far.  I have bought and sold over 1000 Type 1 St. Arnold cups already, and am getting another shipment after Winter Break.  Brad Thacker has also contacted the company that supplies St. Arnold with their cups so try to get a good deal on bulk, blank Type 1 cups.  I will keep everyone updated, but ideally this can be expanded across campus at some point.

Plastic Bag Recycling: Multiple colleges have institute this, and Christina took the first bulk delivery to HEB right before break.  Hopefully, as the program continues, it will get more use and acceptance, and will eliminate a lot of the platic bag waste on campus.

Stay Off the Grass Campaign: This is something I have been working on with the SA Environmental Committee and very closely with Susann Glenn.  We put out signs in the Academic Quad (not sure if they were well received) and plan to make Table Toppers (from Google Map images) to try to draw an emotional response from students and stop them from perpetuating the cow paths.

———

9/20

I have finally redistributed and labeled all the recycling bins at Lovett.  Next task is to put up a recycling poster that advertises recycling obscurities, plastic bags, and general recycling.

———

Here are some projects that I have in mind for this year:

1. New thermostats for the rooms (trial phase will start soon).  This is actually headed a lot by Mark Chaszar, who has already tested some of these at McMurtry and Duncan with good results.  They have Ultrasonic and Infrared sensors and turn on and off very efficiently to make the rooms more efficent and more comfortable.

2. Host an Energy Competition to help reduce energy consumption.  This will overalap a lot with my role as SA Senator, but I would like to get Eco-Reps involved, since there is one at each college.  That way, it will be more publicized than last year.

3. Enhance my distribution of cloth bags and CFLs.  This project will most likely be very minor, but I feel like if I actively pursue giving out the free stuff I have, then people will be more likely to listen to me and take action.  I have some thoughts of making an environmentally goodie bag for each room at Lovett or maybe asking people to sign a pledge when they get the stuff, but I’m not sure yet.

4. Have a drive to reduce junk mail.  The NPO that I worked for this summer hosted one of these, and it was very successful.  I’m not sure exactly how much junk mail Lovetteers get, though, so it may not be as successful.

Also, as a plug for the SA, I would love to have fellow Eco-Reps on the Environmental Committee with me.  Although we do have a budget as an Eco-Rep, the SA has some clout and connections that we alone may not have, and having that connection from every college would be awesome.  I’ll let you all know about times when I know, but please seriously consider it. 🙂

Project Green Challenge Trial

October 9th, 2012 by cmh6

This year a group of Eco Reps has formed a 4-person team to compete in the national Project Green Challenge competition which began on October 1st. Project Green Challenge is a 30-day environmentally conscious living challenge that began in 2011 to improve students’ awareness of their impact on the environment.

As of right now these are the participation statistics:

Each morning, three to four challenges are posted based on that day’s topic. The main challenges (Green, Greener, Greenest) are worth varying amounts based on difficulty and/or effort required. They must be completed in the order presented (ex: you cannot submit Greenest until you have completed Green and Greener). Sometimes there is also an Extra Credit challenge posted. All challenges are optional and there is an opportunity to gain extra points for creativity and effort.

After each challenge, up to 10 entries are selected to receive a prize package associated with the day’s topic. Prizes are usually gift cards or gift baskets containing different environmentally friendly products.

The Team:

The four-member Team Eco Reps consists of Christina Hughes (Baker), Sena McCrory (McMurtry), Zach Bielak (Sid Rich), and Rande Patterson (Brown). We are in constant email (and sometimes Google Hangout) contact and typically divide up the different challenges among ourselves each day, sometimes working together and sometimes working independently depending upon our schedules and how much time we have available that day.

The main purpose of our participation is to gauge whether this competition is something we want to promote next year for participation across the larger Rice Student body. We are also using it as an opportunity to gather more information about “green living” challenges to hopefully incorporate into our Green Dorm Initiative competition in the Spring.

Resources:

Check out this site for more info about each of the topics, including short films and helpful websites.

Progress:

  • October 1
    • Topic: “Whole Body”  – investigating safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly personal care products
    • Challenges completed: Green, Greener, Greenest, Extra Credit (still working on)
  • October 2
    • Topic: “Home Dorm Space” – Green Dorm options
    • Challenges completed: Green, Greener, Greenest
    • Deliverables: Made a Pinterest of ideas for Green Dorm products and living habits
  • October 3
    • Topic: “Labeling” – ‘greenwashing’ vs product certification labeling
    • Challenges completed: Green, Greener, Greenest
    • Winning submission: Greener Challenge
  • October 4
    • Topic: “School Profile” – identifying sustainability improvements on campus
    • Challenges completed: Green, Greener, Greenest
    • Winning submission: Greener Challenge 
  • October 5
    • Topic: “Food” – categorizing sustainable food options
    • Challenges completed: Green, Greener
  • October 6
    • Topic: “Yoga”
    • Challenges completed: Green, Greener, Greenest, Extra Credit
    • Winning submission: Greenest Challenge
  • October 7
    • Topic: “Style” – environmental and social impacts of fashion and clothing
    • Challenges completed: Green, Greener
  • October 8
    • Topic: “Meatless Mondays” – reducing meat consumption due to its large environmental footprint
    • Challenges completed: Green, Greener
  • October 9
    • Topic: “Gardens” – the importance of community gardens
    • Challenges completed: Green
  • October 10
    • Topic: “Zero Waste” – reducing consumption and waste
    • Challenges completed: Green
  • October 11
    • Topic: “Voices” – advocacy and leadership
    • Challenges completed: Green, Greener, Greenest
    • Winning submission: Greener Challenge
  • October 12
    • Topic: “Packaged Food” – identifying health risks associated with preservatives and food additives
    • Challenges completed: Green
  • October 13
    • Topic: “Eco Profile” – learn about leaders in the environmental movement
    • Challenges completed: Green
  • October 14
    • Topic: “Sustainable Ag” – the importance of farming sustainably, ethically, and environmentally friendly
    • Challenges completed: Green

 

 

Hello Rice!

October 7th, 2012 by cmh6

Welcome to the new and improved Eco Rep Blog! We’ve been keeping private blogs for the past year on Owlspace, but now we’ve gone public to help improve our publicity and transparency as an organization.

Here you can stay informed as to what the Eco Reps are working on as a group and by college. You can search by Category or tags for your college name (ex: Baker) to see what your Eco Rep has been up to.

McM 2012-2013

October 7th, 2012 by slm3

Eco Rep ideas for 2012-2013:

  • find recyled paper supplier for computer room paper, also put “mess up” tray for reusable printed paper
  • recyclable party cups
  • solar panel on 5th floor to power outdoor lighting
  • composting of west kitchen scraps!
  • cardboard collection – take one, use one cardboard boxes

 

Bought a new collection bin for grocery bags! They are being reused as trash bags in students’ rooms.

New trees planted in the quad to replace those lost during the drought

 

McM 2011-2012

October 7th, 2012 by slm3
1. improve recycling awareness
– single stream labeling and education
– redistrubute recycling cans
– collect plastic bags to recycle or re-use
– Solo cup recyling? look for recyclable alternatives?
– milk carton recycling signs
2. energy waste
– turn off the light signs
– encourage opening the windows and turning off AC
3. encourage use of bike share program and public transportation
– create book of places to go using bikes, metro rail, buses, and walking
4. composting in West Servery?
– put reminders to turn off the lights in all of the common rooms and kitchens. Every since, I have not had to turn off the lights when walking by the kitchen near my room. Success!-put up signs to remind people to recycle their milk cartons- many people have said they like them and they help them remember…other people still manage to ignore them (or maybe do not want to walk 10 feet to the recycle bin).
– 200-300 for composting bin
– 200 to subsidize reuseable travel mugs
– 100 for reusable bags
– remaining funds to be determinedsupplier for mugs:
can get 50 for 550…if ask 3 dollars for each- total expense is about 400
http://www.adcomarketing.com/Product/Venice-Thermal-14-oz.-Custom-Tumbler.aspx 

GDI:
-got 33 people signed up-
-hosted a movie showing of No Impact Man on Saturday – only had two people show up 🙁
-sent out email with surveys to allrecyling in dish room-
-talked with SOM (Veronica) and there will be a new recycle bin and sign in the dish room next to the trashcan-travel mugs- have one picked out- need to place order

-asked to give some funds (500) to the RESET proposal for energy monitor board at McM