Web-Workspace

WHY RECYCLE?<rationale>

(the little why - to save resources, to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills, and to conserve energy used to refine raw materials)

(the BIG why - to love life enough to save it) The following quotes are taken from Kellert, Stephen; Wilson, Edward O. 1993 The Biophilia Hypothesis, Island Press/Shearwater, Washington D.C., ISBN 1-55963-148-1

   We need to transform the way we use the earth's endowment of land,
   minerals, water, air, wildlife, and fuels:  an efficiency revolution which 
   buys us some time.  Beyond efficiency, we need another revolution that 
   transforms our ideas of what it means to live decently and how little is 
   actually necessary for a decent life:  a sufficiency revolution...  (optional continuation)
   The first revolution is mostly about technology and economics.  The second 
   revoloution is about morality and human purpose.  The biophilia revolution 
   is about the combination of reverence for life and purely rational 
   calculation by which we will want to be both efficient and live 
   sufficiently.  It is about finding our rightful place on earth and in the 
   community of life; it is about citizenship, duties, obligations, and   
   celebration... 

   ...Patriotism, the name we give to the love of one's country, must be redefined to include those things which contribute to the real health, beauty, and ecological stability of our home places and to exclude those which do not.  Patriotism as biophilia requires that we decide to rejoin the idea of love of one's country to how well one uses the country.  To destroy forests, soils, natural beauty, and wildlife in order to swell the gross national product, or to provide short'term and often spurious jobs, is not partiotism but greed.  Real patriotism demands that we weave the competent, patient, and disciplined love of our land into our political life and our political institutions.  The laws of ecology and those of thermodynamics, which mostly have to do with limits, must become the foundation for a new politics...   

RECYCLING INFORMATION ON CAMPUS (WHAT TO RECYCLE) <fill in text here>

WHERE TO RECYCLE Newspaper bins are in the lobbies of all dormitory buildings Look for blue recycling bins (for glass, plastics 1 & 2 ONLY, office paper, aluminum cans, steel cans) on each floor of Earlham dormitories and in academic buildings

DROP-OFF RECYCLING INFORMATION IN THE RICHMOND AREA

[1]

This is a great resource from the Wayne County soil and water conservation district. In it they include a complete page of drop-off recycling facilities and information about curbside recycling in Richmond/Wayne County.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RECYCLING 1. What happens when trash is put in recycling bins (or some other way to address contamination)? 2. Can I recycle all types of cardboard at Earlham? 3. Maybe the same sort of question about plastics??

COMPOSTING AT EARLHAM

WHO SHOULD I CONTACT IF MY COMPOST IS NOT BEING PICKED UP? Contact: Dan Horowitz (horowda@earlham.edu)

WHERE CAN I COMPOST: 1. In the dining hall: Next to the trash bins where trays are also brought, there is a separate can for compostable items. 2. All college houses have one five gallon compost bucket. 3. Clear Creek Food Co-op: Inside the co-op there is a bucket for waste generated from daily lunches, as well as a large trash can outside of the co-op, on the Barrett side.

WHAT CAN I COMPOST: 1. All food except meat and dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.)

WHERE DOES THE COMPOST GO and HOW DOES IT GET THERE? All compost generated at Earlham goes out to Miller Farm. Mill Farm is a college-owned, student-run farm located on Abington pike. For more info go to http://www.millerfarm.org Two to three student workers are hired each semester on a work-study basis to transport the compost out to the farm. Bikes are used to carry the compost out on a regular basis depending on pick-up location. The compost is then used on gardens maintained by the residents of miller farm throughout the growing season.

WHY DOES EARLHAM COMPOST?

We compost to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and to benefit the student-run agriculture program based at Miller Farm. Food waste that goes out to Miller Farm would otherwise go with the rest of trash to the Richmond landfill. By composting, over time, we significantly reduce the amount of waste we produce.

HOW IS THE COMPOST USED AT MILLER FARM?

Compost is brought from the dining hall and put in a pile where it begins to decompose. Successive loads of compost result in a mass of ‘organic matter’ which generates heat via the decomposition process. Soil microbes consume the nutrients available in leftover food and help to produce the high temperatures found in compost piles. The bacteria gradually eats up the waste and turns compost into a soil-like substance. Residents of Miller Farm use this soil-like substance after spring tillage to add organic matter to the soil, preparing it for plat growth. The compost is applied when necessary during the growing season to strengthen soil balance and prevent pest and disease spread. It is sometimes used again after fall harvest and before a winter cover crop is sown to build soil quality over the winter. For more information on compost go to: insert here.

CONTACTS

Director of Facilities: Head of Housekeeping: ERC convenor and committee members (ERC listserve): EEAC, EEP, Miller Farm:

MAINTENANCE BUILDING HOURS 8:00am -4:00pm M-F