Collegiate Times

Note: The Collegiate Times' green issue is printing a week after Earth Day to recap what Virginia Tech, its students, and Blacksburg do to be environmentally friendly.

Hopefully the issue will inspire readers to be more Earth conscious.

Last week, Blacksburg celebrated Earth Week and Virginia Tech left its mark with several effective and important events.

On-campus dining center D2 decided that it would go trayless all week in order to reduce waste by 25 to 30 percent. Not only would this trayless system save food, it was also expected to save water, soap and energy in the washing process. D2 wasn't the only part of campus celebrating Earth Week.

Environmental speakers came each day to speak on different issues from the Mountains to energy conservation.

The Alpha Phi Omega National Service fraternity co-sponsored a clean up of the Duckpond that followed a Stroubles Creek cleanup. The week ended on Friday with two sessions of tree planting on the Drillfield.

Virgina Tech Recycling began as a grassroots movement in 1991, established by the Physical Plant under the leadership of the organization's first coordinator, Larry Bechtel.

Bechtel remains in this position today, satisfying an interest that began with public outcries in the mid-1980s, when landfills began to reach capacity.
"Going back to junior high school I have always had a thing about littering," Bechtel said. "I just couldn't stand it. The concern has now grown."

The 17-year run of VTR has seen numerous ups and downs. Though it worked tirelessly to instate a recycling program consisting of cardboard, bottle, can, and paper pick-up, its 10-year anniversary brought significant budget cuts, along with the elimination of the paper program.

Denny Cochrane, Tech's Energy and Sustainability Coordinator, said that cutting out paper pick-up was the logical decision to make. Though the program was formally removed, Cochrane said student volunteers were persistent in ensuring that paper was still recycled.

"People volunteered to do the paper, but we didn't have the personnel in physical plant that did the work full-time," Cochrane said. "It went into a mothball status. Our containers stayed in buildings like they are today, but it was informally done."

After students expressed significant interest in the program, the university administration reinstated it.

Cochrane noted that the administration provided the appropriate funds to hire three employees, as well as approximately $90,000 for operating funds. These have gone toward a new 16' box truck, as well as numerous recycling containers in academic and administrative buildings.

"As of mid-March, all eight colleges and administrative buildings on campus are up and running with a paper recycling program," Cochrane said.
Though most facets of the recycling program have changed since its inauguration, the collection process has remained relatively the same.

The housekeepers for each respective building are responsible for tending to recycle bins as they would trashcans. They are responsible for emptying the receptacles when needed, and transporting the materials to a loading dock where VTR has crews stationed. The recyclables are then taken to a regional recycling center in Christiansburg. From there, the center is responsible for making arrangements with buyers.

Bechtel said that though he is interested in using recycled products, he has not been involved in such to date. In order for such to occur, the university's office of purchasing would have to take the initiative.

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