Drury's policies and practices: Is hypocrisy sustainable?
Sarah Jenkins & Matt Battaglia
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: Voices
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Drury values sustainability. That's what staff, faculty and students of Drury are told. Evidence is everywhere: the 2005-2006 Convocation Theme year, ThinkGreen! campus events, new recycling bins in each residence, even the new university logo. The President's Council on Sustainability Web site provides many stories, tip sheets and links related to promoting sustainable practices on Drury's campus, including Drury University's Environmental Mission Statement.
We can't help but wonder, though, whether our walk matches our talk when it comes to being a sustainable campus. Let's look at some excerpts from Drury's Environmental Mission Statement to illustrate our thoughts:
"In our administrative functions, Drury University will strive to inform the Drury community about recycling opportunities on campus and foster their use"
By "fostering their use," does Drury mean having the entire campus recycling job fall on the shoulders of one paid student worker and other student volunteers who empty recycling in the residence halls and academic buildings? Granted these volunteers are doing a pretty amazing job, and thanks to them and Drury's on-campus recycling facility, recycling is easier than it has ever been. However, volunteers do not provide the same level of consistency or efficiency that full-time Drury employees would. Recyclable materials build up over time, and pose many of the same heath and sanitation problems that piles of trash do. Does Drury support recycling or just want its students to do the work for them?
According to a September 12, 2007 Mirror article, "An $18,000 award from the state Waste District O program allowed Drury to add three new student workers to the recycling programs and the 500 recycling bins around campus. The money will also go towards the creation of signs for the recycling locations and literature about the recycling system on campus." This grant has allowed Drury to make excellent improvements in the availability of recycling on campus.
Drury values sustainability. That's what staff, faculty and students of Drury are told. Evidence is everywhere: the 2005-2006 Convocation Theme year, ThinkGreen! campus events, new recycling bins in each residence, even the new university logo. The President's Council on Sustainability Web site provides many stories, tip sheets and links related to promoting sustainable practices on Drury's campus, including Drury University's Environmental Mission Statement.
We can't help but wonder, though, whether our walk matches our talk when it comes to being a sustainable campus. Let's look at some excerpts from Drury's Environmental Mission Statement to illustrate our thoughts:
"In our administrative functions, Drury University will strive to inform the Drury community about recycling opportunities on campus and foster their use"
By "fostering their use," does Drury mean having the entire campus recycling job fall on the shoulders of one paid student worker and other student volunteers who empty recycling in the residence halls and academic buildings? Granted these volunteers are doing a pretty amazing job, and thanks to them and Drury's on-campus recycling facility, recycling is easier than it has ever been. However, volunteers do not provide the same level of consistency or efficiency that full-time Drury employees would. Recyclable materials build up over time, and pose many of the same heath and sanitation problems that piles of trash do. Does Drury support recycling or just want its students to do the work for them?
According to a September 12, 2007 Mirror article, "An $18,000 award from the state Waste District O program allowed Drury to add three new student workers to the recycling programs and the 500 recycling bins around campus. The money will also go towards the creation of signs for the recycling locations and literature about the recycling system on campus." This grant has allowed Drury to make excellent improvements in the availability of recycling on campus.
Article last update: 11/27/07 at 6:06 PM CST
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