Many students recycle their used bottles, cardboard and paper, but it’s difficult to imagine recycling on a larger scale. Eastern Connecticut State University officials have announced plans to recycle the parts of one of their campus buildings this spring.
Eastern Hall, on the main ECSU campus in nearby Windham, Conn., was originally constructed as a modular portable building. For twenty years, the building has been used for some offices and basic classroom facilities close to the James Eugene Smith Library. However, it was always intended to be a temporary construction, according to James Fielding, coordinator of ECSU construction projects.
“The building was underutilized and reached the end of its life,” Fielding said in a statement to the Journal Enquirer.
The announcement comes as part of Eastern’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. ECSU has a multi-faceted approach to environmental stewardship, sponsoring a Center for Sustainability Studies for coursework and curriculum improvements in teaching, impacts and scientific aspects of the environment. In addition to these initiatives, ECSU partners with local and regional groups and the State of Connecticut through the Eastern Institute for Sustainability to encourage responsible “green tracking,” developing the university climate action plan and student engagement.
“The work of [the Institute of Sustainability] will support diverse and bold actions required by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and resilience: for people, prosperity, and planet,” added Patricia Szczys, ECSU Sustainability Director. The group also has an interactive “sustainability dashboard” on the ECSU webpage, where visitors can track impact areas, conservation, and other environmental data.
Other conscious features on campus include “Thrift Warriors,” a student-run thrift and swap shop which opened this February, and a lineup of annual student activities for Earth Day.
After demolition and cleanup are complete, blueberry bushes and trees will be planted in Eastern Hall’s former plot and a walking path will be re-paved. In an energy statement, university officials claim an average of 166,500 kilowatt-hours of energy will be saved per year. The furnishings that used to be in Eastern Hall were donated to the Army National Guard or otherwise repurposed on campus, and the whole project is expected to cost just shy of $450,000.
The University of Connecticut also recently announced a new “framework for environmental responsibility” which complements a ten-year plan to be carbon-neutral by 2030, increase sustainability awareness and education and improve waste management and energy practices, according to UConn Today.
The work of [the Institute of Sustainability will support diverse and bold actions required by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and resilience: for people, prosperity, and planet
Patricia Szczys, ECSU Sustainability Director
“[The plan] embodies our unwavering commitment to lead by example, embrace innovation, and create a resilient and sustainable future…to cultivate a culture of environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic viability across [UConn]” wrote UConn president Radenka Maric in the plan’s foreword.
The new outline also establishes the UConn ECollaboration Sustainability Network, an online network for students and faculty to network and discuss sustainability information and news, and envisions numerous other improvements. These include food waste-composting details, sustainable building material use and data to support geothermal heating in tandem with an ongoing campus-wide energy audit.
Students aiming for greater environmental responsibility can take several steps, such as reducing waste by using reusable items, recycling and conserving materials and energy. For more information on sustainability and environmental initiatives at UConn, visit the UConn Institute of the Environment webpage at sustainability.uconn.edu. For details about ongoing ECSU sustainability efforts, visit easternct.edu/sustainability.