{"id":758,"date":"2009-01-06T13:03:34","date_gmt":"2009-01-06T17:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.utc.edu\/Administration\/UniversityRelations\/news\/?p=396"},"modified":"2009-05-07T16:55:53","modified_gmt":"2009-05-07T21:55:53","slug":"green-initiative-allows-development-of-eco-friendly-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2009\/01\/green-initiative-allows-development-of-eco-friendly-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Initiative allows development of eco-friendly campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the creation of the Green Initiative, the University is saving energy and becoming more environmentally conscious.\u00a0 The Green Initiative is funded by the Student Green Fee, approved by a student vote.<\/p>\n

Green Fee funds began coming into the University in 2007-08 and as a result, a recycling program in campus housing units was initiated in fall 2008.\u00a0 Recycling containers were purchased and a new contract was established with Orange Grove.<\/p>\n

Recycling is clearly important for all the typical environmental reasons including saving trees, cutting energy used in creating new products, and being good stewards of the earth, according to Claire Terney, campus recycling educator.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecycling on our campus is also beneficial in ways that are not always addressed.\u00a0 The success of the recycling program is due to the Orange Grove Center employees, who are developmentally disabled adults. So by providing jobs, we are serving the community.\u00a0 In addition, the creation of the jobs at Orange Grove Center aid in the economic growth of the local community,\u201d Terney said.<\/p>\n

Terney\u2019s responsibilities are to educate students about the recycling program and the importance of their participation.\u00a0 She also uses alternative education methods to continue to build student excitement and involvement for the program.<\/p>\n

Last year, the University began purchasing green energy from TVA\u2019s Green Power Switch<\/a> program. UTC is listed on TVA\u2019s web page as a \u201cGreen Power Leader,\u201d according to Dr. David Aborn, Associate Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences.\u00a0 Aborn works with the University\u2019s Environmental Task Force and serves as faculty advisor for Ecological Decisions for a Global Environment (EDGE).<\/p>\n

\u201cMoney was also used to install motion sensors in all the classrooms, and those are expected to pay for themselves in electricity savings within one-two years,\u201d Aborn said.<\/p>\n

Other items the UTC Environmental Task Force approved were funds to:<\/p>\n