How Green Is my Campus
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The Recyclemania campaign turns
into a work of art on Hornbake
Plaza (above), where students spell
“Recyclemania” through a variety
of common materials.
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TURN TO THE BACK COVER of Terp. See the black recycling
logo? Since 1999, the university has made a concerted
effort to print publications on paper that is environmentally
responsible. Maryland continually strives to think
“green” when approaching everyday activities, and everything—
from the food served in cafeterias to the paper on
which Terp magazine is published—is up for grabs.
On any given day, Maryland students recycle everything
from cars to couches at the Terrapin Trader; campus
buildings conserve energy through low-energy
bulbs; and Shuttle-UM buses reduce carbon emissions
thanks to clean-burning fuels.
The university’s Dining Services has also ramped up
its eco-friendly practices. As part of its “Green Dining”
program, the department sends used cooking oils to be
turned into bio-diesel fuels, uses energy- and waterefficient
equipment and employs cooking procedures
that reduce waste.
In addition, Dining Services began a partnership
last year with Maryland company EnvirRelations LLC
to turn waste into valuables. Every morning, an
EnvirRelations truck picks up food waste from the
South Campus Dining Hall and the North Campus Diner,
which is then taken to Anne Arundel County and composted
into premium mulch. More than 11 tons of both
pre-consumer waste (meat trimming, melon rinds and
other unused foods from the kitchens) and post-consumer
waste (leftovers on plates) are turned into a
rich source of protection for plants each month. The
department recently
expanded the program
to include waste
from the university’s catering services and the Stamp
Student Union.
Earlier this year, Maryland got to brag about its ecofriendly
plans and programs, thanks to Recyclemania,
an annual nationwide competition among more than
200 colleges and universities to determine which school
can recycle the most materials in a variety of categories.
The result? Maryland had its best showing yet, ranking
third among ACC schools and earning the Gorilla Prize,
for the most gross tons of recyclables collected.
Maryland students are already thinking
up plans to climb the ranks of next year’s
Recyclemania. Team SOS, a student
group in the interdisciplinary Quality
Enhancement Systems and Teams
(QUEST) program, placed as a finalist
in the mtvU/GE Ecomagination
Challenge, thanks to its innovative
design for a solar-powered
recycling/trash compaction receptacle;
and another QUEST team is working with
Dining Services to implement their
invention—the “Compostation,” a
bin that encourages students to
compost leftover food—on
campus. —AK
 The Tides Are ChangingWHAT DO THE DOUR predictions of climate
scientists mean for residents of Maryland, other
coastal states and great cities around the
world? It’s a question author Mike
Tidwell answers in frightening
detail in the 2007–2008
First Year Book.
In The Ravaging Tide:
Strange Weather, Future Katrinas,
and the Coming Death of
America’s Coastal Cities, the
Takoma Park, Md. environmental
activist tracks the effects
of climate change from 400
A.D. Easter Island to present-day
Alaska and to a Manhattan
largely underwater by 2100.
Current estimates mean much
of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay
region could be washed out by
rising seas in the next 100 years,
but Tidwell argues that it’s not too late to reduce
our impact and save the planet.That optimism—
as well as clear strategies
to increase the use of clean energy
in our backyard and around
the world—swayed the committee
that selects an annual book to
be distributed to all freshmen.
“There was a sense that we,
as a community, could take the
issue of global warming, look at
the science of climate change
and begin to discuss solutions to
this problem,” says Lisa Kiely,
assistant dean of undergraduate
studies.“There was also a sense
that this was one of the most
pressing issues of our time, but the
impact would be far greater on our students’
lives than on ours. For that reason, we
needed to address it.” -KM
Major Campus Redevelopment on the Horizon
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The 38-acre East Campus site will be redeveloped in a partnership between the university and FP-Argo, a private company involved in the revitalization of downtown Silver Spring, Md.
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THE UNIVERSITY RECENTLY ANNOUNCED formal negotiations with FP-Argo of Rockville, Md. (a joint venture
of the Foulger-Pratt Companies and Argo Investment Company) for redevelopment of a 38-acre site across
from the main campus on the east side of Rt. 1. The East Campus location currently houses the central mail
facility, parking and repair areas for the Shuttle UM bus fleet, the Leonardtown student-housing complex
and other university buildings. Key aspects of the multi-phase project include the relocation of the
university’s existing facilities on the site, followed by construction of new, mixed-use development that
includes student housing, retail amenities and office space. Look to future issues of Terp for updates,
or go to www.eastcampus.umd.edu. —TV
Growth Spurt: Re-Think College Park
www.rethinkcollegepark.net/blog
The revitalization of College Park, Md., has long been a
hot topic in which everyone from university officials to
city residents have a stake—especially as development
ramps up around town. Last year,
senior environmental economics major David Daddio and
Rob Goodspeed, graduate student in community planning,
believed interested parties needed a central place
to learn about and debate the complex issues involved.
The result is “Rethink College Park,” a blog whose mission
is “to help transform College Park into a great college
town … [through] … full access to information, public
dialogue, and the power of creative ideas.” The site has
caught the attention of city leaders to national media.
Want to learn more?
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