Volume CXXXIII, Number 1 September 7, 2001 f

Bowdoin hires environmental coordinator
SOPHIA BASSAN
Staff Writer

During the 1999-2000 school year, Bowdoin College threw 722.4 tons of waste in the local Brunswick landfill. In contrast, Bowdoin recycled only 115.4 tons or 16 percent of its trash. As of 2000, the landfill was 53 percent full and estimated to reach capacity and close by 2013.

Environmental Coordinator Keisha Payson. (Liesl Finn, Bowdoin Orient)

In order to combat such statistics as above, in June 2001 the College hired Keisha Payson as an environmental coordinator and coordinator for the Committee for a Sustainable Bowdoin. Payson, former program assistant in the Environmental Studies Department at the College, describes sustainability as "lessen[ing] the environmental impact of everyday campus operations while looking for opportunities that will also save the college money." She points out, for example, that it costs more for the College to haul and dump its trash than to recycle it.

Some of Payson's most aggressive efforts have been directed at the College's energy consumption. She explains, "Bowdoin's electricity bill for 2000-2001 was in excess of $1,600,000." In order to lessen this cost, newer buildings have been designed to be more energy efficient with features such as double-paned windows to diminish heating costs and motion sensitive lighting.
Also, older buildings have been converted to be more energy efficient.

Fluorescent and compact fluorescent lights, which use one-third the energy of standard ones, have been installed throughout the campus. In Coles Tower, in particular, thermostats have been installed in upper level stories. Instead of unnecessarily overheating these floors and forcing residents to open their windows during the middle of winter, students will be able to determine a comfortable temperature. Since this comfortable temperature will likely be below that which the College normally sets, Bowdoin will save on heating costs.

In terms of heating, Payson has also targeted the freshmen dormitories. Eventually, she and the Office of Residential Life would like to have more than enough on-campus housing available. Then, they will be able to shut down one of these dorms each year and remodel its entire heating system.

Other campus residences that have often been overlooked in terms of sustainability are the Apartments of Brunswick, Harpswell, Mayflower, and Pine Street. Beginning this year, apartment residents will be given blue bins to put recyclable material in. Pine Tree Waste Capitol Transfer will pick up these materials every Tuesday morning. More information about when the program begins and what time pick up is will be available shortly.

Dining Services has been working with Payson to minimize waste, too. It is working on such ideas as using recycled water in the dishwasher machines as well as composting, which would divert a large volume of waste from the landfill.

Computer Information Services will continue to reuse retired computers by donating them to local schools and other groups. In recent years, Bowdoin has donated nearly 10,000 pounds of computer equipment to schools in the towns of Topsham, Harpswell, Bowdoinham, and Bowdoin. Not only did the local schools benefit, but the College diverted all that tonnage from the local landfill.
Since reuse only delays the eventual cluttering of the landfill, Payson has looked into long term solution to recycle the computers and their parts. She has located Crow, International, a Maine located operation that recycles the parts from computers, laptops, keyboards, and gaming controls.

While Payson is diligently researching and implementing new methods to sustain an environmentally sound Bowdoin, she is most interested in the oldest and most efficient method: student involvement. Students can become involved simply by privately doing their part: taking a reusable bag to get a bag-lunch, turning off the lights, and especially turning off their computers.

In addition, Payson is hopeful that students will work directly with her. Bowdoin's goal this year is to double the percentage we recycle and make it 30 percent. Other schools such as Bates and Middlebury recycle as much as 60 percent. If you are interested and would like to help, please visit Payson in room 12 of the Tower or call her at x3086.