To attack the issues associated with waste produced from food services like the Bullet Hole and Servo to-go, organizations like GECO have stepped in to educate people on sustainability practices on campus.
Departmental Sustainability Efforts on Campus
The latest example is the reusable green containers from the Bullet Hole. Thanks to Sund, who was able to give us information on the latest for campus sustainability which looks like the following:
Bullet Hole Reusable Container Program
- First, when getting food from the Bullet Hole ask a worker for the green reusable container.
- Pay $8 when checking out, a refundable fee if you decide to return the container at the end of the semester.
- When getting food every other time, give the dirty container to the workers for it to be washed and ask for a token a new & clean container.
- Give the token to the cashier to avoid paying the $8.
However, there are also several departments on campus that supply students with tools for sustainability. Good examples would be the Religious Studies and the Latin American Caribbean and Latino Studies Departments give their majors reusable water bottles and reusable tote bags respectively.
The college has also had an active sustainability committee since 2009 with input from the Environmental Studies Department and different student organizations on campus. They made an action plan and set many goals for themselves. Broader projects in this scene have included upping recycling awareness on campus through programs and inducting a new recycling truck.
Other Sustainability Efforts on Campus
As mentioned before, the college has a dedicated Sustainability Committee which has facilitated multiple campus efforts throughout the college.
For waste, and particularly food waste. To begin, the college has introduced single-stream recycling and introduced a new recycling truck in the Fall of 2020. Using a food dehydrator, they dehydrate food into compostable materials for compost usage. Cooking oil is repurposed as biodiesel fuel.
The energy on campus is being conserved in many ways. The Jaeger Athletic Center on campus is lined with solar panels to create a renewable energy supply for the college. There are updates to light fixtures and appliances to ensure minimum energy uses. All of this has led to the Jaeger Athletic Center being LEED Gold Certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
Many water usage in water is lowered with low flow fixtures, specifically bathrooms. Dining facilities reduce water consumption and reuse 95% of their water with a filtering system. In addition, many buildings are designed with green roof systems and collect a portion of the rainwater.
Student Involvement
While a lot of changes have been done in part of the college, there are still many changes to be done in which students like ourselves can be involved.
Farmhouse is an upperclassmen housing option that caters to students who are passionate about sustainability and social justice issues. The Environmental Studies Department is affiliated with Farmhouse and the Gettysburg Environmental Concerns Organization (GECO) which, much like Farmhouse, appeals to students dedicated to improving the relationship between campus and the environment.
The Center for Public Service offers two programs that are dedicated to supporting sustainability efforts in the college and the neighboring Gettysburg area. Campus Kitchen is a program that reuses potential food waste into meals used for programs like BurgBowls. The Painted Turtle Farm, started by a Gettysburg College Environmental Studies student, allows for local produce production. This provides the Gettysburg community with opportunities for producing fresh, healthy, self-made, and local produce.
Meanwhile, other colleges around Gettysburg are also following sustainability movements as seen by Dickinson College which is just 40 minutes away from Gettysburg.
While the Servo to-go option does not seem to be the best for the environment, the college’s sustainability plans, and our public health. Now that you know the implications of this decision, what do you think about making servo to-go now?
References
Dickinson College. (2021, November 4). Sustainability at Dickinson College. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPai2XR3gUk
Gettysburg College. (2021). Sustainability at Gettysburg. Sustainability at Gettysburg – Gettysburg.edu. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.gettysburg.edu/about-the-college/sustainability/.