VCU news

By Mike Porter

The cups used by students at Rhoads and Brandt halls during social functions look like ordinary plastic cups. But these cups, passed out to all 1,340 residents at the start of the school year, are both reusable and compostable and part of a major effort to promote “green living” in VCU’s residence halls.  Students are asked to bring their cups to residence hall functions throughout the school year. 

Compostable cups are just one of the tools staff members at the Department of Residential Life and Housing are using to encourage students to lead greener lives. The department is also conducting regular educational activities, promoting environmentally friendly practices and replacing showers, toilets, and coin-operated washing machines with models that use less water. It also is replacing incandescent light bulbs with more energy-efficient, compact, fluorescent bulbs.

Staff members also have passed out bags for collecting recycled goods to students in nine-month residential halls, giving them the convenience of collecting items for recycling in their rooms. In 12-month buildings, students get “VCU lives green” magnet reminders to live in an environmentally friendly way. 

“Overall, we’re getting a very good reception from residents to all of the programs,” said Allison Patel, housing manager, Department of Residential Life and Housing. We see residents using the cups and recycling bags, and we’re seeing a lot of support for our water bottle challenge, which is really encouraging.”

The water bottle challenge encouraged students to purchase reusable steel water bottles for $2 and pledge to drink only from them for 30 days. It’s an attempt to lower the number of plastic water bottles that end up in landfills. Money raised through the sale of the water bottles is being donated to www.globalwater.org and www.waterforpeople.org to promote safe water supplies in developing countries.

Other residence hall efforts to help the environment include the placement of large recycling bins on every floor and in lobbies, the use of green household cleaning products where possible, and the installation of motion sensor-regulated faucets on the sinks, toilets and urinals in the public restrooms of newer residence halls.

Some ideas have been in place for years, such as the recycling of scrap metal. Replacing showers in the West Grace Student Street Student Housing with low-flow showers began in 2007. 

Other efforts kicked off this semester, as VCU launches its Year of the Environment, which features a variety of events that highlight the contributions and leadership that universities can bring to further improve Virginia’s sustainable practices and the impact on our natural resources.
 
Residents will get an opportunity to put their energy-saving skills to the test.  An energy conservation kickoff party is scheduled for early November. Students will be shown their building’s utility bills and be challenged to use less energy and water, in an attempt to lower future utility bills.  

The net effect of all of these efforts is to help students develop eco-friendly habits.

“We do this to educate residents about the importance of taking care of our world – and encouraging them to get involved,” Patel said. “It’s our hope that residents will continue to use the same kind of green strategies they learned here after they graduate and for the rest of their lives.”

Visit VCU Goes Green for more tips about conservation and more information about VCU’s sustainability efforts.