HPU named one of the “greenest” colleges in America
Photo Credit: High Point University
By Olivia French
Walking along the Kester International Promenade, one immediately notices the majestic bronze statues sitting on the benches, the inspirational quotes lining the sidewalks, and the classical music permeating the air as students walk to and from class. What many fail to notice, however, are the trashcans and their accompanying recycling bins dotting the pathways. Four years ago, those now-standard bins did not exist.
As part of the recent plan to become “green,” High Point University has made several changes to the campus over the past few years in many areas of student life, ranging from transportation to academics to food services to I.T. All of the changes have not been for naught, as High Point was recently named one of the “greenest” campuses in America by the Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club, one of the oldest grassroots environmental organizations in the United States, annually rates colleges across the country on their environmental impact.
“They analyze everything we do,” said Troy Thompson, director of Campus Enhancement. “It’s a huge honor [to be named one of the greenest schools in America.]”
One of the many changes that has been implemented on campus are the numerous recycling bins that encourage students to recycle paper, plastic, metal, and glass products instead of just throwing them away.
Another change has been the current construction of the new townhomes named Centennial Square and the School of Education, both of which will be LEED Certified when they are completed. Everything in the buildings ranging from furniture made out of recycled items to light sensors that turn the lights off when there is no one in the room, will be environmentally friendly.
New programs to campus such as WeCar, and installation of high efficiency washers and dryers also aid in helping to reduce the environmental impact that HPU and its students make.
However, there is always more that can be done to improve a school’s “green factor.” As Thompson stated: “We need more student groups. Everything is a green initiative.”
“It’s our duty as citizens of the Earth to take care of it. The recycling bins are there, why not use them?” said freshman Emily Harris.
Students can become more environmentally conscious by making sure to throw only recyclable materials into the recycling bins and participating in “Recyclemania” –a national recycling competition involving 376 colleges and universities in the US and Canada– which will begin Feb. 5. They can also use the bottle filling stations located in Slane, Smith Library, and Millis Hall instead of using disposable plastic water bottles.
“There is no reason to not be environmentally friendly on this campus, because we have so many options [to be green],” said freshman Tori Duback.