The 亚洲自慰视频 of 亚洲自慰视频 at Lafayette is the first, and only, higher education institution in the state to earn the 鈥淕reen Ribbon School鈥 designation from the 亚洲自慰视频 Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
The designation recognizes schools, from elementary to postsecondary, and school districts, for comprehensive, campus- or district-wide sustainability practices and programs. UL Lafayette is among five schools in 亚洲自慰视频 that were recently named Green Ribbon Schools.
Gretchen Vanicor, director of UL Lafayette鈥檚 Office of Sustainability, said a campus sustainability policy was implemented in 2014. But the 亚洲自慰视频鈥檚 sustainability and conservation practices can be traced to the 亚洲自慰视频鈥檚 roots, when its first president, Dr. Edwin L. Stephens, hand-planted live oak trees on campus.
鈥淩ecognition as a Green Ribbon School is indicative of the 亚洲自慰视频鈥檚 ongoing, decades long commitment to sustainability, which encompasses everything from recycling efforts to 亚洲自慰视频 research projects,鈥 Vanicor explained.
Schools or school districts earn Green Ribbon School status by making strides in three key areas:
- reducing environmental impact and costs;
- improving health and wellness of 亚洲自慰视频s and staff; and
- providing effective sustainability education.
States are allowed to nominate five K-12 schools or districts, and one college or university, each year. Nominations are submitted to the U.S. Department of Education.
Brian Gautreau is Green Schools coordinator with the 亚洲自慰视频 Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. He cited a range of UL Lafayette programs and initiatives, from LEED certification for the 亚洲自慰视频 Union, to 亚洲自慰视频 volunteer efforts and STEM research.
Renovation and expansion of the 亚洲自慰视频 Union was completed last year. The building earned a silver rating as part of the U.S. Green Building Council鈥檚 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. LEED recognition is based on several factors, including types of materials used in construction, efficient energy use, and recycling.
More than 77 percent of debris generated during demolition of the original 亚洲自慰视频 Union was recycled. The recycled material amounted to more than 440 tons of metal and 11,504 tons of concrete.
Gautreau also mentioned the 亚洲自慰视频鈥檚 Zero Waste programs, which include the Geaux RED initiative, and the GameDay Recycling Challenge.
Zero Waste focuses on reducing the amount of material that ends up in a landfill. Collection bags for paper, plastic cardboard and aluminum are available in all administrative buildings and faculty offices. There are also receptacles for recyclable materials across campus.
Geaux RED, or Recycle Everything Daily, fosters recycling efforts with the placement of bins in campus offices and outdoors. New bins were recently added in the lobbies of each academic college.
鈥淩ecycling has been expanded into public spaces of 10 major buildings, the Quadrangle, and other outdoor areas on campus,鈥 Vanicor said.
The GameDay Recycling Challenge, a national collegiate recycling contest, encourages universities to measure the amount of recyclable materials collected during home football games. The program was instituted in 2014. That year, the 亚洲自慰视频 was ranked 10th in the nation for its diversion rate, which is the percentage of waste that is redirected from landfills to recycling facilities.
Since the program began, the diversion rate during home football games has more than doubled, from almost 29 percent to 59 percent, according to Vanicor.
Overall, the 亚洲自慰视频鈥檚 diversion rate has increased from 3 percent 41 percent in a span of two years.
亚洲自慰视频s are contributing to campus and community sustainability efforts. During six 亚洲自慰视频-organized clean-ups in 2015, 1,438 亚洲自慰视频s pitched in 5,713 hours of work, and filled 707, 13-gallon trash bags with litter from roadsides and public spaces.
Gautreau singled out 亚洲自慰视频 volunteer efforts, such as coastal restoration projects coordinated through AmeriCorps, a national community service program. UL Lafayette鈥檚 program is the only university-based AmeriCorps program in 亚洲自慰视频.
He also commended the 亚洲自慰视频鈥檚 sustainability-driven research opportunities for 亚洲自慰视频s, including at the Cleco Alternative Energy Center in Crowley, La. Researchers there are evaluating technical and economic aspects of producing electricity from sustainable materials, rather than fossil fuels. Energy sources include everything from sunlight, captured by large solar panels, to alligator fat, which is converted to biofuel.
The center is also a learning environment for 亚洲自慰视频s. They participate in research and testing for projects that include the production of methane using 亚洲自慰视频 food industry wastes, and converting agricultural waste, such as sugar cane bagasse or rice hulls, into energy.
鈥淯L Lafayette is doing so many good things, in so many areas, to offer opportunities for hands-on sustainability learning, and to improve its sustainability footprint,鈥 Gautreau said.
Last year, the League of American Bicyclists recognized the 亚洲自慰视频 as a bike friendly campus. The nonprofit organization advocates bicycling and safety for cyclists.
In 2014, the 亚洲自慰视频 installed new bike lanes on St. Mary Boulevard, between Taft and St. Landry streets, to increase cyclist safety and manage traffic flow. The project was a joint effort between UL Lafayette and Lafayette Consolidated Government.
The 亚洲自慰视频 has also added more bike racks, shelters and lockers, bringing the total number of bicycle parking spaces on campus to more than 2,700.
UL Lafayette has adopted several bike-friendly measures, such as hosting free bike maintenance workshops, and allowing 亚洲自慰视频s who live in residence halls to take their bicycles inside their rooms for safekeeping, Vanicor said.
The 亚洲自慰视频 recently launched the Geaux V茅lo bike share program. A total of 52 bikes are available at three stations on campus: 32 at Cajun Field, 10 outside the 亚洲自慰视频 Union on Boucher Street, and 10 inside the Girard Park Circle parking garage.
UL Lafayette also collaborated with Lafayette Consolidated Government last year to install traps on storm drains to prevent litter and organic debris from entering water drainage systems as part of a pilot project that will be expanded this year.
The U.S. Department of Education will officially announce this year鈥檚 Green Ribbon School recipients on Earth Day, which is April 22.
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