Reducing Waste by Example
Campus sustainability leaders practice eco-friendly habits both on and off campus.
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Photo: Alex Calvert
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By Will Kriss
Sustainable practices at the WMU Office for Sustainability begin right at the front door – starting with the building that houses the campus organization. Many of the building’s components have been repurposed -- gathered and reused -- from elsewhere on campus.
Jeff Spoelstra, director of the Office for Sustainability, pointed out several ways that simple materials used for buildings and furnishings can easily be repurposed.
“Most of this building is reused and recycled,” Spoelstra said, gesturing to a bench just inside the main office. “Furniture, cubicles and everything we’re using was reused by the University. We built a few things with lumber that was given to us or brought over. This is just an example of a bench, several of these are outside or around campus too,” he said.
The Office for Sustainability has found many ways to reuse waste for the better of the building.
“Along the lines of the building, and leading by example, this building was a bookstore before we got it,” Spoelstra said. “It had asbestos tiles on the floor. They ripped those up and polished the existing concrete to give us the floor we have.”
Pointing to a blue-flecked countertop inside a kitchen area, Spoelstra continued: “They saved a lot of the dust and sludge from the floor polishing and combined it with broken glass from our own recycling waste streams on campus and created a custom-made countertop. It’s an interesting story about how we could have just dumped the sludge down the ditch and bought a plastic countertop like everyone else does, but it's part of the theme of ‘How can we imagine using what’s nearby in a way that’s more sustainable?’” he said.
Spoelstra cited a long list of habits in his personal life he uses to reduce waste.
“You come to my house, there’s not much disposable stuff,” Spoelstra said. “Paper towels? No. We use rags and rewash them. We have little sandwich wrappers that I would rather use instead of a plastic bag. It’s a hyperawareness. You also then try to pick at everything you can manage.”
Sustainable practices at the WMU Office for Sustainability begin right at the front door – starting with the building that houses the campus organization. Many of the building’s components have been repurposed -- gathered and reused -- from elsewhere on campus.
Jeff Spoelstra, director of the Office for Sustainability, pointed out several ways that simple materials used for buildings and furnishings can easily be repurposed.
“Most of this building is reused and recycled,” Spoelstra said, gesturing to a bench just inside the main office. “Furniture, cubicles and everything we’re using was reused by the University. We built a few things with lumber that was given to us or brought over. This is just an example of a bench, several of these are outside or around campus too,” he said.
The Office for Sustainability has found many ways to reuse waste for the better of the building.
“Along the lines of the building, and leading by example, this building was a bookstore before we got it,” Spoelstra said. “It had asbestos tiles on the floor. They ripped those up and polished the existing concrete to give us the floor we have.”
Pointing to a blue-flecked countertop inside a kitchen area, Spoelstra continued: “They saved a lot of the dust and sludge from the floor polishing and combined it with broken glass from our own recycling waste streams on campus and created a custom-made countertop. It’s an interesting story about how we could have just dumped the sludge down the ditch and bought a plastic countertop like everyone else does, but it's part of the theme of ‘How can we imagine using what’s nearby in a way that’s more sustainable?’” he said.
Spoelstra cited a long list of habits in his personal life he uses to reduce waste.
“You come to my house, there’s not much disposable stuff,” Spoelstra said. “Paper towels? No. We use rags and rewash them. We have little sandwich wrappers that I would rather use instead of a plastic bag. It’s a hyperawareness. You also then try to pick at everything you can manage.”
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Photo: Robert Tomlinson
Jeff Spoelstra, Director, WMU Office for Sustainability |
Other members of the Office for Sustainability have their own methods for reducing waste. Whether biking instead of driving or choosing a reusable bag over a plastic one, many members do their part to be more sustainable.
“I don’t have a driver's license, so I bike everywhere,” said Office for Sustainability Special Projects Coordinator Isaac Green. “If I’m out shopping, I always have either a backpack or bag with me so I don’t have to take a plastic bag from the store, and I always have my water bottle with me. I don’t use very much plastic silverware or anything like that.”
In the Office for Sustainability, there are very few, if any, trash bins.
“We try not to have a lot of trash cans out,” said Brianna McCann, an administrative assistant for the Office for Sustainability. “I’ve actually eliminated my trash and recycling in my area, so I know how much each day I’m going through and how much I really need an item. If it’s for my job or if it’s personal, I see how much I actually accumulate, which is nice. It’s kind of like, in a way, my own personal experiment on behavior change.”
Pointing to a stack of papers on her office desk, McCann explained that it is not always easy to reduce waste.
“Unfortunately, some of my job requires a lot of paperwork, you can see the papers that are sitting out right now. But I recycle after I reuse,” McCann said.
McCann said she is also conscious of her water usage, and avoids using plastic whenever possible.
“I typically try to not use any plastic water bottles,” McCann said, gesturing to a Christmas-themed mug. “This is not just for the holidays. I use this all year-round, so that’s a minor example of the reduction of things that I use. I don’t print as much paper, if I can do it online, then I should do it online. In terms of water use and energy use, I try to be very minimal in how much I wash my clothes. Realistically, if you’ve worn it once, do you have to wash it immediately? Probably not.”
Sustainability habits also are practiced off-campus by Office for Sustainability Project Manager Justin Gish.
“At my home I do the usual thing. Composting, recycling, walking or riding my bike when feasible,” Gish said in an email. “I also try to instill in my children the idea that we need to be cognizant of our consumption and work to make sure that our habits allow for future generations to live well on this planet.”
Gish explained how being environmentally friendly does not have to mean having to make expensive changes.
“I can't afford some big solar set up on my house,” Gish said. “I don't have the cash to purchase a new hybrid/electric car. So I do what I can with what I have, and I think that this is an important lesson. Anybody can do these things, can change their ways,” he said.
For many staff members at the Office for Sustainability, these changes have become a matter of habit.
“You spend time with the folks working here, you see that sort of rub off, which is part of culture change,” Spoelstra said. “No one walks in the building and says, ‘I’m changing my whole life!’ Everything we’re doing in this building helps. Is the planet saved because of what we’re doing today? No, but it’s gradual change.
“I don’t have a driver's license, so I bike everywhere,” said Office for Sustainability Special Projects Coordinator Isaac Green. “If I’m out shopping, I always have either a backpack or bag with me so I don’t have to take a plastic bag from the store, and I always have my water bottle with me. I don’t use very much plastic silverware or anything like that.”
In the Office for Sustainability, there are very few, if any, trash bins.
“We try not to have a lot of trash cans out,” said Brianna McCann, an administrative assistant for the Office for Sustainability. “I’ve actually eliminated my trash and recycling in my area, so I know how much each day I’m going through and how much I really need an item. If it’s for my job or if it’s personal, I see how much I actually accumulate, which is nice. It’s kind of like, in a way, my own personal experiment on behavior change.”
Pointing to a stack of papers on her office desk, McCann explained that it is not always easy to reduce waste.
“Unfortunately, some of my job requires a lot of paperwork, you can see the papers that are sitting out right now. But I recycle after I reuse,” McCann said.
McCann said she is also conscious of her water usage, and avoids using plastic whenever possible.
“I typically try to not use any plastic water bottles,” McCann said, gesturing to a Christmas-themed mug. “This is not just for the holidays. I use this all year-round, so that’s a minor example of the reduction of things that I use. I don’t print as much paper, if I can do it online, then I should do it online. In terms of water use and energy use, I try to be very minimal in how much I wash my clothes. Realistically, if you’ve worn it once, do you have to wash it immediately? Probably not.”
Sustainability habits also are practiced off-campus by Office for Sustainability Project Manager Justin Gish.
“At my home I do the usual thing. Composting, recycling, walking or riding my bike when feasible,” Gish said in an email. “I also try to instill in my children the idea that we need to be cognizant of our consumption and work to make sure that our habits allow for future generations to live well on this planet.”
Gish explained how being environmentally friendly does not have to mean having to make expensive changes.
“I can't afford some big solar set up on my house,” Gish said. “I don't have the cash to purchase a new hybrid/electric car. So I do what I can with what I have, and I think that this is an important lesson. Anybody can do these things, can change their ways,” he said.
For many staff members at the Office for Sustainability, these changes have become a matter of habit.
“You spend time with the folks working here, you see that sort of rub off, which is part of culture change,” Spoelstra said. “No one walks in the building and says, ‘I’m changing my whole life!’ Everything we’re doing in this building helps. Is the planet saved because of what we’re doing today? No, but it’s gradual change.