Blue Goes Green: The Greening of ODU

Posted Thursday, August 20th, 2009 at 1:22 pm on AltDaily.com
by Amelia Baker

As I sat across from Doug Alexander in ODU’s Spong Hall, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

I had set up this meeting to learn everything there was to know about the greening of ODU. Frankly, I knew ODU was participating in a few stewardship activities and that summed up my knowledge on the subject. By meeting’s end, I was overwhelmed with six pages of scrawling notes and to be completely honest, I have no idea where to start.

What I do know is…I’m a proud alum and am swelling with pride because Old Dominion University is one of the greenest universities in the State of Virginia. For me to list everything they’re doing would be entirely too windy to share with the group so I’ll touch on a few of my favs that fit in with the ever-so-catchy Reduce, Reuse, Recycle alliteration.

{REDUCE}

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that ODU now has a football team and imagine what the water bill will be to keep that gridiron green and groomed. Worry not because under Foreman Field is a cistern collecting rainwater to be used for sprinkler systems. And that’s not the only rainwater harvest system on campus. Two other systems collect water used for university gardening.

{REUSE}


It's going to take a lot of (recycled) blue to keep this field green.
I’m a reuser of everything. I hate throwing things away so it was awesome to hear that at the end of the school year, ODU hosts Donate It, Don’t Dump It. Students bring dumpster-bound items, take what they need from the pile, and anything not claimed is trucked off to a local charity thrift store.

What about reusing algae (aka seaweed) to perhaps replace that dirty, foreign oil we Americans can’t get enough of? A group of smarties on campus have successfully transformed algae into biodiesel and this small prototype is producing 200 gallons a day.

{RECYCLE}

The foundation of all things green is recycling and in a measly two years, ODU more than doubled recycling rates from 500 thousand pounds to well over 1 million pounds diverted from landfills.

This fun fact is most definitely worth noting. Many of the tree trimmings from campus are taken over to the Norfolk Zoo to feed a select few herbivorous animals like hippos and elephants. Oh, for crying out loud!

So when I say ODU is one of the greenest institutions in all the land (in Virginia, at least), I can absolutely say this with confidence. They were sole recipients of the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award in 2008 and constructed the first state university LEED certified building, among others.

I sit here writing about ODU’s accomplishments in the green arena like I’m a cheerleader encouraging them to go-fight-win. As much as it pains me to say this, I am kind of being a cheerleader. I’m in their corner and can’t wait to hear more.

If you’re interested in reading all of my meeting notes, check out greenalternativesstore.blogspot.com. A full menu of ODU green goodies is there for the reading. Special thanks to Doug Alexander, Associate Director of Environmental Health & Science for taking 90 minutes out of his very busy schedule to meet with me and for keeping it green.

Blue Goes Green

ODU is going green! I met with the Associate Director of Environmental Health & Safety, Doug Alexander, earlier today and learned a lot about what the university is doing to green things up around campus.

This blog post is an appendix to the article posted on 24 Seven Cities.

• Many of the cleaning products are Green Seal certified.
• Much of the lighting has retrofitted to maximize efficiency.
• ODU was the first state school to build a LEED certified structure.
• Recycling has more than doubled in the past two years from 500 thousand pounds to more than 1 million pounds.
• The school started Donate It, Don't Dump It which is kind of like a huge swapping party for students.
• All new structures on campus meet LEED Silver status.
• 50% of all construction waste is diverted from the landfills and recycled.
• Two electric trucks were acquired for the grounds department.
• Rain water is harvested in two cisterns and used for lawn projects.
• A new bike rental program is available for students and for those with bikes, a maintenance crew is available to help fix busted rides.
• The university has developed an Environmental Advisory Committee to stay abreast of new greenie movements.
• ODU has two Adopt-A-Streams on the Elizabeth & Lafayette Rivers.
• A graduate student on campus is working on a Greenhouse Gas Inventory for the school.
• A central chiller plant was installed which reduces energy consumption.
• B10 biodiesel is used for all diesel vehicles on campus.
• ODU Dining Services eliminated the use of trays in the cafeteria which reduced the amount of waste.
• There are two rain gardens on campus.
• A nutrient management plan is in place which eliminates the need for fertilizer on many of the school's grounds.
• There's a green roof on part of the BAL building.
• Tree clippings are taken to the Norfolk Zoo to feed some of the animals.
• The Education Dept developed an Environmental Curriculum which rolled out in the Norfolk Elementary School System.
• ODU is a Model Level (highest rank) for the River Stars Program.

I received more tid-bits on the greening of ODU and the list could go on and on. You're awesome ODU!

Green Travel

There are many ways to green your travel and here are just a few...

• Opt for taking public transportation like the train or bus instead of flying.
• If you have to fly, look for direct flights and offset your carbon at AmericanForests.com.
• Before you leave the house, adjust your heating/cooling systems to save energy.
• Unplug all of your appliances and chargers.
• Use reusable travel-size bottles
• Make sure you take your stainless steel water bottle.
• Look for accommodations that are green. GreenHotels.com is a great reference tool.
• Choose an environmental destination. National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations scores based on each destination's stewardship.
• Maintain your greenie lifestyle habits while on vacation. Remember to turn off lights, walk when possible, support small local shops and restaurants.
• In 2010, AAA will be adding an eco-designation which will help when making green travel choices.
• Be sure to bring a reusable bag for souvenir shopping.
• If you need a car rental, look for a hybrid option.
• If you're a coffee or tea drinker, consider packing your travel mug.
• Pack light to save fuel on travel.

My review of Food Inc

My husband and I finally got a chance to go see Food Inc at the lovely Naro theater last night. I had heard a few rave reviews about the film and to be completely honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go see it. I knew that I would see and learn things that I wouldn't be able to forget and I was absolutely right.

Watching the film broke my heart! I was torn to bits seeing what has happened to our food system. I know and practice eating local and love buying from my local farmer's market but I need to take it to another level.

The movie takes you into a world that few know anything about. Though our country was built on farming, most of America is so far removed from the actual farm that I think we feel like it's still old farm houses, overalls, tractors, and good old-fashioned farming. That's not really how it works these days.

I actually started tearing up during the movie because it was just so sad to see what's happened to our food system and how our animals are treated. It's touching, brutally honest, and I hope to goodness that politicians everywhere see this movie and actually do something about it.

Come to think of it, the Creigh Deeds for Governor campaign group just set up shop right next door to the store. I might just pop over and chat with the volunteers about the movie. I've never been into political battles, but I may just have to start dabbling in legislature a bit because it NEEDS to be changed.

I've said many times to the customers in the store that you should vote with your dollars. This film proves that it works! It works so well that your "voting" has encouraged Wal-Mart to offer organic options.

There's so much more that I could share about the movie, but it would really hit home if you just went to see it. Please go. It's an educational experience that everyone should have.

How Green is the Seven Cities?

Posted Thursday, August 6th, 2009 at 12:58 pm on AltDaily.com

What does green mean to locals?
by Amelia Baker

My dear friend and local photographer Jessica told me that while she was in the military the phrase “Ignorance is not an excuse” was frequently used. I do believe this phrase should translate to environmentalism and beyond.

Let me start by saying that I live in a green bubble. I own a green store, my husband is as green or greener than me, as is his family. All of my friends are green, and my parents and siblings are amenable to my green ways (whether they know it or not).

Now, you might think that I am some crazy extreme environmentalist that couldn’t possibly relate to why people live in a disposable world consuming so much every day. I’ll admit that I am crazy about making sure my own life treads lightly on this wondrous planet, but I get it. I know that every change makes a huge difference and for some people even the smallest of changes seems like a huge sacrifice. I get it, and I’m grateful for all green steps, big or small.

I am more than thrilled that eyes are opening up to the fact that we have limited resources, which we can’t go on using at this rate. Seriously, did you know that something like 60,000 plastic bags are used every five seconds? Eek! With this staggering stat, seeing more and more people using reusable bags allows me to be a little more at peace.

I’ll admit that I do judge green-ness of products and practices, and I can’t help it. It’s unfortunate that my home, Hampton Roads, comes in sub-par in the green ratings. Why? I’ll kick it off with the all-important matter of recycling. The fact that we have a combination of curbside and community recycling is splendid, but “acceptable” recyclables leaves quite a bit of trash in the trashcan. All plastics are recyclable, yet we can only recycle bottle-shaped plastic through our local service.

Wouldn’t it be great if everything wasn’t packaged in plastic? Um yeah, but that’s not reality. So instead we continue to pile up the landfills with items that should be recycled. But just because we might not win the battle against plastic doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be our greenest.

Here Are Three Ways Hampton Roads Can (And Should) Be Greener:

In my previous life in Huntington Beach, California, we didn’t have recycling bins. Gasp; a California town with no recycling bins?!?!? Yep, we had no bins, but everything that could be recycled got recycled. Why? ALL trash was sorted and the recyclables were pulled out. It was kind of like mandatory recycling. We could absolutely do that here in Hampton Roads, and bump the depressing results showing less than half of locals actually recycling.

On a bigger scale, did you know that our local coastline is one of the few ideal locations for offshore wind turbines? Theoretically if we jumped on this concept, we can produce sustainable energy for ourselves and sell energy to others around the country. And did you know that this wind energy concept would actually be less expensive than building and maintaining a coal plant? Right here in our own backyard is this amazing opportunity to lead the charge in sustainable, renewable energy–but damned if I don’t hear how this will NEVER happen. (I’ll admit that my political side isn’t quite as polished, so I’m sure there is somewhat of a political, bureaucratic nightmare holding this up.)

Something that I do believe Hampton Roads residents are exceptional at is supporting the local economy. The shiny, new word locavore is as big a part of the green community as any other notion. Being local saves a ton of carbon. Something like 1.1 billion barrels of oil would be conserved each week if Americans ate a locally produced meal just once per week. Fortunately, the cities that make up Hampton Roads offer eclectic mixes of neighborhoods that are home to many mom-and-pop boutiques, and residents are all for supporting these establishments. Lucky us, for having fantastic community agriculture projects that bring fresh local produce to the many farm markets scattered throughout the area. Two points for Hampton Roads leaning local.

So to conclude my highly opinionated thoughts and try to sell you on green, I’ll leave you dear readers with an analogy (as I hear that one good analogy is worth three hours of discussion): Green is to Hampton Roads as paint is to a wall. They both exist exclusively, but would really shine together.

Get going on your three-hour discussion…