FAMU Opens Recycling Center

Photo by Christal Searcy
FAMU officials rallied together to open the university’s Recycling Center on Thursday, Feb. 5.

By Christal Searcy
Outlook Writer

A new chapter has begun at Florida A&M University with the unveiling of a new center.

FAMU celebrated the grand opening of a recycling center Thursday, taking a major step in making the school a “no waste” campus.

The opening of the Recycling Center marks another milestone in the university’s sustainability initiative and serves to encourage environmental stewardship.

“We are seizing opportunities for our campus to be a living-learning laboratory in an evolution toward greater sustainability. One resource that we have in abundance here at FAMU is the enthusiasm and dedication in these student leaders. These student leaders are joyfully, creatively and passionately living out their deep concern for responsible stewardship for natural and human resources,” said Kathryn Ziewitz, sustainability institution coordinator.

Prior milestones include the campus partnering with Goodwill, Red Cross and other thrift stores to host a move-out donation event at the end of every semester. FAMU also competed in the annual Recycle mania contest to reduce waste and increase recycling efforts. On campus organizations such as Environmental Sciences Student Organization and FAMU Green Coalition, which targets sustainability issues on campus have also been contributing factors to recylcing .Trays have been removed from dining locations to save energy and water and FAMU winning the local CANpaign aluminum recycling competition hosted by the city of Tallahassee this past year.

Florida A&M University President Elmira Mangum joined the Environmental Health and Safety Department, Sustainability Institution and the FAMU community for the ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 5.

“Our interest and efforts in recycling are important to our sustainability on the planet. It is important that we understand that as part of a university community that we are committed to sustainability in all aspects of our environment from the water, the food, the energy and everything it takes for us to sustain life. It is important that we learn those things while learning all of the other things being studied at this Institution,” said Mangum.

There were many student interns and volunteers in attendance, who assisted with the recycling program. Taylor Essue, a graphic design student at FAMU interned and helps design.

“Initially, this campaign started as a class assignment for sustainable FAMU. We made the campaign. We started to get the word out. We got people’s opinions and it ended up being used towards building this recycling center,” said Essue.

There were more students on hand like Taj- Marie Nevins, an environmental science student at FAMU who was allured by the program.
“I think this center is great for the school because eventually it can go out into the community. It’s starting small and it will eventually branch out to other campuses, other communities until Tallahassee is recycling,” said Nevins.

FAMU recycling center features the Environmental Health and Safety Department, Sustainability Institution and the FAMU community commitment in turning FAMU into a “no waste” campus. Zero Waste is a philosophy and a design principle for the 21st Century. It includes ‘recycling’ but goes beyond recycling by taking a ‘whole system’ approach to the vast flow of resources and waste through human society. Zero Waste maximizes recycling, minimizes waste, reduces consumption and ensures that products are made to be reused, repaired or recycled back into nature or the marketplace.