LEAN AND GREEN
GEORGIA STATE'S ECO-FRIENDLY INITIATIVES GIVE SUSTAINABILITY THE GREEN LIGHT
IN THE LAST YEAR, Georgia State diverted 866 tons of material from landfills, enough to pack more than 57 10-wheeler dump trucks to the brim. The mass of that material trumps the tonnage of four full-grown blue whales.
That spared waste includes composted and recovered food, paper, plastic, metal, Styrofoam, furniture, electronics and more. As a result, Georgia State saved almost $20,000 in 2017 and reduced its landfill waste by 31 percent.
That’s just one example of how Georgia State is saving green by going green, says Jennifer Asman, sustainability program manager for the university.
“As a state-funded institution, it’s our duty to look at how we’re using our resources and spending our money,” Asman said. “But we shouldn’t think of sustainability as an added thing. We should infuse it into everything we do.”
Five years after creating an Office of Sustainability, the university has positioned itself as a leader in environmental ethics. Now, it’s moving the needle in novel ways.
TALKING TRASH
The university’s waste reduction measures are widespread and well developed. Its singlestream recycling system allows recycling bins on any campus and at Georgia State Stadium to accept various materials, including cardboard, metal, plastic and paper. The stadium houses the university’s recycling center.
Recycling capabilities have expanded to include hard-to-recycle materials, too, such as electronics, wooden pallets, appliances, textiles and clothing, scrap metal, ink and toner cartridges, light bulbs, batteries and more.
The university also recently added several BigBelly and SmartBelly solar-powered trash and recycling bins on campus and around tailgating areas at the stadium. The BigBelly compactor is as small as an ordinary trash can but can hold five times as much. The SmartBelly bin indicates how full it is in real time, which cuts down on unnecessary collections and prevents overflow.
BREAKING IT DOWN
Georgia State purchased an Expanded Polystyrene Densifier last fall to enable Styrofoam recycling across campus. The densifier pulverizes the Styrofoam into miniscule pieces and then melts the waste into molds. In the end, a single scrap of Styrofoam is compacted into 1/90th of its original size, and the environment is spared any pollutants.
Because the densification process significantly cuts down the amount of trash, Georgia State saves money on waste collection and trips to the landfill while reducing emissions from hauler trucks. The molds are then collected by third-party companies for reproduction into other materials such as picture frames.
As one of only three colleges in the nation to employ a densifier, the university has curtailed waste and hauling costs, and generated new revenue streams by selling the recycled Styrofoam molds.
PARKING LOT TO TABLE
Georgia State is flexing its green thumb, too. Since 2016, PantherDining has been growing lettuce and other greens in a hydroponic farming system known as the “Leafy Green Machine.”
The farm is within an upcycled shipping container behind the Piedmont North residence hall. Inside, hydroponics, growing equipment, LED lighting and climate controls cultivate an ideal environment for food growth 365 days a year. As many as 4,500 plants can flourish there while requiring only 10 gallons of water a day. Any unused water gets recycled back into the farm.
Campus eateries have been able to serve farm-to-table fare thanks to the Leafy Green Machine, and Asman has high hopes for the future of hydroponic agriculture on and around campus.
“We hope not only to expand urban farming here but also to share our success throughout the community,” she said.
DRIVING CHANGE
The university’s fleet vehicles and shuttles will soon be powered by biodiesel fuel blended from used cooking oil collected from campus dining halls and retail areas.
The fuel blend known as B20, short for “20 percent biodiesel,” is produced from waste cooking oil using solar energy. A renewable clean-diesel energy source, B20 offers plenty of benefits.
It’s biodegradable, nontoxic and domestically sourced, and can be used in existing diesel engines without requiring any modifications. Powering vehicles with B20 reduces the output of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfates and particulate matter by 10 to 20 percent.
A 12,000-gallon biofuel tank will be installed on campus to collect the oil and blend up the B20.
