projects
FALL 2006 — PRESENT

Fall 2007

Kitchen Recycling Program Pilot – Snyder/Phillips Hall:
New containers were introduced to begin to recycle kitchen materials such as aluminum, cardboard, tin and other kitchen waste. Additionally new educational signage focused on what could be recycled was introduced.

Individual student recycling in Snyder/Phillips Hall:
Using lessons learned from the individual student recycling pilot in spring semester 2007, new bags were given to Snyder-Phillips residents to collect recycled materials. Students took trash and recyclables to a common area. Recyclables were source separated by students.

Library Restroom Pilot Project:
Many restrooms at Michigan State have not updated equipment for several years. New technology has been available to create more energy and water efficient restrooms. The 1st floor men and women’s restrooms at the Main Library are two of the busiest restrooms on campus. A combination of researchers, building staff and engineers will upgrade the bathrooms with equipment that use less energy and water and measure the savings (environmental and cost savings) of the installment.

Campus Recycling Behavior Survey:
The Behavior Technical Team will administer a comprehensive survey on recycling behaviors to help the systems and operational teams design a waste reduction and recycling program that best meets the needs of the Michigan State University community. State of the art sampling and survey techniques will be used. The results will shape the communications campaign and the operation of the proposed recycling facility.

Summer 2007

Energy/Materials/Behavior/Communications/C.R.E.S.T. Summer Study:
From June – August 2007, twelve buildings were part of a study that tested different hypotheses for reducing energy demand and waste. Six buildings tested variables related to materials and six building were focused on energy.

Academic Building Pilot Recycling Study Key Informant Process Interviews:
After the summer studies were complete, key informant interviews were conducted with environmental stewardship team members, building staff, and key operational staff to evaluate the study and the communications tools they were given. The feedback included the communications tools provided to the environmental stewardship teams were very useful; however communications regarding operational changes will need to be more clearly communicated to all operational staff to avoid confusion.

Spring Semester 2007

Mental Models Study of undergraduate students:
Mental modeling is a behavior research method to understand how a particular topic is perceived by the target audience. In this case, recycling was chosen as a topic among students and they were asked several questions about their knowledge of recycling (e.g. do you recycle? What do you recycle? Where do you recycle? What are barriers to recycling? What is your knowledge about recycling? Why do you recycle?) At Michigan State University. The key findings showed that most students were confused about what can be recycled and where people could find recycling locations. The research concluded that communications messages should be educational and focused on how and where to recycle on campus.

April 2007

Faculty Recycling Survey:
In an effort to better understand the current recycling behaviors of faculty, a survey was administered. The key findings showed that faculty had a lack of understanding of where materials could be recycled and which materials were recyclable at Michigan State University.

March 2007

Manly Miles Recycling Pilot:
The Manly Miles building was used as a pilot site to explore methodologies for evaluating waste reduction and recycling variables. Trash sort techniques as well as recycling data collection methods were tested before efforts were scaled up for the 2007 Summer Study.

C.R.E.S.T. double-sided printing study:
The Cost and Returns Environmental Stewardship Team (CREST) conducted an analysis on the cost and environmental savings that could be realized by purchasing a duplex (two-sided) printing option on high volume printers and copiers. Their research concluded that there was significant environmental and operational cost savings by replacing high volume one sided printer copiers with two-sided printer copiers. Additional research was conducted for lower volume printers, and a chart was created to show the printing volume that was required to “break even” to offset the additional cost of purchasing the duplex option on the printer.

February 2007

Kill-A-Watt Case Hall Energy Reduction Competition:
The goal of the Case Hall pilot project was to increase student awareness of their energy consumption rates and educate students on how to conserve/reduce their energy demands.  Residents of the North and South wings of Case Hall competed against each other to see which wing could reduce its energy by the greatest percentage during the allotted time.

The competition winner was awarded the ECO Kill-A-Watt Trophy and registered students from the winning wing won numerous prizes through a raffle.

Residence Hall Recycling (individual) Pilot:
(project is ongoing)
Test of individual canvas recycling containers in Holmes, Hubbard, Williams and Shaw Hall. Pilot was successful, so individual recycling was continued through May 2007. The above halls will now be part of the first phase of a more comprehensive environmental program to be launched in the residence halls for 2007-08.

November 2006

Michigan State University announces that it will join the Chicago Climate Exchange:
The University announces that it will join the Chicago Climate Exchange in November 2006.  This commits the University to a six percent reduction of CO2 emissions by 2010. 

Recycling Focus Group Study of clerical technical staff, operations/custodial staff, and undergraduate students:
The main purpose of this study is to explore what MSU students and non-students know and do about solid waste and recycling on campus. The results of the study will be used to gain information about perceptions and uses of the campus solid waste disposal system and recycling efforts.

Creation of Commissioning Teams:
A Commissioning Team was developed to identify buildings that would result in energy savings and reductions through re-commissioning, retro commissioning, or commissioning. 

Anaerobic Digester Study:
An anaerobic digester research study is underway using food waste from the residence halls (50,000 meals per day for 16,000 students) and animal waste from the south campus farms area in anticipation of a permanent digester to be developed resulting in using methane as an alternative energy source for MSU. 

Pack Up, Pitch In:
When students pack up for the year, items such as food, clothing, furniture, loft lumber, and electronics are taken to a designated location and donated to a charitable organization that supports members of the community. Housing & Food Service, the Office of Recycling and Waste Management and the environmental stewardship systems team will be working to expand the program this year.