Knoxville News Sentinel -- UT talking trash for Earth Month
April 1, 2008
It's not often you see a mound of garbage bags heaped as high as a pile of University of Tennessee linemen on the Joe Johnson-John Ward walkway on campus.
UT's staging of "Mount Trashmore" near Hodges Library on Monday was meant to raise awareness about waste and recycling on campus for Earth Month, starting today.
"This is the official representative of an hour's worth of trash on campus," said Jay Price, environmental coordinator for UT Facilities Services.
The campus generated more than 46,000 pounds of trash a day - or roughly 8,565 tons in 2007.
UT recycled about 1,000 tons of materials last year, including paper, plastic, aluminum, scrap metal, light bulbs, electronics, hardback books, ink cartridges and batteries.
More than 18 tons of plastic cups and bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard and newspaper were recycled during the 2008 football season.
Skirting Mount Trashmore and a sprawling pile of recyclables at its base were tables loaded with empty plastic bottles by some of the nation's larger bottled water companies.
Stephanie Droste-Packham, a sophomore environmental studies major, spent the morning and early afternoon in drizzling rain asking students to consider drinking tap water instead of buying bottle water, which requires a lot of petroleum to make the bottles.
"Not only would you save money by using tap water, but you would save oil from the plastic production," said Droste-Packham, also a representative of Students Promoting Environmental Action in Knoxville (SPEAK).
She asked students to sign a pledge opting for tap water over bottled water, as well as to support local officials backing stronger public water systems.
Earth Month at UT features speakers, movies and several opportunities to get involved with the university's Make Orange Green campaign.
The "Lunch and Learn" lectures take place from 12:15-12:45 p.m. each Wednesday in room 221 of the University Center.
Films will be shown at 7 p.m. each Wednesday in April in Room 27 of the Alumni Memorial Building.
Darren Dunlap may be reached at 865-342-6334.
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