The Green Team conducted a Œdebriefing¹ of the September 25 campus Green Up,
Clean up with the assistance of Patricia Nolin, Special Assistant to the
President, during their October meeting. The Clean Up event was deemed very
successful from many standpoints, but the most interesting information came
from the trash stream data analysis provided by Henry Barnard School (HBS)
students with the assistance of their teacher (and Green Team member) Marty
Roberts.
Cigarette butts and beverage containers accounted for over 80% of trash
collected. HBS students found this surprising and unacceptable and they had
very specific recommendations for the Green Team. The HBS students have
offered to help conduct non-smoking and anti-litter campaigns to educate RIC
students, faculty, and staff. The Green Team response to these suggestions
was positive, and the prospect of school children initiating and leading
campaigns for adult green education was a refreshing, heartening, and truly
original idea.
Each month, the Green Team meetings are well attended by a wide variety of
campus community members. If you haven¹t attended a meeting, I encourage you
to do so in the upcoming months. If you are interested in learning more
about us or would like to join the mailing list, please contact me at
jgiroux@ric.edu. Together we are making a difference!
