USF joins The Clean Air Counts Group
The University of St. Francis has made a commitment to undertake voluntary efforts to reduce smog in the Chicago region by joining The Clean Air Counts (CAC) Group.
As part of the CAC Group, USF will assess opportunities to reduce emissions and conserve energy in areas related to transportation, energy, operations and maintenance and development. The university also agrees to simple, annual reporting about their reduction strategies so that the campaign can quantify members’ efforts.
"This effort is part of the Greening of Campus project at USF that provides a new opportunity to further explore the critical issues, problems and solutions we still face on our campus and in our world," said Salim Diab, USF professor of chemistry and Greening of Campus committee chairman.
The Greening of the Campus committee is dedicated
to seeing that the university, not just be environmentally
conscious, but that it becomes a leader in the
community when it comes to the environmental sensitivity
and education, according to Diab.
The first project of the committee was to get
the entire university to print nearly everything,
from memos and syllabi to exams and reports, on
two-sided paper; a small step in the right direction,
Diab noted.
The university, in its continuing effort to be more environmentally conscious, has also recently contracted with Solid Waste Solutions Co. (SWS) to audit of the university’s waste and procedures. This will help improve the university’s recycling program, said Diab.
The Greening of Campus Committee will also have input into the renovation of campus buildings, including the historic Motherhouse and the Marian Hall residence facility, as part of USF’s campus master plan.
The Greening of Campus is an interdisciplinary movement that allows people representing diverse areas in university communities to share information on environmental issues. These areas range from the practical day-to-day management of the physical plant to "green" curriculum development and "green" utilization of campus resources. The areas are bound by common concerns for achieving environmental soundness through safe and sane management of resources. The campus community can become a "green" model for society as a whole by gathering and sharing this information, said Diab.
The University of St. Francis, at 500 Wilcox St. in Joliet, serves more than 4,300 students nationwide. The university offers more than 60 areas of undergraduate study and 10 graduate programs.