Thursday, January 29, 2009

According to this report in today's Flint Journal, college students are looking for green initiatives in their colleges and universities.


When this generation of students tours college campuses, their interest goes beyond lunch menus and recreation facilities. Green -- and not just tuition dollars -- is becoming increasingly important.
I admire the level of awareness (awareity? I like making up words) in today's youth.

At the University of Michigan-Flint, even dining has become a green experience.


Sandwich wraps are made of bamboo. Salad containers are made of corn. The silverware and coffee cups? Simply potato starch.

The eco-friendly products are sometimes double the cost, which can make food more expensive. But many students are willing to pay it.
When I was in college, I could barely afford a traditional sandwich from Drake's Sandwich Shop, but that was then and this is now ...

The report goes on to say that UM-Flint recently spent more than $100,000 to make the roughly 30 urinals in French Hall waterless, saving about 20,000 gallons of water per year.

With all of our water worries, maybe Newburyport should be investigating this, for the public buildings, and encouraging local businesses to do the same. 20,000 gallons per year is not a lot in the scheme of things (consider the proposed River Little Village - sorry, Shoppes - in Newbury would use 20,000 gallons/day), but that's just one building they're talking about.

But how exactly does a waterless urinal work? Check it out here, on the Kohler website. I'm no urinal expert (yet), but these look like they could also save space.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

$3000+ per urinal seems a little pricy. They only cost $300+, so that means they spent about $3000 each for installation. I would have like to bid on that job. :-)

You (providing you get a male to check that the rest room is empty) can see them at the rest area on Route 2 Westbound, just before the interchange with I-190 (in Leominster?).

Gillian Swart said...

Uh ... you want me to not only find a man willing to go on a urinal expedition with me, but you also expect me to find this rest area? You know how I am at finding things in unfamiliar locations ...

Anonymous said...

But, it's not near Lowell (although you do have to go past Lowell)!!!

Gillian Swart said...

So the Sprits of Misguidance will still infiltrate my vehicle, as I drive past Lowell.

Anonymous said...

Last year you could have visited the men's room at Shitty Hall to find one of these 'Water Savers' in use. The City was unable to properly maintain the unit (this I do not understand) and this Mayor ordered it removed. Of course keep in mind that the City is on the verge of begining it's payment system of water and sewer usage to the enterprize departments of the same name. Until two years ago all water use went unmeasured. Now all City buildings are under law supposed to renumerate the Enterprize Departments for the consumption as any property owner would.