Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1997)
Award: Program began small, now operates 700 sites ■ Continued from Page 1A difference in small ways. Several small recycling operations came and went at the University in the 1970s and early 1980s, but no for mal campus-wide system was es tablished. Then, in the late 1980s, students in the Survival Center formed a group with the goal of taking recy cling to the next level. Kaplan, who had come to the University in 1988 to receive her teaching cre dential, established herself as a prime force in the effort. "I was working in the EMU as a custodian at the time, and I was picking up newspapers and look ing for a place to put them,” she says. In 1989, Kaplan became the stu dent coordinator of the project and continued to work with the Uni versity to increase the amount of paper recycled, as well as to heighten awareness about recy cling. Students from environmen tal studies classes and other orga nizations pitched in, entirely on a volunteer basis. Around the same time, Jon Ron lack 490 East Broadway 338-4674 Transportation 101 J > i > > > > CYClt SHOP 342*4878 60 E 11th (between Oak & Willamette) Eugene, Oregon Cash for books Everyday. Always buying all kinds of books, including texts, paperbacks, Cliffs Notes, current magazines... Smith Family R o o k s t o r c "*(>8 I.asl I .•>111 • > »5 I (>5 I I Hlock from ( .unpiis Need a Job? Look in the ODE Classifieds Davis was working his way into a job with the Pearl Buck Center. The center had signed a contract with the University to provide pa per recycling on campus. Davis or ganized and managed the short lived partnership in its first year. After Pearl Buck defaulted on its contract sometime in the 1989 90 school year, Davis was left without a job. He convinced the University to hire him as a tempo rary employee, and he continued the program, recycling 16 tons of paper a month almost by himself. “I had just one student helping me with the placement of the new collection sites,” Davis says. “It was a monster challenge.” By that time, Kaplan and her gang had put up posters on cam pus, convinced the law school to use only unbleached paper and let many students know that more re cycling sites were available. In 1990, Kaplan was hired, and she and Davis formally joined forces. Davis handled operations, while she handled education. In 1991, the recycling program passed the first of two ballot mea i/ — sures to receive ASUO funds. Now, Kaplan manages three full-time staffers and 40 student employees. More than 700 collec tion sites dot the campus — for pa per, cardboard, glass and plastic. The program also collects and ed ucates on the reuse of various oth er substances. Davis, as paper recycling coor dinator, now oversees the collec tion of 00 tons of paper a month. Above and beyond As National Recycling Coalition Awards Chair Lisa Skumatz says, a campus program must show more than impressive numbers in order to receive a NRC honor. Six ty tons of paper and 700 sites are large numbers indeed, but it was the less visible aspects of the Uni versity program that put it over the top, Skumatz says. “They kept away from involv ing just a few and instead involved the whole campus," she says. “WeTe all in this together, and everybody’s kicking in,” Kaplan says. “The benefits are for every body.” Innovations and expansion are trademarks of the University pro gram, Director of University of Colorado Recycling Services Jack DeBell says. DeBell, whose pro gram won the NRC award in 1995, says the University program sets itself apart by its focus on reduc ing waste at all levels. “Nationally, there’s a handful of schools that are doing the work that University of Oregon is do ing,” he says. “In several respects, it is really setting the pace.” Other recycling program direc tors also cited the University pro gram’s budget as a primary factor in its excellence. The program re ceives $234,000 a year, funded both from the University and ASUO. In contrast, the UC pro gram maintains a budget of $400,000. Kaplan says the administration has been supportive, but the pro gram’s budget has forced her to ad just. “We model the [recycling] mes sage." she says. “We’ve had to be really resourceful.” Financially, the program ap pears to be more of a blessing than a burden. In 1995-96 alone, the program saved the University $141,309 in dumping and hauling costs. And in the same year, 42 percent of campus waste was re cycled, a five percent jump from the year before. Looking ahead In an age of severe budget cuts, the program's future probably doesn’t include improved finan cial security. But it does appear to be secure. Both University Presi dent Dave Frohnmayer and Vice President for Administration Dan Williams pledge their continuing support, and Kaplan and Davis are planning ahead. An increased focus on reducing waste rather than just recycling it is already in the works, Kaplan says. Winning the NRC award was nice, of course, Davis says, but don’t expect the Campus Recy cling Program to slow down. “You don’t stop just because you won an award,” he says. “There’s a lot of beauty in going beyond yourself and doing a bet ter job.” r** 5. © S P R I N C I P L K S O f s O L’ N D R H T I R E M K N T I N \' K S T I N C. OVER ONE MILLION OF THE BEST MINDS IN AMERICA HAVE ALREADY CHOSEN THE BEST RETIREMENT SYSTEM. TIAA-CREF. When it comes to planning a comfort able future, over 1.8 million of America's best and brightest count on TIAA-CREF. With $190 billion in assets, we're the world’s largest retirement company, the nation's leader in customer satisfaction, and the overwhelming choice ol people in education, research and related fields? The reason? For nearly 80 years, TIAA-CREF has introduced intelligent solutions to America’s long-term planning needs. We pioneered portable benefits. We invented the variable annuity and helped popularize the very concept of stock investing for retirement planning. Today, TIAA-CREF’s expertise offers an impressive range of ways to help you create a comfortable and secure tomorrow. From the guarantees of TIAA’s top-rated Traditional Annuity00 to the additional growth opportunities of our variable invest ment accounts, you II find the flexibility and diversity you need to help you meet your long-term goals. And they're all backed by some of the most knowledgeable investment managers in the industry. To learn more about the world's pre mier retirement organization, speak to one of our expert consultants at 1 800 842-2776 (8 a.m.-l 1 p.m. ET). Or better still, speak to one ot your colleagues. Find out why, when it comes to planning for tomorrow, great minds think alike. Visit us on the Internet at www.tiaa-cref.i Ensuring the future for those who shape it." org ;rWI °n a survey conduced in 1995 by an independent oration in which 96% of respondents expressed overall satisfaction w„h TIAA-CREF. T1AA ,s one of only a handful „l compan.es that currently hold the h,ghes, marks from the nation s leading independent rat.ng agencies for stability sound investments, claims-paying ability, and overall financial strength: A++ (Superior), A M Rest Co AAA dli . ... Service; AAA. Standard and Poor s. TIAA's guarantees are backed by its claims-^ying ability TW^tinZof TIM ^ ^ ‘"T” apply to GREF. CREF certificate, are distributed by TIAA-CREF Individual and Lfitutional WeT f £1Z1°a"°' charges and expenses, call , 800 842-2733. extens.on 5509, for a prospectus. Read the prospectus c. „ I belore you m^tt d Z^' 'nt'IUd'nS
