Thursday, January 21, 2010
After realizing the engineering buildings on campus are a bit lacking in recycling bins, five engineering students have taken it upon themselves to make sure their peers have a place to put their used cans and newspapers. But to them, it’s a little more personal than just recycling.
Len Necefer, a junior from Lawrence, describes plans to place recycle bins throughout the engineering halls at KU. Necefer and members of the American Indian Science in Engineering Society (AISES) will be seeking funds from the student senate for the project today.
The five students are all members of the recently reorganized American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and their purpose behind expanding the recycling program runs as deep as their heritage.
“From a personal standpoint, being Native American, one of the philosophies that they always teach us is that Earth is your mother,” Len Necefer, a junior from Lawrence, said. “A lot of it is taking care of what’s been given to us.”
Trudy Curley, a sophomore from Lawrence, re-established AISES in August after about a six-year hiatus from the club.
“This recycling thing is pretty much a big step for us,” Trudy said.
The group has added 40 recycling bins near Eaton Hall, Learned Hall and Spahr Engineering Library. Twenty are made of cardboard and collect plastic and aluminum items while the other 20 are made of plastic and collect either newspapers or office pak. He estimated that the halls had about 40 to 50 trash bins in comparison.
In addition to improving recycling in the engineering buildings, Necefer said the group wanted to prove to the engineering students and faculty that recycling is an integral part of responsible engineering. He said though the University worked to make campus buildings more efficient, students and faculty shouldn’t forget to recycle.
“Being an engineer, it’s like we look for where to improve efficiencies,” Necefer said. “Even though recycling and waste management isn’t necessarily a direct mechanical engineering application, it’s still an efficiency. This building still produces waste.”
Necefer said he had seen some resistance toward the group’s sustainability goal when several recycling bins were vandalized.
“Part of it is just providing the choice,” Necefer said. “I’m not trying to force anything on anybody because that’s counterproductive.”
Necefer and other members of AISES are seeking funds from Student Senate today to help finance the project.
— edited by Michael Holtz
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