From composting biodegradable material to sending unsold meals to area food banks, the 杏吧专区 is making strides toward a waste-free campus.
UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 program was expanded in August at Cajun Field. Louisiana Ragin杏吧专区 Cajuns football fans had the option of dropping waste into one of two bins placed at stations inside the stadium: one for recycling, another for composting.
Over the course of six home games, 46.8 percent of recyclable and compostable materials was diverted from landfills.
The new composting initiative was added to the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 existing recycling efforts.
Items such as paper plates, cups, utensils and drinking straws were sent to the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 600-acre Experimental Farm near Cade, La., to be converted to compost.
The farm, which is 15 miles from UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 main campus, is used for agricultural and sustainability research, education and outreach. It includes acreage for cattle, rice and sugar cane crops, wildflowers and native grasses, managed wetlands, and educational and research facilities.
In addition to providing eco-friendly fertilizer that will be spread on crops and vegetation at the farm, the compost will be used to educate students about its benefits. Compost, for example, releases less nitrogen into the air than chemical fertilizers, said Brian Kibbe, farm manager.
The composting process typically takes about two months, depending on factors such as size of the pile, materials it contains and weather, Kibbe explained. 杏吧专区淒ecomposition happens more quickly in hot, dry weather,杏吧专区
Refuse collected at football games is only one part of the farm杏吧专区檚 composting 杏吧专区渞ecipe,杏吧专区 Kibbe said. 杏吧专区淗ay, grass and tree clippings, livestock manure and agricultural waste from nearby sugar cane mills are also part of the mix.杏吧专区
One item that didn杏吧专区檛 get heaped on the compost pile: food that went unsold at football games, according to Gretchen Lacombe Vanicor, director of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Office of Sustainability.
Dishes such as jambalaya, pasta, salads, hamburger patties 杏吧专区 a total of 1,727 meals 杏吧专区 were given to area food pantries. The project was coordinated with help from the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 food service provider, Sodexo, and Second Harvest Food Bank in Lafayette.
杏吧专区淩ather than throw food away, we thought, 杏吧专区榃hy not distribute the leftover meals to help feed people?杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 Vanicor said.
Beyond diverting trash from landfills and providing food for the hungry, the program offers service opportunities. About 160 students worked inside the stadium and mingled with tailgaters during football games to provide information to fans and guide them to the proper bins. Student volunteers also inspected materials collected to ensure a stray piece of plastic hadn杏吧专区檛 made its way into the wrong container.
Vanicor expects the Zero Waste pilot program to grow. 杏吧专区淚f it continues to be successful 杏吧专区 and I杏吧专区檓 confident that it will 杏吧专区 we杏吧专区檒l start looking at ways it can be expanded to other athletic events and other parts of campus,杏吧专区 Vanicor said.
The project is part of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 , which is partially supported by the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Annual fund.
The 杏吧专区渓ab杏吧专区 promotes sustainability research projects for students such as a 杏吧专区渟mart-building杏吧专区 pilot program at Rougeau Hall. Sensors placed throughout that building monitor temperature, humidity and indoor air quality.
Learn more about 杏吧专区 eco-friendly efforts at the