In many Eastern Michigan University buildings, plastic and recycling bins stand proudly, but in others, the bins are conspicuously absent. The Eastern Eateries, while having a plastic recycling bin, is missing a paper one.
“We had a bin right next to the Eateries, and students used to put a little bit of everything in it,” said Larry Gates, director of dining services.
While green might be a color associated with EMU, the school still has a way to go. Gates admitted there’s still work to be done.
“It is something we’d like to do,” Gates said. “As far as sustainability period, we got rid of the trays so it wouldn’t be so wasteful, those kinds of things.”
He also expressed interest in working with other departments toward this, such as the Residence Hall
Association but wasn’t sure if something would be able to be done specifically in The Commons.
There is good news is EMU supports local food industries.
“We’re trying to buy local, trying to do as many things as we can do here on campus, some of the things people don’t even know about,” Gates said. “Seventeen percent of our food [is] bought locally in Michigan. And we went further and found out that if you call ‘locally’ within 400 miles, even if it’s over in Toledo … we’re at about 35 percent.”
There is definitely a future for green initiatives on campus.
“If you’ve got the energy to go through, to make sure everything is approved, there’s some things you can do out there,” Gates said.
