TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona campus has put a heavy emphasis on sustainability with society at large making living green such a priority.

For that purpose UA President Robert Shelton created a campus sustainability committee last September and named Dr. Glenn Schrader the chair.

Schrader and crew address all issues concerning sustainability, including “everything from greening the campus to outreach,” he said. The committee has created a UA-sponsored Web site on sustainability.

The committee is also piloting a sustainability rating system to evaluate how sustainable the UA campus is.

It also plans to set goals for the next two, five and 10 years in terms of campus sustainability. Schrader sees a great opportunity for “several megawatts” of solar energy to be used, as well as increased recycling and water conservation.

Liz Zavodsky, the UA Residence Life coordinator of sustainability education, oversees residence hall recycling as well as programming in which students learn about conserving water, climate change and how they can live a low-impact life.

She also coordinates an effort for students to donate their appliances and clothes instead of throwing them away at the end of the year.

The Recyclemania competition encompassed 5,700 students recycling 57,776 pounds of materials in 10 weeks, including 18,221 pounds of plastic.

“I think the point of it for this year is really to start educating students so next year they can start to (make) a better impact,” Zavodsky said.

She said she sees students in the dorms excited to have Eco-Reps, who lead the recycling charge in the halls and hold meeting to discuss campus environmental issues. They have also helped persuade the Student Union dining services to start phasing out Styrofoam cups used for free water in favor of plastic cups that can be recycled.

In addition, IQ Fresh will stop providing wasteful brown paper bags as much, Zavodsky said.

She said she’s optimistic for the future of sustainability on campus because President Shelton signed the presidential climate commitment.

“I see it taking off and soaring high,” she said.

Also, when the campus builds new residence halls it will use LEED environmentally sustainable materials.

“The future of sustainability on campus might not be the trendy sustainability we know, but I guarantee it will be in anything we’re doing and standards when we build new buildings,” Zavodsky said.

She added the UA Bookstore has a new shop sustainable area with free trade products, recycled notebooks and recycled paper.

In another area of campus there’s talks of expanding Recyclemania to make it a campus-wide competition.

As for recycling she sees two main problems, however: people not caring about recycling and not having enough areas to recycle on campus. Worse is when a student throws out something like a half-eaten McDonald’s hamburger, which contaminates the other recyclables.

“It’s educating people that’s so important,” Zavodsky said. “I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere except bigger and better for the future of the campus as a whole. The president is committed and student organizations are really passionate as well.”

Zavodsky, in her first year in her current position after five years as a residence hall director, “definitely” sees growth on the UA campus but knows the campus can reach more sustainable heights.

“Stay tuned I guess you could say,” she said.

Click here for an article on two reporters living green and un-green, respectively, for three days.