| Beautification Day goes greener with focus on
sustainability BY ADRIENNE FRANK There’s more to next week’s 14th annual Campus Beautification festivities than mulch and moonflowers. “This year we wanted to broaden the Campus Beautification theme to include all the wonderful green initiatives that we either implemented this year, or that are in the planning stages,” said Mark Feist, assistant director of facilities management. “After all, sustainability certainly goes hand in hand with beautification.” More than 700 faculty, staff, and students are expected to turn out for the campus clean-up, Apr. 10. In addition to bedding plants and picking up litter, participants will enjoy a “clean car show” on the quad featuring hybrid, electric, and solar vehicles. AU’s sustainability coordinator, Lindsay Madeira ’06, also will showcase her vegetable oil–powered car. People can also check out AU’s eco-friendly fleet, which includes two biodiesel vehicles. According to Madeira, the shuttle buses will soon begin running on biodiesel—a mixture of soybean oil and diesel fuel that releases fewer toxins into the air. People can also learn more about AU’s ongoing sustainability initiatives, including an energy efficient irrigation system and compost made from organic waste, as well as programs that are still in the planning stages. 
For example, this summer, a green roof will be installed on the Media Production Center. Students from nearby Horace Mann Elementary School will help pot plants for the new roof. Later this year, the grounds staff will implement an organic turf maintenance program on the quad. “We’re doing the right thing, and we have been for a long time now,” said Feist. “This will allow us the opportunity to get the word out about all of our green
initiatives. “We need the support of the AU community behind us; we want everyone on campus to feel like they’re a part of the sustainability effort.” |
