Recycling and Conservation

Southampton Graduate Campus prides itself on being a leader in environmental education. The college's mission is to "educate students to care for the world". The Environmental Coordinator brings this mission to the local area by helping students, faculty, staff and administrators to care for the campus environment. In Fall 2003, Peter Maniscalco was hired as the college's first Environmental Coordinator.

The first year was dedicated to an energy conservation audit of campus buildings. The audit was very successful; it showed that for a modest investment, a great deal of money could be saved by instituting a conservation program. The summary concludes an investment of $160,000 in energy conservation measures will lead to a$60,000 per year savings from our electric bill. This means in roughly two-and-one-half years the investment will be paid back. From that point on the college will pocket the savings.

The second year's effort dealt mainly with the recycling program. The college entered into an agreement with the Town of Southampton, the final destination of the campus' recyclables. The college has been collecting mixed recyclables and has added an all paper recycling effort. Spring 2004 is being used to expand the program. The college has purchased two state-of-the-art recycling centers and is in the process of making recycling units which will fit in with the furniture design in the administrative buildings.

Research is being conducted as to how a composting program may work on campus. On-campus composting and removal of food waste to agricultural sites are being studied, as well as planning the possibility of incorporating an anaerobic digester into our plans.

The Greenprint Committee a major conference at the college in Fall 2004. The United Nations has declared the years 2005 - 2015 "The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development." The decade will generate great excitement internationally and we are claiming Southampton Graduate Campus' leadership in this area through this conference. Our outreach extends to all hihg schools and midle schools on Long Island and seeks to partner with them in this effort. Environmental Coordinator Peter Maniscalco serves as the coordinator of this activity.