Trees, Bees, and Sustainability

Trees, Bees, and Sustainability

By:

Mason Weatherholt

Kaitlynn Hamby

Dray Sumpter

Daniel Gelso

Photo by: Mason Weatherholt. This is a photograph of a mini rain garden on the West Side Terrace of CCIT.

Sustainability is typically thought of in a political sense; a term used by politicians to lure citizens into believing that positive and genuine efforts are being made to maintain the environment and our use of its resources. According to Global Footprints, there is no universally agreed upon definition of sustainability. However, there are many different views on what it is and how it can be achieved. The original definition of sustainability development is, “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” In layman’s terms, sustainability is basically the addition of new resources for every absorption of another resource. Meaning, that anything we use or take, we give back to where it originated. For instance, we cut down a tree in a vacant lot to build a new building, when that new building is erected, we plant multiple trees all around it. Seems simple now, right? Well not exactly, there is a lot more to it than that. The concepts behind modern day “sustainability” existed long before the term was coined. Originally, there were six relatively separate guiding ideas before the term “sustainability” was used, “ecological/carrying capacity root, resources/environment root, biosphere root, critique of technology root, ‘no growth’/‘slow growth’ root, and the ecodevelopment root” (Kidd).

            According to Kidd, the first time the term “sustainability” was used in reference to the future of mankind was in 1972 in the book Blueprint for Survival. In 1972, “normative concepts” concerning sustainability were popular, and this was still the case in 1974, when the term was used in the United States as a justification for a “no growth” economy. Sustainability is usually used and thought of in a political sense, but it has a purpose in development as well.  It is becoming more and more common to construct buildings so that they are more environmentally friendly. For example, Frostburg State University has two buildings that are LEED certified.

Sustainability as it pertains to our college institution is basically multiple efforts to continue to receive funding by completing several different environmental programs. They seek to acquire a certain amount of funding from the state and local governments for their efforts to be ‘green’ and help the local environment. So essentially, every tree that they plant, every rain garden they build, and any other efforts made such as recycling, composting or proper waste management, will gain them more funding to better support those programs. Which, if you think about it, is truly amazing. They can start these programs and expand them until they literally pay for themselves. Which begs the question, why don’t all institutions practice sustainability on a larger scale?

Photo by: Mason Weatherholt. This is a photo of another rain garden located on the roof of Frostburg State University's Gira Center, as well as a photo of the draining system that collects the rainwater for the rain gardens.

            Well, actually, the popularity of sustainability is increasing, which is fantastic for our environment. More and more campuses across the nation are adopting these practices and more local governments are creating programs for increased funding to help support sustainability. All of this is great, but “will it actually make a difference?” is what most people beg to inquire. While that may be an important question to ask, the primary focus should be that any progress is progress and if all institutions and governments adopt these sustainability practices, eventually we can slow the rate of climate change and deforestation on a massive scale. That should be our goal, on the larger scale, not whether or not it makes a difference right here and right now.

Photo by: Mason Weatherholt. LEED Gold Certification for the Construction of CCIT in 2014-2015 (Located in the main hall of CCIT).

In recent years, Frostburg State University has been making great strides in their efforts to be a green and environmentally sustainable campus. Paper straws instead of plastic straws are available for use in the dining hall, newer buildings are constructed in compliance with sustainability standards, and there are several rain gardens on campus, for example. According to Rain Garden Network, rain gardens are, “a shallow depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses. The garden should be positioned near a runoff source like a downspout, driveway or sump pump to capture rainwater runoff and stop the water from reaching the sewer system”. FSU has more than three rain gardens on campus. They also have at least seven different sustainability program categories on campus: Building Operation and Maintenance, Design and Construction of new buildings, the purchase of cleaning products, the purchasing of office paper, LED Exit signs, lighting in the Performing Arts Center, and occupancy sensors in some buildings on campus. FSU also has a sustainability minor, composts, recycles, and is a member of Tree Campus USA. 

Photo by: Mason Weatherholt. This is one of the larger rain gardens located in front of CCIT. This is where all the drains that collect rainwater empty out.

Tree Campus USA is a program that was created by the Arbor Day Foundation in 2008 and sponsored by Toyota with the intention of, “honoring colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation”.  In order to gain the title of “Tree Campus,” FSU had to follow Tree Campus USA’s five standards: maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated yearly expenses for the campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, as well as a student service learning project. Trees planted on campus as part of this program are trees native to the area, although they are less common types. FSU’s tree advisory committee prefers less well-known tree species because some of the more well-known species get diseases easily. They purchase the trees from local tree nurseries. 

FSU was first awarded the title of Tree Campus USA in 2012 and has maintained the title every year since then. In 2016, FSU students approved a Sustainability Fee application so 16 native trees could be purchased and planted in replacement of white ash trees on campus that died from infestation of invasive pests. This replacement of dead trees helped FSU to maintain the title in 2016. FSU also works with Tree City USA on volunteer projects in Frostburg, and FSU will become a bee campus soon, as well. Dr. Sunshine Brosi will be part of Bee and Tree Campus for FSU. FSU is not only a Tree Campus though. FSU also composts food scraps, and some dining services even donate leftover food to the local food bank. 

Photo by: Mason Weatherholt. This is a photograph of more of the rain garden in front of CCIT as well as the trees, bushes, and plants in the garden.

FSU has its own composting machine, and composts food from the dining hall that is left uneaten after meals, as well as food that is left on plates returned to the kitchen. The pre-production, such as rinds from melons, and the leftover scraps are separately cut down into a pulp, and then combined in the composting machine. The machine can hold about 25 gallons of food pulp and the entire process, from input to output, takes about two weeks. This means that about every two weeks, 25 gallons of food is composted. There are about 52 weeks in a year, so 26 weeks of composting 25 gallons of food pulp means approximately 650 gallons of food is composted every year, and this program was implemented at FSU about four years ago. The program is still relatively new, but already pretty successful. However, the system isn’t perfect yet, so there is still waste on campus that needs to be properly disposed of, unfortunately.

Graph by: Mason Weatherholt

The Safety Office within the Office of Human Resources put an outline of procedures regarding the disposal of waste into action through a series of laws and regulations dictating how waste is disposed of. The steps taken in order to rid the environment of toxic waste begins with preliminary measures. Due to the rising national concern about the waste chemicals being dumped without concern of the consequences, the Office of Human Resources Safety Office controls how the hazardous waste from FSU’s campus is disposed of. The page specifically mentions that, in the majority of circumstances, chemicals and chemical products are not to be poured down the drain or discarded in the trash. There is a designated area where chemical products are to be disposed of with needed information regarding proper disposal provided. For example, certain chemicals should not be mixed together: non-chlorinated solvents, flammables, and oxidizers.  

The chemical waste is picked up every 90 days, and if needed, there are emergency pickups for life threatening situations. The waste containers are labeled with when the waste was placed in the container. This is relevant because, as the website states, “it is essential that an accurate, up-to-date inventory be maintained of chemical contents.” There is also a waste minimization program enforced under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) that provides strict guidelines concerning the process of waste being created, separated, and later disposed of. Specifically, waste paints and solvents are potentially hazardous to the environment.  

A person disposing of paint has to first determine if the paint is latex or oil-based. If the paint includes latex, the paint is not a threat to the environment or ground water systems. Latex paints are allowed to be placed into standard waste disposal containers. The paint containers are allowed to be disposed of when almost all of the paint is emptied from the can and the remaining paint sticking to the container is completely dried out. Oil-based paints and solvents are a threat to the environment and water systems, so they must be disposed of through the Office of Human Resources Safety Office. The more dangerous solvents, “turpentine, turpex, xylene, toluene, mineral spirits and like products should be collected in a bulk container…to minimize disposal cost.” The area where the containers are disposed of should be a, “well-ventilated area, free from open flame, heat and sparks.”