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 Trent Kicks Off New Academic Year with Eco-Trent InitiativeFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Sustainability Programs in Full Swing Across Campus Monday, September 17, 2007, Peterborough
EcoTrent is an umbrella program that works on new initiatives while also promoting the environmental successes of existing programs across campus. Programs include a wide range of activities, such as recycling, composting, the Stan Adamson Powerhouse, energy conservation, green roofs, extensive natural areas, and specialty recycling for electronics, batteries, printer cartridges, cell phones, and fluorescent tubes. New for this year is the expansion of the composting program to include all five residences at Trent, and an active volunteer program to encourage student participation in greening events and activities. Managed by Shelley Strain, the University’s new sustainability coordinator, these programs will provide numerous benefits to the Trent community. “Beyond the obvious benefits of reducing Trent’s environmental impact, Eco-Trent is intended to educate students, staff and faculty about their role as environmental stewards,” explained Ms. Strain. “Another great advantage will be the cost savings experience by the University as these initiatives start to catch on.” Ms. Strain noted that Trent has a long history of proactive environmental programs with strong participation by the campus community. “Eco-Trent will help to centralize the good work currently underway and will help the University attract students who are environmentally conscious,” she said. “Trent University is already well known for its contributions to the environment, and is continuously finding creative ways of extending this in its operations while encouraging students to take a leadership role in these new programs,” said Bonnie Patterson, President of Trent University. “I’m proud to see the University community as a whole embrace Eco-Trent and bring an ecological consciousness into their daily living, learning and working environments.” Future initiatives under the Eco-Trent banner will include working with student groups such as Sustainable Trent and the Trent University Geographic Society. With the coordinated efforts of these groups, they will be implementing programs such as the lug-a-mug program, encouraging use of china plates at campus eateries and expanding usage of the recycling program. Trent’s Physical Resources Department is also looking at continuing with a program of lighting retrofits, low-flow shower heads replacements, changing remaining exit signs to LED lights, installing light occupancy sensors, plus conducting a full-scale waste audit and a complete inventory of all of the existing environmental work already underway on campus. -30- For further information, please contact Shelley Strain, sustainability coordinator at (705) 748-1011, ext. 7157 |
Trent University has launched or improved a series of new programs under the new “Eco-Trent” initiative designed to bolster its environmental performance on campus.