Greenhouse Gas Offsets @ OWU
Greenhouse Gas Offsets at OWU
The President’s Climate Commitment asks us to establish a policy of offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions generated by air travel paid for by our institution.
Issues:
- All OWU-funded air travel (from where, to where) must be compiled. Who would have this information?
- Class project in Krygier’s Geography 355 GIS course
- Include other OWU funded transportation: sports teams, CLEAR, fieldwork, mission trips, environmental trips
Add comment March 1, 2009
Ohio EPA Food Scraps Program & Meeting
On February 25 2009 a meeting Central Ohio Food Scraps Diversion Task Force was held in Columbus. The task force is a partnership between the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio.
Presenter 1: Joe Goicochea
- joe.goicochea@epa.state.oh.us
- Ohio EPA Division of Solid and Infectious Waste Management, Food Scraps Program
Food Scraps Program: education, funding, and forging partnerships
- food waste is the least recovered of waste in the US
- Youngstown State University study: food waste as 35% of university waste
- challenge: lack of composting facilities (changing)
- challenge: low Ohio disposal fees (cheaper to dump than to compost)
Hierarchy of Food Waste Recovery:
Private & Public sector projects:
- Ohio Grocers Foundation: training manual and composting program
- Kroger: composting program & training video (Marne Fuller): Delaware store south of OWU Campus will be involved in program in the future.
- Residential Collection: Huron, OH will begin collecting food waste with yard waste this year. Inspired by nearby resorts who compost their food waste.
- Youngstown State University composting (using EarthTub composter)
- Ohio University on-campus solar powered composting
Presenter 2: Tim Berlekamp
- Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO)
- Ohio law considers food waste to be solid waste, and thus solid waste fees apply when dumping. Disincentive to recycle food waste.
- SWACO has developed a system to capture methane from landfills to power SWACO vehicles. Thus food waste in landfills is not a total waste
Presenter 3: Erin Miller
- Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC)
- Waste Reduction Group, part of Energy & Environment Program
Presenter 4: Angel Arroyo-Rodriguez
- angel.arroyo-rodriguez@epa.state.oh.us
- Ohio EPA Division of Solid and Infectious Waste Management, Food Scraps Program
Presenter 5: Marne Fuller, Kroger
- first, donate viable food (food donation program), then compost
- currently, program is cost neutral
Additional Important Meeting Comments:
Composters need food waste mixed with paper, yard waste, untreated wood.
Food waste is heavy (3 cu yards = 1 ton) thus expensive to dispose of
Begin to simplify waste stream:
- Plastic and glass to recycle
- Food waste, yard waste, and paper to composter
- Non recyclable material to landfill
1 comment March 1, 2009
