LSC Goes Green

            Last week the Sustainability Club came forth with some of their frustrations with the school; now the school wants a say.

            After hearing that the club was having some issues with the school's food service program, Aramark, Adam Vigue, the Food Service Director, was more than happy to provide answers to the frustrating questions the club has been asking.

            "I would love to meet with them [The Sustainability Club]… any issues that they have, they can definitely come see me," says Vigue who is also a member of Lyndon's Sustainability Committee.

            When asked about the use of local food in the dining hall and the Hornet's Nest, Vigue stated that they do buy the majority of the food they use from the Black River Company. Black River is known for producing and delivering foods locally. Although it is a step in the right direction it isn't quite like using the local farms in our area.

            Vigue understands that there are a lot of farms in the area to buy from but explains that there are many requirements needed to be a vender to Aramark.

            "All of our venders need to go through a rigorous process to be a vender, they have to go through safety plans , they need to carry so much insurance and have a whole set of guidelines. We can only buy through reputable buyers…if somebody gets sick, it's on us."

            With that being said, they are planning a locally themed meal in Steven's Dining Hall for the beginning of October. The meal will be entirely Vermont local foods.

            Composting was also an issue for the Sustainability Club. During an event following hurricane Irene it was noticed that the compostable plates and silverware were not being used and extra trash was being created from ketchup packets.

            "Right after the hurricane we could not get some items in, so we had to use the regular plates," replies Vigue. He also says that they try to use the compostable items "as often as possible."

            It wasn't just an issue of using compostable materials but also having a place to collect it. The Sustainability Club created waste receptacles to be placed in the Hornet's Nest and in the common rooms of the dorms. These were mostly for sorting out recycling and trash but extra ones placed in the Hornet's Nest were to be used for compostable materials. According to the club it took approximately half a semester for the receptacles to be left in place.

            Maintenance Director, Tom Archer remembers hearing about the incident but was unable to give an answer as to why it happened. However he was more than happy to tell me about the new LED lights throughout the campus.

            By just changing the bulbs outside, Archer says that it has "cut energy for outside lights by two thirds."

            Not only have they upgraded to new bulbs, they have added in occupancy sensors that allow the already efficient lights to become twice as efficient by ensuring that they aren't left on when no one is using them.

            The Sustainability Club had been concerned about what happened with the old bulbs that have been replaced by the LED bulbs.

            "I do know that no bulbs are thrown in the garbage here, they are recycled," Archer assures us.

            He also says that maintenance has been working closely with Efficiency Vermont to do energy audits and try to lower the schools energy consumption even more than it already has. Some of the changes have included new windows, more insulation, heat controls, smaller boilers, and deciding when to run those boilers. All of these seem to be working. According to Archer, Lyndon is being recognized for cutting back its energy consumption more than anyone else.

            "We are constantly working on this," says Archer. He is happy to work with any of the students and faculty on conservation projects and is eager to hear any ideas about what could be done differently.