From composting biodegradable material to sending unsold meals to area food banks, the 小蝌蚪APP is making strides toward a waste-free campus.
UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 program was expanded in August at Cajun Field. Louisiana Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajuns football fans had the option of dropping waste into one of two bins placed at stations inside the stadium: one for recycling, another for composting.
Over the course of six home games, 46.8 percent of recyclable and compostable materials was diverted from landfills.
The new composting initiative was added to the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 existing recycling efforts.
Items such as paper plates, cups, utensils and drinking straws were sent to the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 600-acre Experimental Farm near Cade, La., to be converted to compost.
The farm, which is 15 miles from UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 main campus, is used for agricultural and sustainability research, education and outreach. It includes acreage for cattle, rice and sugar cane crops, wildflowers and native grasses, managed wetlands, and educational and research facilities.
In addition to providing eco-friendly fertilizer that will be spread on crops and vegetation at the farm, the compost will be used to educate students about its benefits. Compost, for example, releases less nitrogen into the air than chemical fertilizers, said Brian Kibbe, farm manager.
The composting process typically takes about two months, depending on factors such as size of the pile, materials it contains and weather, Kibbe explained. 小蝌蚪APP淒ecomposition happens more quickly in hot, dry weather,小蝌蚪APP
Refuse collected at football games is only one part of the farm小蝌蚪APP檚 composting 小蝌蚪APP渞ecipe,小蝌蚪APP Kibbe said. 小蝌蚪APP淗ay, grass and tree clippings, livestock manure and agricultural waste from nearby sugar cane mills are also part of the mix.小蝌蚪APP
One item that didn小蝌蚪APP檛 get heaped on the compost pile: food that went unsold at football games, according to Gretchen Lacombe Vanicor, director of the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Office of Sustainability.
Dishes such as jambalaya, pasta, salads, hamburger patties 小蝌蚪APP a total of 1,727 meals 小蝌蚪APP were given to area food pantries. The project was coordinated with help from the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 food service provider, Sodexo, and Second Harvest Food Bank in Lafayette.
小蝌蚪APP淩ather than throw food away, we thought, 小蝌蚪APP榃hy not distribute the leftover meals to help feed people?小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP Vanicor said.
Beyond diverting trash from landfills and providing food for the hungry, the program offers service opportunities. About 160 students worked inside the stadium and mingled with tailgaters during football games to provide information to fans and guide them to the proper bins. Student volunteers also inspected materials collected to ensure a stray piece of plastic hadn小蝌蚪APP檛 made its way into the wrong container.
Vanicor expects the Zero Waste pilot program to grow. 小蝌蚪APP淚f it continues to be successful 小蝌蚪APP and I小蝌蚪APP檓 confident that it will 小蝌蚪APP we小蝌蚪APP檒l start looking at ways it can be expanded to other athletic events and other parts of campus,小蝌蚪APP Vanicor said.
The project is part of the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 , which is partially supported by the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Annual fund.
The 小蝌蚪APP渓ab小蝌蚪APP promotes sustainability research projects for students such as a 小蝌蚪APP渟mart-building小蝌蚪APP pilot program at Rougeau Hall. Sensors placed throughout that building monitor temperature, humidity and indoor air quality.
Learn more about 小蝌蚪APP eco-friendly efforts at the