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Macon A Difference Day 2010
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Randolph-Macon College is proud to be part of the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program, also known as VEEP. Virginia lawmakers created the program in 2005 to encourage businesses, government offices and schools to reach environmental excellence by going above and beyond their legal requirements. Participation in the program is voluntary, but is only granted after an application review by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). VEEP participants are required to establish an Environmental Management System and improve pollution prevention measures.
“This is an important effort for Randolph-Macon College as we work to reduce our carbon footprint,” says R-MC president Robert Lindgren. “We are extremely proud that our current recycling programs and energy saving initiatives have garnered us this distinction by the Commonwealth of Virginia. R-MC is committed to doing our part to increase awareness about environmental conservation for our students, faculty and staff.”
R-MC’s conservation initiatives have received significant recognition from the Commonwealth of Virginia twice over the past year. In April 2009 Virginia’s DEQ named Estes Dining Hall a Virginia Green Restaurant for instituting and promoting pollution prevention practices dealing with food preparation and handling as well as day-to-day operations. In December 2009, R-MC’s Macon Coffee restaurant received the same honor for eliminating the use of Styrofoam containers. Additionally, the campus participated in the annual RecycleMania competition. This national program promotes waste reduction on campus and serves as a benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs.
“Until recently, R-MC’s sustainability and conservation efforts have largely been behind the scenes,” says Craig Collins, R-MC environmental health & safety programs manager. “Significant recognition like the VEEP and Virginia Green Restaurant program helps to make the community aware of the hard work being done and R-MC’s ongoing focus on environmental improvement.”
For over a decade, R-MC has implemented various sustainability initiatives. Energy conservation measures include replacing windows with insulated glass, installing motion sensors in dormitory restrooms, and reducing water consumption by using low flow shower heads; R-MC’s recycling programs include paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, toner and inkjet cartridges, electronic waste, and used cooking oil, among other materials. The college has also been converting from fuel oil to natural and propane gas to reduce emissions.
On Saturday, April 17, 2010, R-MC held its annual Macon-A-Difference Day. 200 Students, faculty and staff volunteered close to 600 hours to help beautify the campus and Town of Ashland. Projects in Ashland and Hanover County, Virginia included cleaning up local parks, streams, planting flowers and planting trees. This event is held each year in conjunction with Earth day.
Collectively, R-MC students have already amassed nearly 7,000 volunteer hours this year. Nearly 50 students spent an alternative Spring Break in Florida for a combined 950 hours with Habitat for Humanity and 130 hours for a Haiti Relief project. Students in R –MC’s Greek organizations contributed more than 4,500 hours of collective service to the community, collected 550 pounds of canned food, donated 60 inches of hair for Locks of Love, 21 toys for Toys for Tots and more than $7,500 to various organizations. In addition, more than $6,000 was raised on campus and given to the Red Cross & Partners in Health for Haiti Earthquake Relief.
For more information about R-MC’s sustainability initiatives o r Macon-A-Difference Day, please contact Pam Harris Cox at 752-3712, pamelacox@rmc.edu or Anne Marie Lauranzon at 804-752-7317, alauranz@rmc.edu.