Keep GSU Beautiful has been selected once again as a recipient of the University Affiliate Grant by Keep Louisiana Beautiful, the state’s premier anti-litter and community improvement organization.
This year’s grant, in the amount of $4,510 will support the continuation of the previous start-up of the GSU’s Recycling Project.
The purpose of the GSU Recycling Project is designed to be a two-fold educational project. To reduce the amount of paper and plastics that GSU sends to the local landfills and to also provide a base to support student environmental learning as well.
It is anticipated that the GSU project will provide an immediate reduction in the amount of paper and plastics that will enter the environment because of the recycling project.
The project will increase campus wide awareness as more faculty and students learn of the benefits.
The educational component of the project will be established by the involvement of both faculty and students.
The proposed project will also provide an avenue in which students can achieve the required Service Learning hours as well. Biology majors enrolled in BIOL 418 Environmental Issues and Policies will participate as a course learning requirement as they focus on the solutions of reducing and reusing to eliminate excess amounts of materials that enter the landfills.
Students will be able to not only learn specifics regarding the importance of recycling, but will also assist in the planning, set up and execution of a spring recycling project that is in conjunction of the campus wide clean-up projects.
Future plans to add a graduate level STEM program will provide an avenue in which graduate students can take charge of the recycling project while also learning about ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
The grant was written by Dr. Dagne Hill.
Dr. Rory Bedford and Dr. Ellen Smiley will provide leadership and guidance in this important GSU endeavor.
