The recycling program at UD has made progress during the last three years, but the university response to a recycling program has been lukewarm at best.

According to Joe Janosik, co-president of the Sustainability Club, many students'and the university itself'do not appear to consider sustainability important.

Janosik said that club members have approached university officials about a recycling program for the past few years. Not until this year was the promise of a part-time recycling coordinator made.

Students have mixed feelings about the importance of recycling, but a resolution passed by SGA on Nov. 5 hopes to make a difference.

The resolution calls for the creation of an 'Office of Sustainability' at UD, which is intended to create a more environmentally friendly campus.

Authored by Sustainable Living co-directors Janosik and Christine Pettit, the resolution carries no actual power. Still, Janosik said he hopes it will make the university more aware of sustainability, which he said goes far beyond recycling, focusing primarily on resource and energy conservation, waste reduction and raising environmental awareness.

'We're hoping that the university will take it seriously and propose such an office,' he said. 'Other leading universities have had comprehensive environmental programs in place for years'shouldn't UD be joining them'?

Individuals from SGA and the Sustainability Club met with Tom Burkhart on Jan. 5 to discuss the formation of such an office, but concerns over the cost of such a department were cited.

Janosik said he hopes to see a group of staff, faculty, students and Marianists discussing ways to more fully address environmental concerns on campus.

However, Janosik may face an uphill battle when convincing students on campus.

'If a bin is there, I'll participate in recycling, but I won't go out of my way to recycle,' UD junior John Sieber said.

While Sieber said he sees sustainability as a valuable goal, he doesn't feel it is something students will be able to get excited about.

'I think the university, right now, provides a lot of opportunities to recycle,' he said. 'I don't think it is necessary to do anything else.'

This sort of sentiment was echoed in a recent Flyer News poll, in which 409 votes were received. Of the respondents, 14.7 percent said when it came to recycling, they 'don't understand how people get so worked up over trash.'

An additional 26.9 percent said, 'Recycling is a good idea, but I don't go out of my may to do it.'

Only 24.7 percent of students said, 'Recycling is just the first step'a complete sustainability plan is the real goal.'

The remaining 33.7 percent said, 'I recycle whenever I have the opportunity.' The poll was not scientific, as respondents self-selected and were allowed to vote more than once.

Though students may relate opinions about recycling, in both polls and interviews they still seem to take part in the effort.

Brigitte Fontaine, a Stuart Hall housekeeping employee, said she has seen positive changes over the last three years in recycling.

She said the ratio of trash to recyclables in the residence hall is about three to one, a tremendous improvement over only two years ago when students regularly used the recycling bin as an overflow trash can.

'It used to be that we didn't have any recycling bins,' she said. 'Now, all of the lounges in Stuart have recycling bins.'

'People generally keep it separate now,' she said. 'Everyone pretty much follows the rules, especially this year.'

Wright State University, on the other hand, is several laps ahead of UD in recycling. In part three of this series, Flyer News will take a look at the program at WSU and compare it to the recycling program which exists here at UD.