WORCESTER, Mass. – With a nod to St. Patrick's Day and the nation's focus on all things green, Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) newly formed President's Task Force on Sustainability officially launched a new Web site today called "Sustainability at WPI," and announced improvements to the university's recycling program. These are the first official acts of the task force, which was established in September 2007. The panel’s charge is to drive a "sustainability sensibility" into the university's academic, research, and administrative endeavors. The task force is drawn from, and works with, all segments of the WPI community: students, faculty, and staff.
The new Web site's goal is to create a space that represents WPI's policies, initiatives, and activities in support of campus greening programs and community sustainability projects, and is a mechanism for people to learn about sustainability and engage them in discussion regarding how the campus can improve its ecological footprint. A dynamic and forever-updating Web site, "Sustainability at WPI" focuses on the university's activities as they pertain to facilities and materials management, WPI's climate change commitment, the university's efforts on behalf of social equity, and relevant academic endeavors.
The site's design and production combines the talents of faculty, staff, and students who serve on and/or support the President’s Task Force on Sustainability. The compilation of its data and information can be attributed to a talented and passionate team of students – Keilin Bickar, Shawn Carey, and Christopher Lambusta – who drove the Web site's development through a student project facilitated by WPI's Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division and directed by Professor Scott Jiusto. The site can be viewed at: www.wpi.edu/about/sustainability/
WPI also expanded its campus recycling program today to include aluminum, glass, and plastic returnable and non-returnable containers. WPI encourages responsible materials management practices by all WPI community members, and strives to increase the percentage of waste that is recycled each year. To date, WPI has recycled campus-generated waste at a rate of 13 percent by focusing on mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, and mixed electronics. The addition of aluminum, glass, and plastic is expected to have a significant impact on that percentage.
"WPI takes its responsibility to the environment, and to building a sustainable future, seriously," said WPI President and CEO Dennis D. Berkey. "It is my sincere hope that this new Web site and the expansion of our recycling program will help to demonstrate our commitment. By focusing a task force on environmental stewardship and the other issues pertaining to sustainability, I believe WPI is poised to provide great service to our campus, our community, and our world."
