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This fall, environmentally minded students may opt to live in a “green dorm.” Housing Services has begun plans to transform Stodder Hall into the University of Maine’s first environmentally friendly dormitory.
“Impetus came from Janet Waldron, vice president for administration and finance at the university, to begin creating an environmentally friendly dorm,” said Andrew Matthews, director of Housing Services. “We will begin with small steps. New furniture is being purchased for Stodder and the furniture will have been produced in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.”
Matthews said the University of Maine will use Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh as a guiding tool.
“Carnegie Mellon is making a big push toward being environmentally sound. Although it is a more expensive school and has more funds to draw from, they are creating a good model to follow,” Matthews said.
It will take campus involvement to continue the efforts of UMaine in becoming a green campus, according to Matthews.
“I think that this is a great move – one that is necessary for the health of our school, our country and the environment in general. I hope all students help to advocate and become involved with this,” said Eve Briere, who is currently taking Environmental Philosophy and Policy, a course that involves the issues of protecting the environment.
The university is making the first step with Stodder but it will take continued action by students to actually turn the campus into one that is more environmentally sustainable, Matthews said.
“I am pretty impressed that the university is actually taking a step in this direction. It’s too bad that they feel they need the support of the students as it’s obviously the right thing to do,” said Brook Erenstone, a senior parks and recreation and tourism major.
“Although it may be expensive to begin making changes to set up the dormitory in a sustainable manner, in many ways it will be cheaper once it is set up,” Matthews said. “If the push keeps going to create a more sustainable campus, we will begin to do such things as use renewable fuels, food, resources and timber products.”
David Oshana, a third-year marine science major from Connecticut, said he hopes students support the effort to create a more environmentally friendly campus.
“One may ask, what’s the point and what’s wrong with doing things the way they have always been done? But if we look to see where we are really going with the environment, these steps must be taken. I hope it does receive full campus support,” he said.
