Florida Atlantic University keeps getting greener.
BOCA RATON, FL--The university, which has made a sustainability a priority in recent years, has announced three new eco-friendly initiatives.
FAU's purchasing department will start an effort it hopes will eliminate the printing and processing of more than one million pages of paper annually. The department will process purchase orders electronically, which the university says will also reduce turnover time.
"This is a positive step toward a proactive impact on the environment, as well as creating a lighter carbon footprint at the university," said Ed Schiff, director of purchasing at FAU. To further FAU Catering Service's approach to being "green,"
Chartwells, FAU's dining services contractor, is changing the way it provides boxed lunches. No more will it use bags and boxes made of paper pulp from wood, opting instead for 100 percent recycled paper lunch bags. The vendor uses about 5,000 bags and boxes per year.
FAU Dining Services will also offer a reusable take-out "Eco-Clamshell" containers in the Center Marketplace dining hall for $5 to help eliminate the use of Styrofoam boxes. A student can return the clean container after it has been used in exchange for a sanitized one each time they purchase a "to go" meal. Last year, the dining service eliminated trays, after discovering they led to wasted food and increased use of cleaning chemicals.
The university has been involved in several other major green initiatives in the past. In 2007, the university's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing building was the first in South Florida to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The university also partnered with the Palm Beach County school district to build one of the state's first eco-friendly schools, Pine Jog Elementary School, west of West Palm Beach.
