Greek organizations kick off recycling initiative

In the push towards an environmentally conscious campus, the Tech Interfraternity Council (IFC) and the Greek Neighborhood Association (GNA) have begun the campus' first Greek Recycling Pilot Program. With a combined effort among Tech Facilities, the GNA, the IFC and the Panhellenic Council, the program has a positive outlook in its future.

With an extensive Earth Day program and expansive recycling programs throughout campus, recycling at Tech has reached new heights, especially in 2007. Though the Greek Community at Tech has respected these programs, the initiative to recycle in the community began Aug. 27 this year, when the Greek Community Waste Facilities opened up.

The location of the Waste Facilities is between Fowler and Techwood, in an alley next to Phi Gamma Delta and Zeta Tau Alpha. The site's collection includes cardboard, mixed office paper and aluminum cans. Cardboard is already a recyclable substance, but no official program greatly encouraged its salvaging. Not only has the support for recycling grown, but also the various materials have expanded.

Though the initiative is an enormous step in the collaboration of the Greek Community and its push towards recycling, there is still much to accomplish in the next few years. The Greek Community is split into seven zones, and one zone is actively participating in the pilot program.

The instigation of the program itself is a notable advancement. "This is a huge initiative for the Greek Community to get to this point," said Cindy Jackson from Tech Facilities Solid Waste Management.

James Waring, IFC Greek Excellence chair and a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering major, has been a key figure in the advancement of the program. As the chair, Waring typically works with the vice president of IFC in its administration but has put most of his latest efforts towards the GNA and its management. The GNA coordinates and works with all the facilities management of the Tech chapters and houses. By nature, Tech Facilities has also involved itself with the process.

There are seven chapters in the participating zone, zone 1. These chapters include five fraternities (Kappa Sigma, Phi Gamma Delta, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Theta Chi and Zeta Beta Tau) and two sororities (Alpha Gamma Delta and Zeta Tau Alpha). Separated simply by location, zone 1 seemed a good choice to test the program out and find results, as many of the fraternities in this zone are some of the largest and most diverse on campus.

"One thing I saw was that the Greek community...would be receptive. I'm really proud of what we've done so far," Waring said.

He also acknowledged the work of the other chapters for their commitment to follow through with the plan. Waring recognized Buck Cooke, the Greek Advisor for Tech, along with the leaders of the IFC and the Panhellenic Council. With the primary governing bodies fully immersed in the project, the beginning of the pilot program became an instant success. All of the essential goals were met at the start.

Tech Facilities distributed the allotment of space and the actual storage for waste products. The seven chapters worked together and promoted internally the recycling of several materials. The program has shown visible success in the first few months of its launch.

With the original aims achieved, the supporting organizations are looking at expanding the reaches of the program. Waring predicts that by January 2008 at least two to three other zones will have joined the recycling program, and by this time next year all the zones and their respective chapters will be fully involved.

After assembling all the zones and the various fraternities and sororities, Waring hopes the program will expand its recycled materials to include glass, plastic and other substances. Within the next few years, the Tech Greek community will show nearly unprecedented progress in the Southeast's campuses' push for an environmentally-friendly atmosphere.

Next week marks the deadline for the paperwork for this project, and all these developments will take several years to blossom fully. The simple commencement of this mission is remarkable.

"It's great that we're leading the way for these initiatives," Waring said.

Everyone can still do their part to promote Tech's policy of thinking green, even outside of the Greek community. In Housing and other programs at Tech, Facilities has provided useful and extensive recycling services. There are many recycling locations throughout the campus, including ones for aluminum cans, mixed office paper and plastic bottles. These facilities are available for general use and for the promotion of a healthier environment both on and off campus.