The

Environmental Awareness Club (EAC) has partnered with Smith Chapel

and Pfeiffer for a composting initiative.

 

About

two years ago EAC decided to start composting around campus. The

idea came up when they were brainstorming ways to make Simpson

College more eco-friendly.

 

“We

really like it because, like recycling, composting is an easy way

to reduce the amount of waste we send to the landfill and lessen

our negative impact on the environment,” junior and EAC member Zach

Huebener said.

 

In

Pfeiffer, EAC put up a sign by the dish belt to show students what

can and cannot be composted.

 

“I

like the idea,” Director of Dining Services Todd Matthews said.

“Anything we can save and reuse, to me, is great.”

 

Composting has also helped those working in Pfeiffer.

 

“My

dishwashers love it,” Matthews said. “It’s less stuff they have to

throw away or mess with in the back.”

 

There

has also been a student standing by the garbage and food waste cans

to help students split up food.

 

“I

think everyone would do it if they knew more about it, if they knew

what they could compost and what they couldn’t compost,” Matthews

said.

 

The

chapel has also been eager to help EAC in its mission to compost

more.

 

“We’re really making an effort to make sure we are reducing our

carbon footprint and our waste in the office, as well as throughout

our programs that we put on every week,” senior and Religious Life

Community (RLC) member Carrie Wubben said.

 

All

of the coffee grounds from Holy Grounds are composted as well as

some cups and lids.

 

Food

for the Soul, hosted every Tuesday night in Dirlam Lounge, uses

plates, cups and eating utensils that can be composted.

 

“Last

year we made a big push to buy the compostable products instead of

the post-consumer-recycled products,” Wubben said. “But up to this

year we weren’t doing anything with them; we were just throwing

them away. They’ll get composted in a landfill, but it’s completely

different if we use it here on campus in the compost in our

garden.”

 

Every

afternoon EAC members take the compost over to the student garden

located by Goodwill.

 

“It

only takes about 30 minutes a day, but this type of monotonous work

can really take the joy out of the project after a while,

especially when students are busy with homework,” Huebener said.

“Not burning people out will be tough.”

 

A

large amount of waste is saved from going to the landfill.

 

“We

are keeping about 150 pounds of waste from going to the landfill

every week and turning it into dirt that can be used in the garden

to grow food,” Huebener said.

 

The

recent drop in temperature will have a negative impact on the

compost.

 

“The

compost only decomposes when the outside temperature is higher than

50 degrees, so the compost just sits stagnant for almost half the

year and most of the time that school is in session,” Huebener

said. “We will have to wait a long time to see the results of the

food waste actually turning into dirt.”

 

EAC

hopes the composting initiative grows at Simpson.

 

“I

hope that more and more people will compost their leftover food in

Pfeiffer, and that they will become aware of what composting is and

why it is important,” Huebener said.

 

Along

with all this the EAC wants to raise awareness.

 

“I

think it’s just a great way for people to become more aware of what

a large impact humans have on the environment and what we can do to

reduce that impact,” Huebener said.