Going Green Should be Part of College Stores
4/23/10
Going green is a big deal on campuses all across the country these days. Students are more concerned with saving the environment and demand their colleges and universities take steps in that direction.
The question is: What steps should college stores take?
“When I grew up, it was a big deal to walk to a different can to throw things away in,” said Walt Owens, manager, Oberlin Technology Store, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH. “It’s second nature at this point.
“The whole environmental movement is a lot of little things. If there is anything I’ve learned it’s that there’s no one solution. I am a child of the ’80s and we were the biggest gluttons of everything, but I’ve realized it’s the little things that make a difference, and it all starts with all of us.”
Owens teamed with Robin Becker, manager, Penn State’s Computer Store, University Park, PA, and Rabeca Reese, computer sales and purchasing coordinator, Reed College Computer Store, Portland, OR, in the Going Green session, presented by the Campus Computer Resellers Alliance CCRA 2010 Conference in Orlando, FL.
“I encourage you all to have a meeting or a lunch with your environmental coordinator or safety officer on campus and ask what you can do in coordination with them to help your campus,” Owens continued. “You will be surprised with what’s not being done or what they didn’t realize you could do for them.”
Recycling initiatives are popping up on campuses of all sizes. Plenty of companies are willing to partner with college stores to handle everything from cellphones to rechargeable batteries, from ink and toner cartridges to laptop computers. These programs provide the store with containers where students can deposit different recyclable items and ways to ship the discarded materials back for recycling.
“We have a once-a-month pickup at our store,” Owens said. “The biggest issue is storing the equipment. We have a big room in the store and once it’s filled, we call the company to come and pick it up. Students appreciate the service. We don’t pay a fee for it and the students don’t pay for it. It’s just good will toward the customers.”
Selling green products is also part of the equation and there are plenty from which to choose. However, price is an object and some products fail to deliver on their green promises.
“If we bring in things that are crazy expensive, it’s not worth it,” said Becker. “If students are not interested, they are not going to pay more for it.
“There are a lot of things made from recycled materials, such as laptop sleeves, bags, flash drives, mouse pads, and speakers. But you really have to watch,” she continued. “There are products that can really back up the claims on why they are green products and, I think, people will pay a little more for those.”
One of those products is energy-efficient lighting. At Oberlin, Owens developed a lighting exchange for students willing to turn in their old incandescent tubes for compact fluorescent.
“It was a great promotion,” he said. “If you can say your store is truly sustainable, or at least doing its best, it’s a great marketing tool.”
Another tool is available at the
Clean Air Cool Planet web site. The site contains a carbon-footprint calculator that allows stores to review their emissions or those of the entire campus.
“There’s a button to click that tells you how to offset your carbon naughtiness,” Reese said with a chuckle. “They give you options to look at your home or business, or things like flying or driving your car.”
—Dan Angelo