Carthage's 80-acre campus is an arboretum and wildlife sanctuary, lush with stately oaks.

The Pike River winds its way through campus.

Carthage was once a city park, and College officials are dedicated to its sustainability.

Students will find recycling receptacles in every building, on nearly every floor.

The recently remodeled Hedberg Library incorporates recycling receptacles into its design.

The cafeteria is trayless, reducing food waste.

The Environmental Science Program here at Carthage is service-oriented.

Faculty and students monitor invasive species, restore prairies, and further environmental education throughout the region.

New construction projects make use of recycled materials, and increase energy efficiency.

Sustainability at Carthage

Red, White, and Green

Red and white may be Carthage's colors, but administrators, faculty and students are acting to add green to that palette, by taking into account the effect the College has on the environment. "Going green" involves numerous steps, many of them small, both by the College itself and individual students and faculty members.

"This is an issue where everyone has responsibilities," says William Hoare, associate vice president for business. "We're not going to get anywhere as an institution, or a society, until we all take responsibility."

The geothermal plant for the Joan C. Potente Chapel saves approximately $2,000 per year in energy costs.

The energy-efficient design of the new Student Union is projected to save approximately $24,000 per year in energy costs.

The TARC's white roof reflects heat and saves energy.

For many years Carthage has sought to pursue responsible practices in construction, landscaping, energy use and recycling to contribute to a cleaner, sustainable environment. Starting last fall, a group of administrators, faculty, and staff began meeting informally to discuss sustainability opportunities.

"So far a lot has happened because Bill (Hoare) or someone in physical plant said we should do something," says Dana Garrigan, associate professor of biology, who has participated in the meetings. "There are more students than anyone else on campus. The big focus is on ways we can work together."

It becomes clear during an interview with Mr. Hoare that sustainability isn't just a professional concern for him, it's personal. He recalls becoming active on environmental issues in the early 1970s, when environmental protection became a widespread concern.

Mr. Hoare points to several decisions made regarding construction or maintenance of facilities, including use of recycled products whenever feasible, using environment-friendly cleaning supplies, and reducing construction waste by 70 percent. Carthage also joined 15 other members of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in a compliance program to deal with state and federal environmental regulations.

"We've done a lot to increase the biodiversity of trees on campus," he says, by planting 50-75 trees per year from a variety of species. Mr. Hoare says this is a safeguard against disease, since tree blights tend to be species-specific.

"We want future Carthaginians to enjoy the atmosphere that past generations have," he says.

Recycling efforts range from turning in $6,000 worth of aluminum from the former Seidemann Natatorium swimming pool, to offering compost this spring to faculty and staff.

Mr. Hoare praises Sodexo, the College's food service operator, for taking several steps to sustainability, including trayless dining in the cafeteria, biodegradable utensils at Starbucks, use of locally grown produce, recycling cooking oils, and donating unused food to a local charity three days per week.

The white roofs of the Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center and the Tarble Arena were designed to reflect heat and save energy, while the planned Student Center is designed to be 29.8 percent more energy-efficient than the average Wisconsin building, which will result in a rebate check for the College. Carthage seeks to buy building materials and supplies locally when possible, which saves energy while allowing the College to avoid paying sales taxes on those purchases. Carthage is also experimenting with use of energy-saving exterior lights.

An innovative step was the installation of six geothermal wells beneath the Joan C. Potente Chapel, built three years ago. The only outside energy used "is the pump that circulates the glycol between the wells, and the electricity to power the fans that drive air in the building," Mr. Hoare says.

But ultimately "it is students' lifestyle choices that is really driving campus energy use," Mr. Hoare points out, noting that the peak hours for campus energy consumption are in the evening. "There's a lot of things that happen here that are very wasteful, but it's hard for people to change their ways," he adds, pointing to lights remaining on late at night in near-empty buildings.

Perhaps the ad hoc sustainability team will be able to promote more awareness of sustainability. A major topic at a recent meeting was the need to inform students of recycling opportunities already available, and to make recycling more visible in residence halls.

"There's a lack of communication with the student body," said Zawadi Mageni, '11. “Most students do not know of any green activity."

Director of information services Carol Sabbar said students may not realize Hedberg Library offers opportunities to recycle batteries and ink cartridges.

"People are just throwing stuff in the trash because they don't know there's a better way," she said.

Prof. Garrigan, Kayla Collier, '11, and Deanna Byrnes, assistant professor of biology, attended a sustainability conference last fall at St. Olaf College.

"It was a good opportunity to talk with people from other schools and learn what's going on at other campuses,” Prof. Garrigan says. He mentions having student government establish sustainability requirements for special events as one idea.

Mr. Hoare says that "it's easy for people to do nothing when they're not being challenged. Most of our current gains in campus sustainability are achieved by paying attention to the micro issues. These include deciding to use sustainable materials and methods in our daily work, choosing to purchase and use locally produced materials that have a recycled content and do not negatively affect air quality, fighting energy waste and maintaining the campus ecosystems and arbor. These are mostly invisible to the average person."

Red, White, and Green

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