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Ithaca College is making another leap in the direction of walking the green walk and not just talking about it. With the support of many students we are removing paper towels from the common shared bathrooms in the residence halls starting this fall 2009. Paper represents over one-third of all municipal waste and roughly 9% of greenhouse gas emissions in this country. With increasing concerns for the destruction of forests, it has become more important to reduce paper waste. Paper towels gobble up not only a lot of carbon, but also consume much of the labor time of our Facilities Services staff to remove them from bathroom facilities. Facilities Services will continue to provide paper towels in all public bathrooms on campus and will continue to investigate new ways of reducing, reusing and recycling Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
tyencho1 on
08/10/09
I guess I found the article unclear. Is Ithaca College providing an alternative to the paper towels, such as hand dryers?
Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
semery2 on
08/12/09
Yes, will there be an alternative provided? I suppose it would always be a short
walk to the students' room, where they have their own bath towel, but I still find this unclear. Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
kwikoff on
08/12/09
Not to be a party-pooper, but "municipal waste" (individuals, government offices AND non-industrial businesses, such as Ithaca College) accounts for only 3% of waste production in the United States. Nine one-hundredths of that 3% is a pretty miniscule portion. The vast majority of waste is produced by agriculture and industry. Until those areas are addressed, our individual efforts have very little impact. As a person with an extreme sensitivity to loud noise, I can't abide being in a small room with a hand-dryer (or blow-dryer, vacuum cleaner, power tools, loud music, etc). I am really glad this effort has not extended to the non-residential areas on campus. If such a time comes, I hope the planners will take the decibel level into consideration when offering an alternative. (Reference: Jensen, Derrick. "Forget Shorter Showers: Why Personal Change Does Not Equal Social Change." Orion Magazine, 8 July 2009. http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/4801/ ) Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
kwikoff on
08/12/09
Math correction: 1/3 of 3% = 1% for all forms of municipal paper waste, not just paper towels. 9% refers to greenhouse emissions. Check out the article I referenced above for the portion of energy consumption by individuals to put things in perspective. It's still and always a good idea to behave responsibly, but do put it in perspective....
Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
klanshe1 on
08/12/09
Is there going to be anything in the bathrooms to dry our hands? we can't always have hand towels with us in the bathrooms.
Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
cbatson1 on
08/12/09
We're probably going to just have to air dry our hands...
I understand that the college is concerned about sustainability and of course, saving money, but like the others who have commented before me, I'm concerned about just how exactly we are expected to dry our hands. I don't want to be dripping wet when I'm trying to pick up my books and run to class on the other side of campus, so I'm open to discussion of alternatives to paper towels (or perhaps even reducing paper towel size). Could someone please address the concerns of the students and others who weren't included in this decision? ("With the support of many students...") Thank you. Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
abrenza1 on
08/12/09
Did Ithaca College consider the possibility that the lack of paper towels in residence hall restrooms could encourage more students to forgo washing their hands altogether?
Like college campuses need any more germs. I bet we could reduce our carbon footprint even more if we got rid of toilet paper as well. Think about it, IC. Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
gpresor1 on
08/12/09
I agree. The first thing I thought of when reading this was that people would just stop washing their hands. I've been witness to plenty of these occasions already, especially on the boy's floors.
The risk of that many germs in such a small area is a real concern. Maybe providing hand sanitizer in the already existing soap dispensers would be the best route. This step towards going green might be overkill. Lets turn off the lights and call it a day. Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
aletsch1 on
08/13/09
I agree with the other comments, but I find an even greater problem with this decision- that there is no way to clean up.
In a communal bathroom, you are sure to find lots of hair, excess water, makeup, etc on the counter, especially after people wash their face and water splashes on the counter, for example. We cannot forget about hair in the shower, either. The reality is, not everyone cleans up after themselves, so in order to have a clean spot to brush your teeth, remove your contacts, etc. you unfortunately need to clean it yourself. I would not feel comfortable using my own towel to clean it up (and then need to wash towels more often, which = more water AND electric waste). Another problem is that in the winter students may be walking outside with wet hands- those who are on the go and do not have time to go back to their room to dry them before leaving the residence hall. Also, touching door knobs and other objects with wet hands does not seem sanitary. They may be clean hands (did they use soap or not?) but no one wants to touch something wet, and bacteria are more likely found in wet areas. I understand the good intentions behind this decision but it is simply not a sensible one. The article says that many students support this decision, but I cannot help but wonder if those students are going to be using communal bathrooms this year. Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
lbelokur on
08/14/09
To add to the article and clear up some misconceptions we will not be adding hand dryers to the restrooms. Retro-fitting the bathrooms with them is just not a feasible option. Furthermore we will not be removing paper towels from any other bathrooms on campus, so when you are at class you will not have tote a hand towel around with you. If you feel you need to wash out sinks in your "home" bathrooms please contact your RA to discuss this issue to see what we can do better. Together we can overcome some of the sticking points related to this change: perhaps providing more towel hooks and addressing some cleaning concerns. If you have something more specific you would like to see please email me at lbelokur@ithaca.edu.
Removal of Paper Towels from Residence Halls Comment from
jpowers1 on
08/31/09
So has this initiative been repealed? I noticed a dispenser in the bathroom again today.
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