Final Practicum Essay

New York City and Fordham University look drastically different from their natural environments. The modern concrete landscape of the city and the built environment of Fordham’s campus bear little resemblance to the ecosystems that once existed here. Ecologists working on the Mannahatta Project have peeled back the layers of urban development, providing a virtual map of what Manhattan Island looked like before colonial settlement. Manhattan was once a forested ecosystem, rich in biodiversity, boasting streams, wetlands, and a variety of species.[1] There is also a web tool called “Welikia” that allows you to view New York City’s natural state compared with its modern development.[2] This includes the Bronx River, which once flowed in pristine condition through a heavily forested valley. [3] It has since been severely degraded, but an organization known as the Bronx River Alliance works to restore it through small, cumulative projects, providing a model for others who seek to restore degraded ecosystems. [4] New York City has acknowledged its environmental role through its sustainability plan, PlaNYC. [5]

Fordham’s Rose Hill campus also has a rich environmental history. The campus included the present day New York Botanical Garden and Bronx Zoo and was enclosed by the Mill Brook to the West, which formed the college pond, and the Bronx River to the East, which was used for fishing, swimming, boating, and farming. [6] Fordham sold a large portion of its land in 1889, but it has maintained close ties with the Garden, the Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo), and the Bronx River Alliance, providing its students with internship and job opportunities through these organizations.[7] The Rose Hill farm sustained Fordham in its early years by feeding students and faculty. The Jesuits oversaw cultivation, allowing tuition to remain low.[8] It functioned until around 1907.[9] Fordham acknowledges its environmental history through many clubs on campus, including St. Rose’s Garden, community supported agriculture, Students for Environmental Justice, and the Environmental Club at the Lincoln Center Campus.[10] Fordham also has a sustainability plan, but it received a C+ in its most recent evaluation on its sustainability report card.[11] Fordham’s commitment to sustainability is essential, as colleges and universities have a special responsibility in promoting sustainability through both education and practice. Organizations like the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future and Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education stress this importance and are tools for the university.[12] For more information on the environmental history of New York City and Fordham, see my previous post on these topics here.

It is in the context of this environmental history that I did my practicum, becoming a member of the Fordham USG Sustainability Committee. This involves attending the 90 minute meetings on Wednesdays. Until October, I did not work on a specific initiative. The first month was devoted to preparation for Sustainability Week, which took place the last week of September. The committee sponsored a documentary screening, environmental justice panel, pop-up thrift store, and vegetarian potluck dinner. In the weeks leading up to these events, I attended the meetings, contributed to planning logistics, and voted on decisions about the week. During Sustainability Week, I attended the environmental justice panel and tabled in McGinley to collect clothes for the pop-up thrift store, known as Fordham Flea.

After Sustainability Week, I started an initiative to replace missing recycling bins from rooms and get the university to supply trash bins, as many students use their recycling bins for trash. Students are much more likely to recycle if they have a receptacle in their room, and many dorm rooms, including my own, are missing bins. I spoke with RAs about what happens when recycling bins are put down as missing on room condition reports. They directed me to Julie Liss, the head of the Housing Ops Committee. I have been in contact with her since then coordinating the acquisition and distribution of these bins.

I have since discovered that the university buys recycling bins from Staples for $20 each. This is an exorbitant amount of money to spend on recycling bins, so I found very cheap ones online. I contacted the Office of Procurement to see if we can purchase these bins without violating any contract the university has with Staples. I am now waiting for their response. Hopefully they will approve of the bins I found. They are much cheaper, so the $20 fines collected from missing bins this year will replace about four bins each. I also plan to supplement this money with fundraisers. It is my hope that every dorm will have a recycling bin by the beginning of the Fall semester of 2018 and a trash bin by the beginning of 2019. I have spent approximately twenty hours this semester attending meetings, researching information about trash and recycling bins, and contacting people in the university.

By becoming a member of the Fordham Sustainability Committee, I am participating in what in every post I have written is integral to solving every environmental problem—grassroots political action. The Sustainability Committee is a group of concerned students who want to shrink Fordham’s ecological footprint and make the university an entity that champions sustainability. While the Committee is technically part of the United Student Government, and therefore has more power than other grassroots movements, this power is limited. USG has funding, but can only offer suggestions to the administration. Moreover, only the Vice President of Sustainability is elected. The rest of the committee is composed of students who care about environmental wellbeing. This type of grassroots action is the key to implementing all of the environmental solutions I have outlined in my blog posts.

With regard to my specific initiative, getting recycling and trash bins into dorm rooms, my goal is to raise the recycling diversion rate at Fordham, the amount of solid waste that is diverted from generic trash to recycling. Recycling is an example of biomimicry and one of the three principles of sustainability, chemical cycling. Most human systems are linear. The output is discarded as waste, which is not used as new input. However, in nature, all chemicals and nutrients are recycled and used again.[13] Recycling is an example of people taking waste and using at least some of this waste as new input. I want to increase the amount of solid waste, particularly plastic and paper, that is recycled at Fordham. Currently, 33% of municipal solid waste is recycled, but scientists estimate 60-75% of it can potentially be recycled.[14]

Recycling prevents a lot of the negative consequences that result from throwing away plastic and paper. Plastic often ends up in the ocean, where it poses a great threat to marine life. It breaks up into tiny pieces, which are often ingested by seabirds and fish. These pieces fill the animals’ stomachs, causing dehydration and starvation.[15] The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an area in the Pacific Ocean the size of Texas that is heavily polluted with plastic and greatly contributes to this problem.[16] Plastic takes hundreds to thousands of year to break down, meaning plastic pollution is very problematic.[17] While lowering the amount of plastic Fordham students throw away will not make a big impact, it is the collective action of many that leads to change.

I also want to increase the amount of paper that is recycled by making recycling easier for students with bins in their dorms. Recycling paper has many environmental benefits, especially in mitigating climate change. About 55% of the Earth’s tree harvest is used to make paper. The pulp and paper industry is the world’s fifth largest energy consumer and uses more water to produce a metric ton of its product than any other industry. In Canada and the United States, it is the third largest industrial energy user and polluter. Recycling paper is very easy. It uses 64% less energy and produces 35% less water pollution and 75% less air pollution than making paper from wood pulp. Recycling paper also does not require deforestation, which worsens climate change.[18] Another benefit of recycling paper is the prevention of methane air pollution, which worsens climate change. When paper ends up in landfills, it decomposes in a deoxygenated environment, which produces methane. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas.[19] In 2008, the U.S. only recycled 49% of total wastepaper, while Denmark recycled 97%.[20] Therefore, we can do a lot better. Again, increasing rates of paper recycling at Fordham will not make a huge difference, but will contribute to greater change.

My practicum is on a very small scale. I am not crafting top-down solutions to any of the major environmental issues we have discussed this semester. However, I am proud of the work I am doing. It is the collective action of individuals like myself that leads to widespread change. Moreover, if I can help institute a culture of recycling at Fordham, this will affect thousands of students and have a great impact. Grassroots action is the key to implementing solutions and I am proud to be apart of that action. It is through this action that I hope to make Fordham greener and more cognizant of the environmental history of the Rose Hill Campus and New York City.

Works Cited

American Museum of Natural History. “Science Bulletins: Bronx River Restoration” (Youtube video). Posted June 6, 2012. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCClu3iTYIU.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. “About Us.” The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Accessed October 10, 2017. http://www.aashe.org/about-us/.

Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future. “About.” Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future. Accessed October 10, 2017. http://ulsf.org/about/.

Bronx River Alliance. “Natural and Social History.” Bronx River Alliance. Accessed October 10, 2017. http://bronxriver.org/?pg=content&p=abouttheriver&m1=9.

Fordham University. “Bronx River Stewardship and Internship Program.” Fordham University Internship and Job Opportunities. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://www.fordham.edu/info/20924/internship_and_job_opportunities/1748/bronx_river_stewardship_and_internship_program.

Fordham University. “Sustainability at Fordham.” Fordham University. Accessed October 10, 2017, https://www.fordham.edu/info/23673/sustainability_at_fordham.

Gilbert, Allan S. and Roger Wines. “From Earliest to Latest Fordham: Background History and Ongoing Archaeology.” In Fordham: The Early Years, edited by Thomas C. Hennessey, S.J., 1-12. New York: Fordham University Press, 1998.

Goiser, Chris. “On-Campus Farm Nourished Fordham in its Early Years.” Fordham News, October 26, 2016. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://news.fordham.edu/fordham-magazine/on-campus-farm-nourished-fordham-in-its-early-years/.

Green Report Card. “Report Card 2011: Fordham University.” The College Sustainability Report Card. Accessed October 10, 2017. http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2011/schools/fordham-university.html.

Miller, G. Tyler and Scott Spoolman. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, 2012.

One NYC. “Vision 3: Sustainability.” One NYC: The Plan for a Strong and Just City. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://onenyc.cityofnewyork.us/visions/sustainability/goal-1-sustainability/.

Van Buren, John. “Bronx River Stewardship and Internship Program.” Fordham University

Environmental Studies. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://legacy.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/environmental_studie/internships_bronx_ri_75801.asp.

St. Rose’s Garden + CSA. “St. Rose’s CSA.” St. Rose’s Garden + CSA (blog), September 10, 2012, Accessed October 10, 2017. https://fordhamsustainability.wordpress.com/st-roses-csa/.

St. Rose’s Garden + CSA. “St. Rose’s Garden.” St. Rose’s Garden + CSA (blog), December 13, 2013. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://fordhamsustainability.wordpress.com/st-roses-garden/.

Welikia. “Beyond Mannahatta: Explore.” Welikia. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://welikia.org/explore/mannahatta-map/.

Wildlife Conservation Society. “The Mannahatta Project” (YouTube video). Posted June 5, 2009. Accessed October 10, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKNEu_8t65s.

References

[1] Wildlife Conservation Society, “The Mannahatta Project” (YouTube video), posted June 5, 2009, accessed October 10, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKNEu_8t65s.

[2] Welikia, “Beyond Mannahatta: Explore,” Welikia, accessed October 10, 2017, https://welikia.org/explore/mannahatta-map/.

[3] American Museum of Natural History, “Science Bulletins: Bronx River Restoration” (Youtube video), posted June 6, 2012, accessed October 10, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCClu3iTYIU.

[4] Bronx River Alliance, “Natural and Social History,” Bronx River Alliance, accessed October 10, 2017, http://bronxriver.org/?pg=content&p=abouttheriver&m1=9.

[5] One NYC, “Vision 3: Sustainability,” One NYC: The Plan for a Strong and Just City, accessed October 10, 2017, https://onenyc.cityofnewyork.us/visions/sustainability/goal-1-sustainability/.

[6] John Van Buren, “Bronx River Stewardship and Internship Program,” Fordham University Environmental Studies, accessed October 10, 2017, https://legacy.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/environmental_studie/internships_bronx_ri_75801.asp.

[7] Fordham University, “Bronx River Stewardship and Internship Program,” Fordham University Internship and Job Opportunities, accessed October 10, 2017, https://www.fordham.edu/info/20924/internship_and_job_opportunities/1748/bronx_river_stewardship_and_internship_program.

[8] Allan S. Gilbert and Roger Wines, “From Earliest to Latest Fordham: Background History and Ongoing Archaeology,” in Fordham: The Early Years, edited by Thomas C. Hennessey, S.J., 11. New York: Fordham University Press, 1998.

[9] Chris Goiser, “On-Campus Farm Nourished Fordham in its Early Years,” Fordham News, October 26, 2016, accessed October 10, 2017, https://news.fordham.edu/fordham-magazine/on-campus-farm-nourished-fordham-in-its-early-years/.

[10] St. Rose’s Garden + CSA, “St. Rose’s Garden,” St. Rose’s Garden + CSA (blog), December 13, 2013, accessed December 20, 2017, https://fordhamsustainability.wordpress.com/st-roses-garden/; St. Rose’s Garden + CSA, “St. Rose’s CSA.” St. Rose’s Garden + CSA (blog), September 10, 2012, accessed December 20, 2017, https://fordhamsustainability.wordpress.com/st-roses-csa/; Students for Environmental Justice and Awareness, Facebook group, accessed December 20, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/groups/seajfordham/; and Orgsync, “Student Involvement – LC: Environmental Club,” Orgsync: Fordham University, accessed December 20, 2017, https://orgsync.com/36915/chapter.

[11] Fordham University, “Sustainability at Fordham.” Fordham University, accessed December 20, 2017, https://www.fordham.edu/info/23673/sustainability_at_fordham; and Green Report Card, “Report Card 2011: Fordham University,” The College Sustainability Report Card, accessed December 20, 2017, http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2011/schools/fordham-university.html.

[12] Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, “About,” Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, accessed December 20, 2017, http://ulsf.org/about/; and The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, “About Us,” The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, accessed December 20, 2017, http://www.aashe.org/about-us/.

[13] G. Tyler Miller and Scott Spoolman, Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions (Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, 2012), 8.

[14] Ibid., 565-566.

[15] Ibid., 567-568.

[16] Chris Jordan, “Albatross Trailer,” (Albatross), accessed October 30, 2017, http://www.albatrossthefilm.com/trailer/.

[17] Miller and Spoolman, Living in the Environment, 560.

[18] Ibid., 567.

[19] Ibid., 571.

[20] Ibid., 567.