Painting a Greener Rollins

A portrait of our planet would likely depict vivid blue seas and swirling white clouds, but no accurate likeness of Earth can omit human beings from the picture. Think of this: it wasn’t until approximately 1800 that the world’s population reached one billion, but it took only 130 years to add the next billion, 30 years to add the third, and 15 years to add the fourth. In four more years, the world’s population is anticipated to reach 14 billion. The pressure of such a sizeable human presence can be either a powerful source of positive change or a potential source of destruction. Rollins students and faculty are passionate about facing the challenge and about leaving future generations with a landscape brighter than their own. What they are learning in Rollins classrooms and experiencing on the Rollins campus is helping them to paint that greener tomorrow. Continue reading the article from the Spring 2009 issue of Rollins Magazine (which was printed with soy-based ink on recycled paper), or flip through an electronic version of the magazine.

Working Toward a Greener Rollins

Facilities Management has been implementing sustainable practices across the Rollins campus. From low flow shower heads and high efficiency lighting to hybrid vehicles and green chemicals, discover the many ways Facilities Managements strives to make Rollins an environmentally friendly campus. More…

Dining Services has been working with Food Alliance certified farmers and offering solid information and tools about green practices in order to offer you healthy, organic food options and ways you can help the environment. More…

Students Help Restore Bahamian Coastline

After the frenzy of fall final exams, Rollins students flocked to the sunny paradise of Abaco Island in the Bahamas. However, this was no vacation. But rather a capstone international experience in the study of environmental political activism.

This spring, 16 first-year students and three peer mentors worked with environmental activist organization Friends of the Environment on Abaco Island in a tidal creek restoration project. During their week-long stay on the island, students had the opportunity to connect with the Bahamian community and learned about the politics of environmental issues through hands-on experience.

Led by Rollins College Associate Professor of Political Science Michael Gunter, the group of students were challenged to make connections between the issues on Abaco Island, ranging from invasive plant species to tourism and urban development, and the environmental issues facing them at home in the United States. More...

Rollins Offers Minor in "Sustainable Development and the Environment"

Rollins offers an interdisciplinary minor in sustainable development and the environment that includes a set of courses that examine the concept of sustainable development in an increasingly global economy. Courses are based on the premise that sustainable development means reconciling the need for economic growth, particularly in developing nations, with the need to protect both natural resources and the quality of life. More...

Campus Construction Projects Increase Sustainability

Rollins College completed more than 40 various construction projects ranging from residence hall renovations to the completion of the west end chilled water loop. The projects attempted to take full advantage of implementing sustainable practices in every area, including both passive and active heat recovery for domestic hot water production, shared oversize cooling towers to minimize fan energy, highly efficient chillers, computer controlled operations, and a cutting-edge water treatment system that eliminates the use of chemicals for controlling scaling, corrosion, and biological growth within the cooling tower. More...

Dining Services Makes Positive Changes

While sustainability efforts or “going green” is prevalent for schools in states like Oregon and California, Rollins College is leading the charge in Florida. All Styrofoam drink cups, lids and straws have been removed from Rollins campus dining locations and replaced with biodegradable products. Biodegradable napkins are used throughout campus, and the Bookmark Café, Dianne’s Café, The Marketplace and Cornell Courtyard are now serving Starbucks Fair Trade Certified coffee products. More...

Earth Day 2009 Celebration

On Thursday, April 23, EcoRollins hosted an Earth Day celebration that offered many delicious treats, including an organic popcorn bar, organic mint iced tea, Fair Trade iced coffee, and organic cupcakes. They brought in informational vendors, including the Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge, Found Vintage Store, and Florida Native Plant Society. Facilities Management discussed their sustainable practices on the Rollins campus. WPRK provided the music. And, in honor of Earth Day, Dining Services offered organic and vegetarian meals throughout the week, and turned out the lights and offered no to-go containers for the entire day.