EASTON, Pa.(www.lafayette.edu), August 22, 2007 — This school year, Lafayette Environmental Awareness and Protection (LEAP) is initiating or continuing numerous projects meant to help bring about a greener campus and promote environmental responsibility among students.

During the first few weeks of the new semester, LEAP will be sponsoring a compact fluorescent light bulb exchange. The change from normal incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent light bulbs will lead to a more efficient use of energy on campus because they use only 25 percent of the energy that a traditional incandescent light bulb uses. The college will be paying the upfront cost of the light bulbs and LEAP will be handing them out for free during first-year orientation and the first week of the semester.

Chemical engineering major Dan Goldberg ’09 (Avon, Conn.) serves as president of LEAP. He stresses the importance for the campus to become greener.

“It is essential for our campus to become a green institution because it will set an example for the students, parents, and local community,” he says. “If we can show students how to become environmentally responsible while in college, then hopefully they will bring these ideals to the real world.”

As well as the light bulb exchange, LEAP will also be selling nalgenes for $5 during the first week of the semester. Using this refillable water bottle will help the environment by eliminating the use of plastic water bottles and paper cups.

During the year, LEAP is sponsoring a new and improved recycling initiative. They will be handing out magnets and educating students in order to clear up any misconceptions about recycling. Leah Leinbach ’08 (Reading, Pa.) a biology and philosophy double major, has been working hard throughout her college career to increase recycling on campus.

Goldberg hopes that education will play a major role in improving recycling.

“Students sometimes don’t realize the wide spectrum of materials that can be recycled: a small sample includes batteries, printer paper, cereal boxes, shipping boxes, colored paper, plastic bottles, envelopes, newspapers, plastic grocery bags, magazines, aluminum cans, etc.,” he says.

LEAP will also make recycling more available and easier to do. Goldberg says, “There is a circulating myth that the College does not recycle at all despite the recycling bins. We will be trying to debunk these myths and increase recycling awareness on campus in the upcoming semester.”

Civil and environmental engineering major Mickey Adelman ’10 (Clarks Summit, Pa.), international affairs major Stephanie Tatge ’08 (Sarasota, Fla.), and biology major Laura Bochner ’10 (Bethlehem, Pa.) have been working with Dining Services and Plant Operations to get a composting plan on campus. It is LEAP’s hope that by establishing a composting program tons of food waste can be turned into fertilizer that could be reused on campus or sold to local companies.

During the year, LEAP will also apply for a grant to get solar panels for Marquis Hall and propose a campus-wide energy contest to lower energy use on campus. A Wind Energy Petition will also propose that the campus buy 10 percent of its electricity from this renewable energy source.

“I think that energy conservation is one of the most logical things to do. Why would you do five hours of homework on project when it can be accomplished in two hours? It is the same exact concept when it comes to energy conservation on campus. Why do we need to keep our lights and computer on an extra three hours while we are at class? If we could start looking at the problem like this, global warming and other environmental issues will become much more manageable problems,” says Goldberg.

LEAP meetings are held during lunch from 12-1 p.m. in the Farinon Student Activities Room. For more information, go to the web site or visit the LEAP table in Farinon during orientation and at the Activities Fair on Aug. 29.