By Joie’ Thornton

Staff Writer

In an effort to make Brookhaven College greener, the Green Team was created to help educate students and faculty about methods for maintaining an environmentally conscientious campus. The Green Team, an employee committee, was primarily started to initiate recycling at Brookhaven because there was no recycling, Carrie Schweitzer, assistant to the president, said.

Mary Schoals, department assistant with the Marketing and Public Information Office, said: “The purpose of the Green Team is to promote sustainable practices on campus. These include educating the future generation and the community in progressive ideals and technology.” Schweitzer said the Green Team “began with recycling, but as time passed, the word ‘sustainability’ has become more operative in our discussions about how to make a difference in the present for the future.”

Schweitzer said the Green Team is more than recycling, a strictly environmental movement or an ecological movement. It is a sustainability movement. Schweitzer said the “sustainability movement internationally is about making a positive impact on learning and environmental, social and economic vitality.” Schweitzer also said the Green Team has made decisions that will have a positive impact for people in the future.

Brookhaven recently bought 50 new recycle bins to help students and faculty recycle more. “The Green Team has focused their efforts on recycling and education on recycling,” Schoals said. “The Green Team has also been working on innovative ways to bring sustainable events and organizations committed to such on campus.”

Schweitzer said the Green Team is open to students. There will be a meeting at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in A201. The Green Team does not want to isolate students by having them in a separate club. It wants faculty and students working together.

Schoals said, “The future for the Green Team is focused on certain things like landscaping, recycling, and events like Earth Day.” Lois Wagenseil, a Brookhaven librarian, said, “The Earth Day event is where students and faculty can make their pledge about what they are going to do to be green.”

With the pledge, guests can paint either their hand or face green. Schoals said, “The Green Team, in the long run, is working to include sustainability in our values here at Brookhaven, especially for Brookhaven 2018.”