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The Assistant Director of Environmental Health and Safety, Richard Lemoine, has been involved with Umass Lowell and its efforts to practice sustainability for 28 years. Growing up in Lowell, Lemoine has continually observed the city?s need for environmental awareness. "It all goes back to the issue of sustainability, and how bad the area has become because of its age and the mills" said Lemoine.
Today, the university recycles more than eighty tons of cardboard, mainly from the campus bookstores. There are also 350 locations for the placement of recyclable materials, which are serviced up to twice a week. "Recycling and sustainability is really only the last ten years, and we are just in our infancy" Lemoine said. The issue of sustainability is not just a campus concern, but a world-wide issue. "In the U.S., we are just coming to that point where out landfills are filled, and we are burning up our natural resources"stated Lemoine. Just over 100 years ago, there were no regulations concerning hazardous materials in Lowell. This is why Lemoine is so dedicated and focused on recycling the materials that come into the university. He has been working with handfuls of Federal and State agencies to implement the now four year program called the Environmental Management System. The Toxic Use Reduction Institute (TURI) has greatly supported Lemoine and the Environmental Health and Safety staff in the development and continuation of this program. EMS is a participatory type of management which gives Umass Lowell staff the opportunity to have a say on the issue of sustainability. Lemoine stated, "when you can have a say in your job, you have a sense of ownership". With recycling on his mind, Lemoine and EMS have been working on a way to keep track of the university?s purchases through a new software program called the People Soft Inventory. Lemoine wanted to find a way to preserve the environment in the city, while saving the university money as well. Lemoine found that many products that are purchased by the university can be reused and/or safely recycled. "The program allow us to monitor these products. People just type in what they want to purchase, and a staff member takes a look at the order" said Lemoine. Also, with Lemoine?s dedication and years of well crafted skills, he is hoping to develop a recycling program in the dormitories. This process will be similar to that of household recycling. Lemoine has also recently implemented Vermin Composting, which naturally produces fresh soil from worms and left over vegetation produced by the university?s cafeterias. When asked what is his greatest challenge as Assistant Director, Lemoine smiled with a look of pride glistening in his eyes. "I really love my position here. I do not see challenges, I see possibilities and hopes of continuing to move forward." |