Anyone who has ever been on the campus of Cabrini College has most likely experienced the sensor lights in Iadarola Center, seen the green house located outside of Founders Hall or used a biodegradable to-go box from the Cavs Corner.
Most students, faculty and staff are unaware of the extensive measures taken to ensure the environmental sustainability of Cabrini College.
Two men involved in the current green efforts of campus are Gus Feudale, grounds manager, and Bob Iodice, Chief Facilities Engineer. Feudale is involved in the outside workings of the campus whereas Iodice focuses on the inside.
According to Feudale there are many outside efforts already in place and many more to come that members of the Cabrini community should be aware of. One of those efforts is the compost dumpsite.
The entrance near South Gulph Road is home to the campus man-made dumpsite. The area started off as a clearing in the woods used as a place to keep the campus debris including fragments of trees and other plants.
Feudale and his team collect the leaves and other debris in the fall.
“Around late October, you’ll see us empty the flower pots on campus and remove any left-over summer flowers and chrysanthemums,” Feudale said. “That plant material is also brought to the dump site.”
Feudale uses the winter months to do some outdoor maintenance and preparation for the spring. All of the debris left over from storms is taken to the dumpsite.
During the summer months, Feudale assess how much debris has been collected on the site. Sometimes there is far too much, so an outside contractor is hired to remove what Cabrini cannot house on the site.
One of the most sustainable activities to get involved with by far is composting.
“The leaves we dump at the site break down over the years and become rich compost,” Feudale said. “We often take some of this compost and spread it around our trees and shrubs.”
Feudale has been speaking with Dining Services about the possibility of taking the old coffee grounds and using them for the dumpsite. Feudale is also looking into creating a small compost bin for the campus community to use for their own gardens. Spreading the environmental sustainability of Cabrini College would just further help reach our goal of becoming a noticed green campus.
