Southwestern Senior Helps Winfield Business "Go Green"

Several businesses in Winfield are now more energy efficient thanks to the efforts of one Southwestern College senior.

Cassi Reimer, Ulysses, decided for her senior Leadership project to share her energy efficient knowledge with some Winfield businesses. She performed home energy audits at Long & Neises CPA, Buterbaugh & Handlin, Hometown True Value, Moonshadow Bookstore, Winfield Chamber of Commerce, the office of Dr. Alan Marcotte DDS., and State Farm Insurance.

Along with the energy audit, Reimer also checked the water flow out of the faucets and toilets, and checked for recycling. “After the audit, I calculated how much energy and money they would save if they made some green improvements, for example changing all their light bulbs to energy efficient ones,” Reimer says. “Then, I gave them the results and asked if they wanted to make any changes. I told each of them if they bought the supplies, I could provide the manual labor.”

Three of the businesses accepted Reimer’s offer.

• Moonshadow Bookstore had Reimer caulk the windows and seal the door to reduce the airflow.

• Hometown True Value asked Reimer and her volunteers to remove an old air conditioning unit. They removed it and replaced the hole which will reduce heat loss and excess air flow.

• Buterbaugh & Handlin installed a hot water heater jacket and sealed socket/light switch gaps behind the plates to reduce heat loss.
Matt Bradbury, owner of Hometown True Value, liked the ideas that Reimer offered.

“She gave a different perspective to look at,” Bradbury said. “When you’re around the business day-after-day, you don’t realize the changes that can be made. She came in and gave me a fresh new way to look at my business.”

Reimer says that these businesses should begin seeing money savings in their energy bills. “I had big dreams for this project and I am so grateful to these businesses for allowing me the opportunity to help,” Reimer says.

Cowley County Recycles Electronic Waste

The Cowley County Conservation District along with Cowley County K-State Research & Extension, The City of Winfield, Sunflower RC&D, Winfield Correctional Facility, ABCDE, USD #465, and Southwestern College Green Team combined resources to conduct the first of two Cowley County Electronic Waste Recycle Day on April 27, 2010. A second date is planned for August 28 at the Agri-Business building in Arkansas City.

The electronic waste is an ever-growing product, that when recycled, keeps toxins out of landfills, preserves our natural resources, and provides jobs through recycling centers and packaging facilities. In order to conserve natural resources and the energy needed to produce new electronic equipment from virgin resources, electronic equipment can be refurbished, reused, and recycled instead of being landfilled. E-waste contains valuable materials such as gold, silver, copper, steel and plastic. It makes sense to recycle these materials instead of throwing them into our landfills.

The collection site was the Cowley County Fairgrounds from 3pm-7pm on Tuesday, April 27. Items that were accepted included televisions, computers, mice, keyboards, cameras, microwaves, DVD and VCR players, cell phones, MP3 players, just to name a few. A complete list can be found at www.cowleycountyconservationdistrict.com. A total of 1.5 semi-truck trailers worth of electronics were collected to be recycled. Twelve students from Southwestern College volunteered during the afternoon.

The program was free to Cowley County households, government agencies, and educational institutions, but a $1 minimum donation was requested to cover the cost of transportation to the Rice County recycling facility. Businesses were also allowed to bring items, but were assessed a $5 fee for each monitor and television. All items will be secured and electronically cleaned, so by recycling e-waste through our program you are assured there will not be any security issues.

The E-Waste program is funded in part by a grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Rice County Recycling and E-Waste with the support of the Solid Waste Management Reduction Initiative through Sunflower RC&D.

Sweep Winfield a Success

The city of Winfield is cleaner following the first “Sweep Winfield” event.
On Saturday, April 17, Southwestern College students teamed up for the first-year event, “Sweep Winfield,” organized by Kate Norton, assistant women’s soccer coach and Green Team Southwestern member. After two hours of combing the streets of Winfield, seven teams consisting of approximately 70 SC students collected more than 1,125 pounds of waste, and 25% of it was recyclable.
“It was exciting to see the number of students that participated along with the enthusiasm and competitive spirit that they brought,” says Jason Speegle, director of Green Team Southwestern. “It’s not glamorous, but the students made it fun and it benefits Winfield by disposing more than 1,100 pounds of waste.”
The groups participating in the event from the college were the Green Team, athletic training, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, football, Leadership Southwestern, and Phi Delta Theta. The team that collected the most garbage would be declared the winner. The golf team won first prize by collecting 254 pounds of garbage. Women’s soccer finished second (228 pounds of garbage) and football finished third (197 pounds of garbage).
Each member of the winning SC golf team won a prize bag filled with goodies donated by numerous Winfield businesses. Sponsors included Braum’s, Posh, Sodexo Education, Cuppa Jo’s, City of Winfield, Gottlob Lawn & Landscaping, Salon Avant, Gambino’s, Health World, and Winfield Recreation Commission.
“I thought the event went really well,” Norton says. “The participants had fun and were very competitive. I hope this becomes an annual Winfield event.”

Earth Day Celebration 2010

The Southwestern College Green Team kicked off their Earth Day celebration with “Sweep Winfield” on Saturday, April 17.
“Sweep Winfield” took place at several areas around Winfield. Teams were in the vicinity of College, First, Main, and Sixth Streets.
According to Kate Norton, assistant women’s soccer coach and Green Team member, the goal of “Sweep Winfield” was not just to pick up trash in Winfield but to also bridge the gap between the community of Winfield and the community of Southwestern College.
Numerous Southwestern College organizations participated in “Sweep Winfield” including the Green Team, athletic training, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, football, Leadership Southwestern, and Phi Delta Theta.
Winfield business sponsors for the event included Braum’s, Posh, Sodexo Education, Cuppa Jo’s, City of Winfield, Gottlob Lawn & Landscaping, Salon Avant, Gambino’s, Health World, and Winfield Recreation Commission.
Several additional events commemorating Earth Day include:
• Monday, April 19 at 7 p.m.—Home energy rating presentation in the Southwestern College Welcome Center. SC grad and certified residential energy rater Scott Kuhn will present.
• Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m.—Renewable energy information session on the Cole Mound Plaza (Mossman 101 in case of rain). Brian Robinson from Cates Supply will present.
• Wednesday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m.—Hope for Creation simulcast in Beech 104, presented by blessedearth.com. At 7 p.m., a nature hike around the SC campus beginning on the Warren Apartments lawn. Larry Schuster will guide the tour.
• Thursday, April 22—Earthday is plant-a-tree day at the college.
• Saturday, April 24—Creation Care Day, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The SC Green Team will host area high school students for workshops on Biblical views on creation care.
• Tuesday, April 27—Electronic waste recycling collection at the Winfield fairgrounds from 3 to 7 p.m.