Green Team promotes cleaner environment

The Daily Inter Lake

Flathead Audubon presented the Flathead Valley Community College Green Team with the Conservation Achievement Recognition award for its responsible environmental activities at its March 9 meeting.

The FVCC Green Team started in 1998 with Tom Dyer, FVCC's director of custodial services, according to a press release. Concerned for workers, staff, students and the general environment, Dyer began weeding out toxic-cleaning products, researching simpler products and tracking down green suppliers.

Also, since FVCC had moved to its new campus in the early 1990s, maintenance workers had been recycling cardboard, paper and aluminum, depositing the recycling money into a scholarship fund.

When custodian Glenn Ford died his family contributed seed money to boost the fund. Since then, the Glenn Ford Memorial Scholarship Fund has grown and accrued interest as a result of expanded on-campus recycling efforts.

Dyer and a group of concerned students expanded the campus-wide effort by forming the "Green Team," a group of advisers and organizers, and to assemble an all-volunteer Earth Day program.

Laura Damon was hired as instructional safety and chemical hygiene officer, overseeing disposal of wastes from the chemistry labs, and monitoring the purchase, use and storage of chemicals and hazardous substances.

Americorps volunteer Roger Diller has also stepped in to expand the recycling initiative, and began a Renewable Resource Club.

Today, the FVCC buildings are cleaned and maintained using more than 90 percent certified green, non-aerosol products.

The Glenn Ford Memorial Scholarships are up to $1,000.

Dyer is switching over his cleaning equipment to pieces that use less power, less cleaning solution and less water.

The newer campus buildings have motion-sensor light switches that turn off when the room is empty.

The Green Team is working to get lights in the older buildings retrofitted with motion sensors, as well as to adjust staff habits to using e-mail rather than putting paper communications in mailboxes.

The Green Team has no budget and receives no college funding.Any income goes to the scholarship fund.