Growing up in an environmentally-conscious home in Levittown, Maia Roseval’s parents stressed the importance of not just recycling, but reducing waste as well. Her mother used to say, “You can’t just throw something away—because there IS no ‘away,’” Roseval recalled, since one person’s ‘away’ is a landfill in another person’s neighborhood.
Those early lessons inspired Roseval to pursue a career in sustainability and as FSC’s first Manager of Sustainability, she has been busy since August finding ways to reduce and repurpose waste and raise awareness about recycling and sustainability.
“I see my job as observing operations and targeting inefficiencies, to see if can make things more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable on the operations side,” Roseval said.
Those efforts have included posting signs to remind people to shut off water, turn off lights, recycle, as well as placing recycling bins around campus. Other plans for the College include distributing dual-purpose recycling bins, to separate paper from plastic, and possibly giving individuals or offices small bins that would have to be emptied at a central location. Not only would people think twice about what they were throwing out, but they also would get some exercise, according to Roseval.
In the future she would like to set up a system at POP's, Farmingdale's pay-one-price dining hall, to separate organic waste from other trash, she said, and take the organic waste off site. Ensuring there are hydration stations on every floor of every building so people can fill reusable water bottles rather than buy bottled water is another goal. FSC’s Sustainability Committee also has been meeting and generating ideas.
Education is the other part of her job, and Roseval is already reaching out to students for input on projects. “I love working on a college campus; it’s exciting and vibrant,” she said. “I feel like I have an opportunity and obligation to teach students, so they realize how this impacts the whole world and their lifestyle.”
For the first big student contribution, the Horticulture Department’s Landscape Plans I class created 12 designs for a pollination site, which will be located on open fields near the wind turbines. “They treated me as their first client,” according to Roseval. “Each student submitted a design.” After a review of the initial designs by Roseval and Robert Johnston, Assistant Manager for Grounds Services, students are scheduled to present final proposals by mid-November and the winning design will be chosen shortly after that. Work can begin after the administration approves the plans.
“This is a great way for students to use the campus as a ‘living laboratory’ and get hands- on experience while helping our campus reach its sustainability goals,” said Roseval.
She also hopes to encourage donating rather than throwing out unwanted items. The Sustainability Committee is discussing bringing local charities to campus at the end of next semester to collect clothes, furniture, and any other items students no longer want to sell or pass on. “This keeps things out of landfills,” according to Roseval.
To further grow student involvement, she plans to start an Environmental Club and is mapping out a week of events to celebrate Earth Day, which is April 22. “I’d like to see more courses about sustainability and have the opportunity to talk with students about recycling during orientation,” Roseval added.
The administration has been very supportive of initiatives so far. “They have stood behind us; I think they see big changes for the better coming,” noted Roseval. “This always saves money in the long run.”
