In its ongoing effort to be an environmentally responsible member of the Long Island community, Farmingdale State College has joined Call2Recycle, a no-cost cellphone and rechargeable-battery collection program. The campus has set up collection bins at its Campus Center and administration building, Horton Hall.
"Farmingdale State College has a legacy of environmental stewardship, from its founding in 1912 as an agricultural college” said Farmingdale President W. Hubert Keen. “To support that legacy we have joined Call2Recycle to collect and recycle used rechargeable batteries and cellphones. The program will strengthen and enhance our existing recycling programs by providing convenient and safe disposal options for our faculty, staff and students. As we like to say, ‘Green then, Green now.’”
Since 1996, more than 75 million pounds of rechargeable batteries and cellphones have been collected through the Call2Recycle program.
“I very much appreciate President Keen’s support for the collection of recycled batteries,” said Jeff Carter, Environmental Health and Safety Officer. “The goal of this office is to provide guidance to every manager, supervisor, faculty or staff member, and student of Farmingdale State College so that a safe, healthful and environmentally sustainable learning environment is achieved and maintained.”
Call2Recycle is only the latest in a line of “green” programs and initiatives in place at the Farmingdale campus. The college has had its own recycling center since 2000 – collecting paper products, bottles and cans, and toner and ink cartridges. It has a fleet of electric cars and a solar carport that can charge up to 20 vehicles at a time, the first of its kind within SUNY. There are three wind turbines on campus, and the college has invested $1 million in solar panels.
