Short Series on E-Waste: Part III

Part I: What is E-Waste?
Part II: What does MSU do with its E-Waste?

Part III: How do I get rid of my E-Waste?

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is where do I take my E-Waste? In this post we'll go over some of the options that are available to those looking to properly dispose of E-Waste.

Many cities have a few days out of the year in which they do E-Waste pick up. You can contact your local Public Service Department and find out if your city offers this service and when it is held. There is usually a small fee depending on what you want to recycle.

There are also some companies that are offering a "Take Back" program. For a list of companies that have these programs and how to get in contact with them please check www.computertakeback.com list of companies that offer this service (PDF, 113 KB) .

The last option is to do a search on the internet to see if anyone near you offers a good recycling program. Make sure you do some research on the recyclers to ensure they are disposing of E-Waste responsibly. A good place to start is at www.computertakeback.com or Basel Action Network (BAN) for a few hints on where to begin researching E-Waste disposal.

Responsible disposal of E-Waste has tremendous environmental benefits and is a great way to Be Spartan Green!

1992 Presidential Debate Flag Up for Bid

On October 19, 1992 Presidential Debates featuring George H. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot took place here at Michigan State University. The third of three debates during the 1992 election this debate featured all three candidates in a two hour two part format that was watched by over 68 million people.

Since this was the last of debate of the 1992 election, one of the large flags that was used for the stage set for all three debates was donated by Commission on Presidential Debates to the University, the rest of the set was donated to the Smithsonian Institute.

This flag is now available here at the MSU Surplus Store as part of the Wharton Center for Performing Arts is remodeled.

• Flag was was used in the stage set in the great hall
• Hanging is in two pieces:
• Star portion is: 48" x 66 5/8" x 3"
• Stripes Portion is: 150" x 48 1/2" x 4"
• Includes 50 stars, but only 4 red stripes and 3 white.
  

The bidding for the item ends November 28 at 2:00 pm, with the minimum bid being $500. See the full listing.

MSU Surplus Store on Facebook

The MSU Surplus Store has just added it's very own Facebook page. Here you can meet other surplus customers and supporters.

Find us on Facebook®

Additional Construction Photos

Check out the MSU Engineering and Architectural Services Photo page of the Construction Progress the new MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center. It also includes a nice aerial rendering of the new facility shown here on the left.

The EAS Photo album also has updates for all the campus construction projects along with many other wonderful photos of the beautiful MSU Campus. So be sure to check them out!

New Building LEED Certification

With the eventual completion of the new MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center, the MSU Campus will have many new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. While the building specific purpose will be to provide assistance in accomplishing those goals, the actual construction of the new facility is also going to help reduce, reuse and recycle just through the design and construction of the new facility. The new building has been completely designed with these concepts in mind based on LEED standards, with the goal of being environmentally friendly and sustainable. So what are LEED standards?

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Started in 1993 by the U.S. Green Building Council, this certification program promotes building and construction practices that are environmentally friendly, economical and sustainable. Currently there are four levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. We are expecting to achieve Silver certification for the new MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center. This will be the second building on campus to achieve this status (Chemistry building addition was the first) and the first building to be completely designed and built to these standards.

Here are some of the different methods and systems being adopted to meet LEED Certification in the new MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center:

1. Rain water collection cistern will use gray water for flushing toilets reducing water demands
2. Low flow plumbing fixtures, to reduce water usage by over 30%
3. There will be a Photovoltaic Array on the roof with a real time display in the lobby to display the electricity generated which should be over 7.5% of the buildings energy coming from these renewable sources
4. Motion sensors to control lighting, if lights are not turned off when users leave a space these will automatically shut off
5. Materials used in the construction are made of over 20% post-consumer content and 1/2 pre-consumer recycled content
6. Over 75% of waste from construction is being diverted from landfills through recycling inactivates
7. Art work and other design elements found in the building will be made from recycled materials
8. Plenty of bike rack storage and showers for bikers to support alternative transportation methods
9. Landscape materials found on the exteriors will require no irrigation at all
10. The recycling public drop off center will have LED lighting at to reduce sky-glow and the impact on nocturnal environments
11. Porous pavement for portions of the parking area to improve on-site infiltration, reducing pollution runoff and other contaminants
12. Adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, carpet, wood and agrifibers used in construction have low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) for better indoor air quality
13. Mechanical systems and controls will reduce the amount of energy consumed inthe building by over 24.5%
14. Over 20% of building materials are extracted, processed and manufactured regionally supporting the local economy

Construction Progress - Part XI

• Construction Progress: Part I
• Construction Progress: Part II
• Construction Progress: Part III
• Construction Progress: Part IV
• Construction Progress: Part V
• Construction Progress: Part VI
• Construction Progress: Part VII
• Construction Progress: Part VIII
• Construction Progress: Part IX
• Construction Progress: Part X

Construction has made great strides on the job site in the past few weeks. The outer framing of the building has almost been completed, and many of the interior walls in the center of the building have started to go up. Work has continued in the bathrooms, with the fixture and interior walls in this area coming close to being complete. In some areas the floors have been poured and door frames have gone in. We are coming closer and closer to having a the basic framing the facility being completed.

Remember to keep checking back for more updates! Also don't forget that we have a compilation of all of the constructions photos available. We would also like to thank Irish Construction Company who has been very gracious in allowing us access and keeping us up to date with the progress of construction (which is still on schedule).