YSU wins $4,200 for recycling efforts

The university was credited with leading recycling efforts in Mahoning County.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University has been imparting the gift of environmental education to the community for years with its annual Earth Day celebration.
This year, the university got something back -- a $4,200 check from the Mahoning County Green Team to bolster YSU's own recycling efforts.
YSU took part in a competitive grant application process and succeeded in securing the highest cash award among 48 groups that received funding, said Jim Petuch, director of the county's Solid Waste District and former YSU recycling manager.
Wednesday's Earth Day celebration started off with a morning press conference in which officials touted the ongoing partnership between the university, the city and Mahoning County in efforts to improve the city, making it cleaner and greener as outlined in the Youngstown 2010 development plan.
The county's three commissioners, a representative of city hall and YSU President David C. Sweet were present.
The YSU recycling effort has won state and national honors, said Joe Scarnecchia, director of support services at YSU.
"We broke a lot of bad habits on this campus," he said.
Recyclemania
Dan Kuzma, current recycling manager at YSU, said the university placed fifth among 50 colleges and universities competing in the waste minimization category of the recent national Recyclemania program.
YSU finished eighth in Recyclemania's recycling category among 90 schools in that event, he said.
Commissioner Anthony Traficanti, noting that the county gives YSU $90,000 a year for its recycling efforts, said the university is "truly an anchor" for the community and recycling is a big part of that.
The university clearly leads the county in recycling efforts, said Commissioner John A. McNally IV, noting the county expects to reach the 25-percent recycling rate within a few years.
"This is Earth Day. We have to take care of what we have," said Commissioner David Ludt, pointing out that YSU's environmental efforts are targeting that goal.
Sweet said that, in addition to being a partner in the 2010 project, the university has a number of other "cleaner and greener" efforts under way, including a multimillion-dollar investment in reducing its use of electricity and the Cityscape effort to beautify entryways to the campus and the city.
gwin@vindy.com