Western Illinois University’s Physical Plant; environmental advocate for the University

Western Illinois University Physical Plant’s mission is to maintain and enhance the campus physical environment in support of academic and other related functions of the university.

Charles G. Darnell, Jr. is the Director of Western Illinois University Physical Plant. Darnell’s role is to design standards, environmental regulatory and code compliance, and maintenance operations.

“I have many diverse obligations and responsibilities.” Darnell says.

With the cooperation and dedication of his staff, Darnell is committed to remaining true to the Physical Plant’s mission.

“I can say that the University is truly blessed to have so many supportive and exceedingly competent Physical Plant staff members among its 300+ full-time employees.” Darnell says.

Western Illinois University Physical Plant is dedicated to refuse and recycling. With its contract with Waste Management, Inc. Western Illinois University is a strong advocate for recycling. Bridgeway, a local service organization, processes recycled material. The Physical Plant, along side with various departments on campus, plays huge roles in refuse systems and recycling on campus.

“Additionally, our campus Sustainability coordinator works closely with campus departments, Housing and Dining Services, and with Physical Plant Building Services on continuing initiatives to reduce waste and increase recycling diversion rates on campus.” Darnell says.

Also part of the Physical Plants responsibility is deal with regulatory challenges that exist to the campus’s building structures. Western Illinois University has buildings that were constructed in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s and throughout the century. With times changing and different construction regulations being developed and used, the Physical Plant has to keep the campus up to the current codes.

“Most public school like WIU consists of buildings that were constructed in nearly every decade from the early 1900’s through present day. With changes in building materials, construction processes, engineering procedures, structural, electrical, and mechanical system technologies, as well as evolution building codes and environmental regulation, regulatory challenges are a major part of a Physical Plant’s day-to-day responsibilities.” Darnell says.

Darnell even pays attention to the elements that are beyond the Physical Plants control. Weather is something that effects the campus and the Physical Plant is aware of this issue.

“In addition to several strong thunderstorms and ice storms that have damaged campus trees and caused minor damage to a few buildings, campus snow and ice removal accomplished by Physical Plant is always a pressing and sometime controversial issue between the months of November and March.” Darnell says.

The Physical Plant is also aware of wildlife that effects the environment on campus. Various birds, deer, and raccoons can be found around campus. Sometimes these animals can damage property and plants.

“We do have some wildlife issues on campus such as feral cats, deer that can be destructive to campus planting, birds that roost on historical buildings like Sherman, and inquisitive raccoons that have dined on electrical wiring under the hoods of our State vehicles.” Darnell adds.

Even though the Physical Plant does dedicate its time to keeping the campus clean and pleasant, Darnell still urges students and factuality to do their part. Their cooperation seems small but can offer a big help.

“I would hope that people who are prone to littering would take the time to find one of the numerous trash receptacles located through out campus, many within only a few paces of where the litter is ultimately thrown.” Darnell says.

Darnell is proud of the work that he does with the Physical Plant, but he attributes everything to the dedication of his staff. Through the Physical Plant, Western Illinois University is growing towards becoming a more environmentally safe place.

Karen Hudson

In 2001, Elmwood, Ill. faced the largest animal waste spill in state history.

After years of mismanagement, a locally-owned concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) unintentionally overflowed its waste lagoon, flooding the area with over two million gallons of cow feces.

Karen Hudson, an Elmwood resident, has been protesting CAFOs for 15 years.

In 1996, Hudson founded Families Against Rural Messes (FARM) in order to fight the construction of Elmwood’s ill-fated dairy plant.

“Now we’re a state-wide coalition of 20 or so counties,” Hudson says. “We’re trying to oppose confinement operations opening in Illinois.”

Through public appeals, Hudson hopes to slow the spread of CAFOs in order to prevent disasters like Elmwood’s.

“We use the media,” she says. “We do press conferences, we do news stories, and we write a lot of letters to the editor.”

Aside from the risk of spillage, Hudson says, CAFOs pose a risk to public health and economic stability.

“When large-scale factory farms move in, it’s been shown that there’s less money spent locally,” she says. “Aside from the danger of waste spillage, there’s always the risk of contamination and anti-biotic resistance, too.”

Hudson also works as a consultant for the GRACE Factory Farm Project.

“With that project,” Hudson says, “We’re trying to inform the public about socially responsible farming.”

The Project is run by Food and Water Watch, an activist organization whose stated goal is “to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced.”

With the GRACE Project, Food and Water Watch aims to educate the public on the dangers of pesticides, animal waste, runoff, and mass confinement, while promoting small-scale, sustainable agriculture.

Ted Renner Is Making WIU "Green".

Ted Renner is the Deputy Director of the Physical Plant in charge of facility planning and construction. During Mr. Renner’s time at WIU he has had a major role in building the Multicultural center. What exactly is the Deputy Directors job? “My job is to manage multiple budgets, decide priorities, establish design standards, make sure that the University administration is aware of any problems (or potential problems) schedule and coordinate projects and/ or maintenance repairs with the campus and the trades working at the Physical Plant.” Renner said about the job.
He also is very knowledgeable about everything that needs to be fixed around the campus. He talked briefly about knowing what exactly needs help at all times of the year; “We are always planning ahead to fix something. For example, we have a database of campus roofs. I can very quickly tell you which roofs are in need of replacement, which roofs are in good shape, the status of the warranty, etc. This allows us to plan for replacement. We have the same type of priority list with electrical high voltage feeders, transformers, switchgear, etc, again, allowing to plan for replacement before something becomes a problem at an inconvenient time.” Renner said about keeping the campus in good shape. He is a part of the team that makes sure everything is always in good shape around the campus. His knowledge of maintenance needed around the campus is great for WIU.
Renner has always been interested in building since he was a child he said from the time he was little he could “look at a set of prints and see things in my head very clearly. I enjoy taking a space and renewing it. I love to re-build things. I very much enjoy seeing a building being constructed from the ground up. True, there are problems associated with new construction because, unless you are building tract homes, everything is a prototype.” Someone with his talent makes him the person right for the job.
This talent helped him build and develop the Multicultural Center. Renner also thinks about the environment while he is thinking about building. He is LEED accredited, which means he uses energy efficient and keeps “green” in his mind when building certain areas. That is important in today’s society where many times construction zones give off hazardous gas into the air.
I asked Mr. Renner to touch briefly on his impact on the environment with building “I am well versed in the process of designing and building in such a way that it has minimal impact to the environment. During the construction of the Multicultural Center, more that 50% of the waste generated was diverted from the land fill. Concrete was taken and crushed to be re-used as gravel. Steel was recycled instead of being thrown away. Much of the wood in the building is certified from the Forrest Stewardship Council, which means it is grown and harvested with minimal impact to the environment. Many of these types of construction are so simple and easy to follow that we are adopting them here at the Physical Plant for normal day to day use. We are using low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint across campus on a regular basis. We are putting in items that will last longer with less energy use such as induction lighting. Some of the induction lights we have installed cost slightly more than typical lights, and will last for 20+ years, ADs opposed to the 2 years we get from standard lights.” That was an eye opening discovery in the building phases around WIU. He is able to recycle certain building supplies which makes WIU one of the most environmentally friendly campuses.
He also talked about designing the multicultural center, and Dr. Goldfarbs ideas for this to be a green project. He also talked about how these things that people deem “green” aren’t really green at all they are just efficient “Dr.Goldfarb stepped up and decided that it needed to be a LEED Silver building. That was when we really had to focus on the green aspects. It’s not as hard or as challenging as you think. People would contact me and say that they wanted a tour so they could see all the green things. That's just it: there are no "green things." It’s not as if we are doing something magic, it’s just a different way of doing what we have already been doing, and paying more attention to where things come from for the project, and where they go when they are no longer needed. Essentially just better stewardship of the things we already have.” Renner said.
Going on throughout the rest of his tenure, he intends on designing more buildings with the environment in mind.

Farming: There's More Than Just Corn, Cows, Cash, and Chemicals

“Old McDonald” had one. Many country songs are based on one. Some families rely on one for income. Groceries are filled with products from different ones. What is this mystery place? The answer is a farm.

Today, farming is a booming industry and is mass producing large amounts of corn, soybeans, wheat, and various other crops to help feed people all around the world. Since the 1950s, crop production has greatly increased. Instead of just planting enough food for a single family, farmers are planting crops over many acres of land and are receiving an increased yield and profit.

Many tend to disagree with today’s farming techniques. However, Dr. William Bailey, director of Western Illinois University’s School of Agriculture, discussed the farmer's and agriculturalist's point of view on various topics of environmentalism and technology affecting a farmer’s ability to produce crops.

Before becoming a professor and director at WIU, Bailey graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Trade from the University of Idaho, a Master of Arts in Education from Pepperdine University, a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Idaho, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri. Bailey worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington D.C. for nearly 10 years. He also worked at General Mills, Inc. and was a professor and director in agribusiness at Massey University in New Zealand. He has also received awards from the USDA for personal achievement.

Many organic farmers and citizens around the world feel that the mass production of crops is devastating to our health. These increased yields are the result of Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs. GMOs are a type of crop developed in a lab in which the internal makeup of the crop is altered. This alteration allows crops to be resistant to pesticides and herbicides, which prevent the growth and spread of insects and weeds, respectively. Studies, shown in movies such as “King Corn” and “The Future of Food,” suggest that these crops are directly responsible for obesity and juvenile diabetes.

“There is no evidence that products made using GMO ingredients are either more or less harmful to consumers than non-GMO ingredients,” Bailey said. “GMO technology is key to the ability of farmers to produce enough food to feed the world.”

According to Today in Science History, early farmer Charles Newbold tried to improve upon the heavy wood and cast iron plow imported from Scotland in the late 1700s. However, farmers refused to buy them because they believed that the iron would poison the soil. For those who used this plow, no soil poisoning was ever reported. Bailey feels that this situation from the past is very similar to how today’s consumers feel about GMOs in the global food supply.

“Similar concerns arise, either from farmers or consumers, whenever technology provides an opportunity for a change in production,” Bailey explained.

What about environmental issues? Many organic farmers and environmentalists claim that farms use many chemicals that run off into streams or poison the air around farmland.

However, what critics do not know, according to Bailey, is that farmers are making every effort to combat against this danger to the environment. There are many environmentally safe methods, to not only protect crops, but also prevent weeds and insects without chemicals.

Bailey suggests methods such as cultivation (preparation of the land), planting the crop in a timely fashion, fire, and cover crops, which are crops planted mainly to manage weeds and insects. An example, Bailey said, would be planting turnips, but not harvesting them with the leaves, which, in turn, will kill weeds.

However, although these methods are cheaper, they do reduce the amount of crops produced. Therefore, there is still a presence of pesticides and herbicides in farming. Farmers, who are producing large yields of crops, do have to use these chemicals to be able to produce a profitable yield.

“Frankly, farmers would prefer not to buy herbicides and pesticides, but must in order to farm the large number of acres most people deal with,” said Bailey.

Critics also feel farmers should go back to running small farms that only produce enough food to feed their families or local communities. Bailey feels that farmers should have the right to choose how they want to produce crops and what they should grow. He makes no arguments that local produce is likely fresher and more nutritious than imported foods.

However, Bailey argues that trying to force agriculture into past patterns would have very unpleasant consequences for farmers.

“Returning to the 1950s is an attempt to make the prosperous farmers of today into peasants. In 1956, per capita farm income was $2,300. In 2010, it was $36,000,” Bailey said. “I really don’t believe anyone would benefit from agriculture going back in time.”

Contrary to popular belief from movies and researchers, these profits, which farmers make directly from their crops, are the only income they receive. Farmers do not obtain subsidies from the government to produce crops. The government only mandates ethanol levels in gasoline, and importation of sugar into the U.S.

While farming does have some environmental set backs, such as herbicides and insecticides, consumers would not have many of the foods they eat today without them. Farmers are making efforts to help the environment, provide food for the world, and make profits for their families.

Without today’s farming techniques, people, even those in apartment buildings and cities, would likely have to grow their own food and grow their own livestock for meat. Therefore, those individuals, who dislike today’s farming practices, do not understand the effort and the products needed for farmers to feed the world and try to keep it as safe as they possibly can.

“The further someone is from production agriculture, the greater is the assumption that farmers are significant polluters,” said Bailey. “Farmers make every effort to be good environmental stewards. They understand that pollution is harmful and inefficient.”

Peace of Earth Lodge

For three years, Pat and Tim Sullivan have operated the Peace of Earth Lodge, an eco-friendly retreat situated just outside of Rushville, Ill.

Originally a project for their retirement, the Sullivans began work on the Lodge after Pat’s unexpected job loss.

“In 2006,” Pat says, “my job ended. In 2007, we finished the first cabin, and in 2008, we started the Lodge.”

In their first year of business, they managed to rent rooms for 22 nights. Last year, that number quadrupled.

Sullivan says that the weak economy hasn’t hurt the business. Instead of spending big on lavish vacations, she suggests, area residents are more willing to keep it local.

Peace of Earth’s visitors are free to choose from a wide range of accommodations. The Sullivans provide guest rooms within the main house, several smaller, more isolated cabins farther into the woods and even a large, raised tree house.

The Lodge’s biggest draw is its scenery. Surrounded by 30 acres of greenery, the retreat boasts a natural atmosphere that few others can match.

With three miles of trails and access to multiple bodies of water, the Lodge offers its guests opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and canoeing.

The Lodge’s environmentally-friendly aspects are also a big attraction for some. The main house is heated through passive solar energy; a forty-foot long window wall allows light to heat the main house’s brick, thick plaster and tile.

Much of the food prepared in the Lodge is provided by the Sullivans’ own organic garden. “We grow all kinds of greens,” Pat says, “tomatoes, peppers, bok choy, lots of herbs, strawberries, onions.” The garden is open to guests for recreation and skill-building workshops.

Though some might not see the appeal, the Sullivans are providing a much-demanded service for a growing market share after a greener, more natural vacation.

Peach of Earth; relaxing with nature

Peach of Earth, located in Rushville, Ill, is more than an average Bed and Breakfast. Besides offering lodging and a great meal, Peace of Earth allows visitors to interact with nature.

Covering 30 acres, Peace of Earth has a main house with three rooms, two cabins, and a tree house for visitors to rent at a nightly base. The grounds also include an activity center for children. The majority of the grounds are vegetation, woodland, and 3 miles of trail.

Pat Sullivan owns and maintains Peace of Earth. Being a former environmental educator, Sullivan with the assistance of her husband, provides visitors with a memorable experience through the serene, peaceful atmosphere the bed and breakfast has to offer.

“Let’s give them [visitors] a place to stay but let’s use our skills to offer recreational and nurture.” Sullivan says while speaking on the reason for opening of Peace of Earth.

Peace of Earth offers visitors organic foods. Some foods grown on the property and some foods are brought from the local markets, such as Hyvee’s. Peace of Earth grows herbs, tomatoes, strawberries, onions, and all forms of greens. Sullivan feels that offering organic food is important.

“We are so far removed as a society from how foods are grown and gardening.” Sullivan says.

Peace of Earth is environmentally friendly with their house as well as food. They have a passive solar home, which the sun regulates the temperature inside, keeping a 55-degree geo-temperature. Sullivan also uses recycled materials throughout the house. The furniture is recycled, the house was built with recycled firewood, and the hardwood floors came from an old barn.

“A lot of thing in the house from the walls to window have stories.” Sullivan says.

One unique feature inside the main house is the compositing toilet. This toilet takes waste and turns it into soil that is used to grow plants. Sullivan mixes peat moss with the waste and churns it into the soil, and it leaves no odor in the restroom!

Peace of Earth is a therapeutic relaxation, bed and breakfast. They provide shelter, food, and activities for schools, church retreats, and even family reunions.

“Our goal is to be a destination rather than a hotel.” Sullivan says.

Peace of Earth and Goodwill Toward Nature

In the middle of the Western Illinois countryside, a bed and breakfast provides a unique twist to a traveler’s weekend getaway. According to its brochure, Peace of Earth, “an eco-friendly lodging experience,” is the place for visitors who want a relaxing and “homey” nature experience throughout the year.

Peace of Earth is located on 30 acres of land outside of Rushville, Ill. Owner/operator Pat Sullivan and her husband, Tim, bought this land in 1978 with the intentions of building a “destination,” or area where visitors could come to interact with nature. They began by building their passive solar home.

According to Pat Sullivan, a passive solar home means “no moving parts.” Every part of their home is a “collector,” or re-used part. While sitting at her dining room table, Sullivan is able to tell stories of the wood used to build the walls, window frames, and beams. The wood on the walls came from a tornado-ravaged barn and the unused wood of a cabinetmaker, she explained.

Secondly, a passive solar home uses the sun’s solar energy to heat and cool it. The Sullivan’s home has many glass windows on the south side of the house. When the sun rises, it shines through the windows and directly onto the tile of the dining and sitting rooms. It also shines on a large brick mass in the center of the room to generate heat. The room heats up slowly and lowers the amount of heat and air conditioning needed throughout the year.

“We only run the air conditioner to control humidity,” Sullivan said. “We have only ran it about five to six hours in the past month and a half.”

After working as Outdoor Education Director for the Girl Scouts, Sullivan decided to create a new career and turn the dream of a “destination” into a reality. In 2006, the Sullivans began work on the bed and breakfast portion of Peace of Earth. By 2007, they began building the first cabin on the property. They also converted their home into a lodge by opening up three rooms in their house for visitors. In 2008, the Sullivans opened the bed and breakfast with three cabins, one tree house, and the three rooms in the lodge.

The lodge itself uses many green practices in its maintenance. The carpet is made from recycled pop bottles. The bedding is made from natural fibers. CFL light bulbs, organic products, and re-useable utensils in the kitchen are other green practices used at Peace of Earth.

However, the most unique green feature inside the lodge is the composting toilet. The composting toilet does not use water or electricity. Instead, it decomposes the waste into soil that could be used as fertilizer. Peat moss is added before use and combines with the waste by use of a crank. The mixture is taken out of the bottom drawer of the toilet and sits for a year before use. Sullivan only uses the mixture as landscaping fertilizer because she does not know if it would effect or contaminate plants in the garden.

Peace on Earth tends to attract people from cities such as Chicago and St. Louis and visitors from out of state, said Sullivan. However, even neighbors from as close as nine miles away have also stayed there, she added.

Visitors can come to Peace on Earth and enjoy various activities. The property has three miles of trails, prairie grass, wildlife viewing, birding, a creek, hiking, off-site canoeing, a natural play area for the children, an organic garden, and environmental center.

“This uses (and builds upon) the natural habitat—supporting a diverse ecological community— takes care of itself,” Sullivan said.

The garden produces tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, herbs, and greens, which are used to prepare breakfast for the guests. Any organic foods, in which they do not produce, are bought from local markets or farmers.

The Sullivans also raise their own chickens for eggs. Sullivan found a unique method for raising chickens from an organic farm in Virginia. All of the chickens graze within a coop on a certain area of grass. Then, they are moved 16 feet to a new patch of grass. This way they can continue to graze and produce eggs while the old grazing area can fertilize the soil and replenish itself.

Sullivan also created an environmental center using techniques from her job with the Girl Scouts. Children, who are visiting from schools or with their parents, can study fossils and pelts of different animals to learn more about nature.

Peace of Earth provides a relaxing and laid-back way to escape the pressures of everyday life. Visitors can reconnect with their families and other guests through the simplicity of nature. It is not only a good place for nature and the environment; it is good for the soul. “It’s very therapeutic,” said Sullivan.