Iowa State’s green practices around campus are being recognized across Iowa.

Three ISU programs are part of 11 Iowa organizations and businesses that have received top awards for their work in going green and doing their part to help protect Iowa’s resources.

The ISU programs include ISU Dining, Residence and Facilities Planning and Management. The programs will take home Environmental Excellence Awards, as well as an award of special recognition in water quality from Gov. Chet Culver.

“The efforts of these organizations serve as a model in providing clean air, water and land for all Iowans,” Culver said on the DNR website. “I congratulate them for their outstanding work to protect and enhance our environment.”

The awards recognized Iowa State for its work on green practices on a variety of fronts including composting, trayless dining and recycling.

Iowa State’s composting program is designed to handle up to 15,000 tons of waste materials annually. These materials include materials from the dairy facility, university animal facilities, biomass research, greenhouse and campus yard waste and discarded food from ISU Dining.

The compost project not only keeps food waste out of the landfill but out of the water stream as well.

The compost is blended with sand and soil to create amended soil that is then used for landscaping projects and planting beds. Also compost is being used as bedding for ISU dairy cows.

The ISU dining centers are also doing their part to go green by having trayless dining in the dining centers on campus. In August 2009, Seasons Marketplace introduced trayless dining to students.

Nancy Levandowski, director of ISU Dining, said trayless dining has saved the university $800 a month and help cut down on waste.

The system reduces food waste by encouraging students to only take what they will eat. The trayless system also saves energy that would otherwise be used to wash and sanitize trays.

Also, because of a vote by ISU students, all three dining centers will be trayless by the fall.

Along with trayless dining, ISU Dining also has Farm to ISU. This ISU Dining program promotes the purchase of local foods.

The goals of the program are to focus on local small growers, farmers and ranchers who use sustainable and organic practices and support Iowa businesses as they provide local jobs and economic development, according to the Farm to ISU website.

The Recycling program implemented in the Department of Residence for the residence halls and apartment communities has also been awarded for their green practices. The GreenHouse Group, which began in 2009, featured the work of both students and the DOR.

In the beginning, the project focused on the Schilletter & University Apartments and Frederiksen Court area. Close to 1,500 pounds of recycling material was collected and transported during the five-week trial project, according to the housing website.

Due to the success of the trial project, the DOR began plans to provide recycling to all houses in the residence halls and continue the programs at SUV and Frederiksen Court.

The program now impacts more than 8,000 students, and gives them easy access to recycling. ISU dining also has a program to recycle all cardboard, paper, glass, ink toner, pallets, cans and bottles.

The programs will continue to move forward with their green practices on campus.

Divisions of ISU programs received Environmental Excellence Awards in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Gov. Chet Culver will present the awards to the organizations and companies during a conference June 26 at Honey Creek State Resort Park.