Dearborn community strives to be earth-friendly

By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Turning trash into fuel—now there’s a money saver. It’s the little things that add up to help the overall cause of saving the environment, and one major entity is doing its part.

Community recycles tons of material
Last year, the Dearborn community of Henry Ford Village recycled more than 230 tons of material. This amounts to 23 truckloads of debris recycled into new items instead of being landfilled.

Here are just a few ways those materials are transformed into useful products:

• Plastics are recycled into new plastic bottles or park benches.

• Cans are recycled into hundreds of new steel products like cars, ladders, and nails.

• Newspapers are used to make egg cartons or headliners for automobiles. Paper recycled last year is equal to 2,400-plus trees saved.

Colin McGee, Henry Ford’s general services director for the past seven years, says there are also other ways the community is doing its part to “go green.”

“At least 60% of our community members recycle,” McGee says.

Every little bit helps
Here are a few earthfriendly measures the campus is taking:

• An outdoor sprinkler system that doesn’t turn on when it’s raining.

• Community members drop off old batteries for recycling at a central location.

• A new high-efficiency heating and cooling system.

• Lights are on timers to save energy.

• The community is conducting a study on the impact of converting to public lighting.

“We’ve also downsized on the outside signage so the campus looks more environmentally friendly,” McGee says, referring to the community’s picturesque, clutter-free landscape.