NEWS & EVENTS
SPUP: A University Within a Botanical Garden
By: Mr. Joseph Dayag
Date posted: 08.12.2009
Have you ever heard of a university within a botanical garden? Wow! Where could this possibly be?
St. Paul University Philippines (SPUP) – the lead university of the St. Paul University System- is located at the center of a developing northern city of the Philippines – Tuguegarao City. Yet, it is surprising that its land area of 7.6 hectares is home to hundreds of trees, thousands of flowering plants and numerous species of birds and butterflies amidst scores of infrastructures – mini-parks, school and office buildings, mini-gymnasium, and a chapel.
Aside from being known as the only ISO-accredited higher learning institution in Region 02 and a university granted “autonomous status” by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), SPUP is well-remembered by its guests, visitors and foreign students with its verdant and picturesque ambiance. SPUP is becoming known to them as a university within a botanical garden.
Its environment-friendly milieu is maintained not only by its gardeners and janitors but also by practically everyone in the academic community. Everyone – administrators, faculty, staff and students – is guided by the school policies on the strategic management of garbage and environmental stewardship.
The University has been implementing revolutionary mandates on the protection of the environment since last year. SPUP has enjoined everyone to reduce, reuse and recycle waste materials. At present, SPUP’s garbage truck just conveys waste materials which are neither reusable nor recyclable and only goes to the dump site twice a week. This truck used to transport voluminous garbage daily from Monday to Friday.
How did this happen? Well, here are SPUP’s best practices on environmental stewardship:
THE VERMI WONDER. The organic wastes (dried leaves and tidbits of sandwiches, biscuits, etc) are no longer thrown to the dump sites because these are fed to plants through vermi’s wonder. SPUP has its own Vermi House where vermi worms are cultured. These organisms are fed with dried leaves which in return provide the University with vermi cast (the feces of these vermis). For less than a year, the Vermi House has already produced 60 sacks of vermi cast which continuously nourish the vegetables, herbal plants and flowering plants as these are used as fertilizers.
REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE. The inorganic wastes (scrap metal, scrap galva, lumber, plywood, tile debris, etc.) are either reused or recycled. Last school year, scrap metals, lumber, plywood, tile debris and scrap galva were used in the construction of steel tables, vermi house, leaves dryer, satellite canteen and pathwalks.
INCOME-GENERATING WASTES. Scrap bond paper and other writing materials are not discarded unless the front and back surfaces are used either for printing or writing of drafts. When the use of these is maximized, these are sold to junkshops. Likewise, receptacles for mineral water and flavored fruit drinks are collected and sold.
NO TARP, NO STYRO POLICY. Last June 2009, the management representative of the University, issued a memorandum against the use of tarpaulin and styrofoam in the school premises. As of now, the SPUP Canteen and the SPUP Wellness Center no longer use plastic or styrofoam for any of the food served to the Paulinians.
CLEAN, GREEN, PEACEFUL, CARING, WONDERFUL – these adjectives aptly delineate SPUP’s milieu. Indeed, SPUP is a unique academic realm within a botanical garden.