Life University Goes Green

As one of the first 200 college and university presidents to sign on in support of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), Dr. Guy F. Riekeman has been offered, and has accepted, membership in the Leadership Circle as a Founding Member as of Feb. 17, 2007. As a member of the ACUPCC Leadership Circle, Dr. Riekeman has committed Life University to accept the responsibilities for recruiting other college and university chancellors and presidents in support of this initiative, as well as taking immediate action to implement initiatives for greening the campus and becoming a sustainable community.

REFUSE/REDUCE/REUSE/RECYCLE

Life University has a forward-thinking approach to recycling. We encourage everyone to think about their purchasing habits with eco-friendliness in mind and:

• Refuse packaging that may be damaging to the environment.
• Reduce consumption of natural resources by reporting dripping faucets, turning off lights when not in use and using hand dryers instead of paper towels.
• Make reusable items such as food containers, straws and water bottles part of your daily life. Keep reusable shopping bags in your car instead of accepting plastic bags.
• Recycle whenever and wherever possible.

On our campus, collection receptacles are located in most common areas, dining facilities and offices, making it convenient to deposit materials for recycling. Paper, aluminum, cardboard and plastics are then retrieved by a collection service and sent out for recycling. Ink and toner cartridges are picked up by submitting a work order, which gets them bundled and delivered to local collection centers.

Georgia Clean Air Campaign

In 2011, Life University was recognized by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal for taking action to improve the state’s air quality, and reduce traffic congestion on the roads. As a partner in the Georgia Clean Air Campaign, our efforts helped to reduce the vehicle miles spent on Georgia roads and kept 700 tons of carbon monoxide pollution out of our air.

Making LIFE a Healthier Place to Live

The mission of Life University is to educate its students in a set of core life proficiencies, equipping them to become skilled professionals, and preparing them for successful careers focused on serving the health needs of society. With this is in mind, one of the University’s priorities is to improve the health of the communities we serve. By becoming completely smoke free, we are furthering this mission, and in doing so we are setting an example of wellness and prevention that is important to the health of our staff, students and community.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Life University is addressing today’s number one health risk by instituting a campus-wide “No Tobacco” policy. In addition, many people are unaware of how smoking affects their heath and ability to recover from illness, so we hope this policy will educate and remind our faculty, staff and the community about these health risks.

Our “No Tobacco” policy prohibits smoking or the use of any other tobacco product anywhere on the Life University campus. This policy prohibits all tobacco use within the buildings and on the grounds of Life University’s property. Eliminating all smoking on our campus reinforces our mission as a leading healthcare educational institution and sends a clear message that good health and health care do not include smoking or the use of other tobacco products. It also is a good way to support those who are trying to quit, effectively eliminating the triggers that make smoking cessation difficult.

All students, staff, faculty and visitors are prohibited from smoking, using, selling, free distributing and advertising tobacco products and electronic smoking devices (ex. e-cigarettes) in all facilities and on all University property, including University-owned vehicles and in any privately-owned vehicle parked or operated on University property.