GreenHouse Students Visit Woolworth Road Landfill

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary students from the living-learning community GreenHouse made trips to the Woolworth Road Landfill on October 6 and 7 to learn about how Shreveport-Bossier handles its waste. Muriel Reynolds and John Helms, who work together to manage the landfill, greeted the faculty-led groups.

Students and Landfill

"We drove into this hilly patch of land, and I couldn't believe it when we learned we were driving over mountains of trash that had been compacted and covered!" said Junior and GreenHouse resident Krista McKinney.

Reynolds and Helms explained plant operations as well as the link between the rise and fall of civilization with how humans deal with their trash. Much of the conversation focused on the dirt that is needed to cover up the garbage, a guideline outlined by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to which the landfill must adhere.

"Dirt is a valuable commodity out here," said Muriel Reynolds. "There is never enough."

Reynolds shared other facts with the group:

The Landfill processes 1700 tons of solid waste everyday, which averages out to 12 lbs. per Shreveport resident.
Recycling participation in Shreveport is at 30%, which is not enough to make a difference in the overall tonnage the Landfill takes in everyday.
The Landfill receives about 900 euthanized animals a month.

GreenHouse, Centenary's sustainability living-learning community, enables students who share an interest in environmental and sustainability issues to live and study together in a designated residence hall. GreenHouse participants benefit from the living-learning approach:

Team-taught learning-labs
Special events and programs
Service-learning and internship opportunities
Close contact with faculty outside of the classroom

The GreenHouse faculty advisors, Dr. Jeanne Hamming, Dr. Troy Messina, and Dr. Gloria Walker, led the students on the trips.

The Woolworth Road Landfill is located on a 435-acre tract of land in Keithville, La., about one quarter mile west of the Woolworth Road. The facility has sufficient capacity to satisfy the needs of the City of Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Bossier City and Bossier Parish until around the year 2022.

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and has been recognized as "One of the Best 371 Colleges" by the Princeton Review and one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Private Colleges" by Forbes.com. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.