An environmentalist, landlord and Binghamton University professor, Richard Andrus is vital to our community. Andrus, who works in the environmental studies and biological sciences departments, is a proponent for environmental consciousness in the student body. We sat down with the man himself to hear about his experiences and future goals for our school and for Binghamton at large.

Release: So you are a professor in Binghamton, how do you like it here?

Andrus: Binghamton is not a bubble, like Ithaca. It has a very real reality surrounding it, there is much poverty. There are also a lot of politics based on blue-collar politics back when the town was more conservative. However, now there is a progressive mayor and he is really trying to change things. He majored in environmental studies — he was a student here, also a student of mine and was very sympathetic to environmental concerns. His name is Matt Ryan.

R: So, Matt Ryan, the current mayor of Binghamton, was a former student of yours?

A: Yes, and he started very good projects, like community gardens and urban farms … it’s been rewarding with him in office.

R: So there are rumors that you own student housing property in Binghamton. Is this true?

A: I originally didn’t set out to own property deliberately. I bought a house near Downtown Binghamton. The renter was a former “slumlord.” I saw potential in it. So I fixed it up to create a situation where students live and can have a garden. I want them to be sustainable. I wanted to increase its efficiency so I then implemented geothermal cooling. It became an investment where I then added greenhouses. For the second house, it had a geothermal system and a greenhouse, too. I desired to create affordable and sustainable housing not owned by slumlords.

R: You drop off fair trade products consistently to the Food Co-op, why is that?

A: Fair trade is for commodities which don’t evolve economic exploitation. We know what’s happening on the farmer’s level. For a while, we had fair trade coffee in the dining halls … non-exploited and everything.

R: Fair trade coffee in the dining halls, how did that happen?

A: Founder and CEO of Equal Exchange [a company that distributes fair trade food produced by farmer co-ops in Asia, Africa and Latin America] actually lived in old Newing — he lived in Broome Hall. I met him after he had graduated from Binghamton. Great guy. He sold Equal [Exchange] in the dining halls but unfortunately it didn’t work out.

R: Why is that?

A: Students didn’t think it was fair to pay 10 more cents for coffee. They put the old coffee back in.

R: That’s unfortunate.

A: But there is change. Some dining halls have Green Mountain [organic and fair trade] coffee. Economics just don’t like uncompetitive products.

R: How can we as students be better people to the environment?

A: Think about what you’re doing. Support the local economy. It’s hard to get out of the consumer box, but you can. The students working on the farm on Bunn Hill Road are playing the produce role, and the students who work and eat at the Food Co-op are thinking about what they buy. Think about what you’re spending your money on. If you go to a big chain restaurant or Walmart, think to yourself: “Where is my money going?”

R: So you would advise students to be as local as possible?

A: Definitely. There is one local hardware store on Clinton Street. It’s called Kovarik. Old Polish family. A grandpa who works there. Keep money in the community.

R: What can students do to change how we consume on campus?

A: Protest. Do something. Sodexo can be talked to. You can talk to them, they have an office on campus. Don’t be passive, be active. I would love to see local cheeses and apples in the dining halls. New York is the best for apples … but anyway…

R: Any final words?

A: Think about what you’re doing and buying. Don’t get trapped in the consumer box. It’s not easy to venture from it on a college campus, but it’s definitely possible.

Richard Andrus is an active part of the Binghamton community, but he doesn’t have to be the only one. If you want more fair trade or local food options on campus, or have an idea for greater change in Binghamton, make it happen. Andrus stands as proof that you can.