Digging deeper into “Going Green,” by Michelle Sexton

According to the University Sustainability Council at DU, Chancellor Coombe signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in June, 2007. This pledges to: (1) integrate sustainability into the curriculum; (2) to complete an inventory of DU related emissions and (3) to create an action plan to be “Green.” Honestly, I do think that Americans need to be a lot more environmentally conscious. Especially on a college campus, where students are living in a community in which many are actively involved, sharing “Green” thoughts could make a positive impact. But, when I’m at DU, and I walk through my dorm to see the new recycling bins used as purse storage containers, I begin to think this movement is much more surface than we have come to believe.

It is very humorous to see people walking around in “GO GREEN” T-shirts. They most likely bought these shirts at Urban Outfitters after they drove their Hummer to Cherry Creek mall. According to CODE PINK, “The EPA gave a 2 out of 10 rating for the H2. In fact, the Hummer’s gas mileage is less than half the mileage of the Model T Ford, the first car ever mass-produced.” Definitely the epitome of the Green movement, I’d say. While purchasing the T-shirt, they probably drank soda out of a Styrofoam cup, and carried their shirt out of the store in a plastic bag they will soon throw away in the garbage only so it can sit in a garbage dump for a range of 15-1000 years. Yes. That is “going green.” Keep telling yourself that...

I constantly hear students complaining tremendously on “Tray-less Tuesday” because they have to walk from their table back into the dining hall one extra time during their meal. By not washing hundreds of trays once a week, we are saving a lot of money and water during that extra trip from the table to the food lines. According to Planet Green, if households in the U.S. invested in water-saving appliances, 3 trillion gallons of water, along with 18 billion dollars would be saved each year. Attitudes about “Tray-less Tuesday” exemplify ignorance and laziness. Personally, I take the time to read the posters in the bathrooms and lobbies of the residence halls that encourage people to be more environmentally conscious, but it saddens me that I immediately think of all the people who completely ignore these pleas and use more energy than I could even fathom.

The evidence of global warming is already present in our society today. According to the official site for An Inconvenient Truth, over the last 30 years, the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes has doubled, malaria is moving to higher altitudes, and at least 279 species have relocated due to climate change...to name a few. The consequences of our energy consumption are only going to get worse if people think “GO GREEN” T-shirts will suffice as “taking action.” Changes in behaviors, however, can make a difference. For example, Planet Green discovered that the amount of energy saved by recycling one aluminum can versus creating the can from virgin aluminum is 95 percent. That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one can out of new material.

It is a good thing that an effort is being made, but it needs to be more of a solid effort with support from the entire campus. Saying you are environmentally conscious is very different than actually being environmentally conscious. The environmental plan does have a few positive attributes along with good intentions, but more should be done to get the entire campus to support the movement. More than just a booth on the Driscoll Bridge for students to glance at as they rush to go to class, DU needs to work on spreading the word of being “green” throughout the student body. Campus wide advertisements with tips for conservation would be an easy start. Since it is such a small campus, members of the University Sustainability Council could visit classrooms, residence halls, or group meetings to spread awareness. Motion censored lights in classrooms and bathrooms would also lower the energy use and would make students aware of the efforts DU is putting in to conserve energy. Providing more public instructions on recycling, holding forums, or hosting public events to promote being “Green” are some other ideas that could be effective.

Small steps that would be easy to take could start the necessary process of digging deeper into the now surface “green” movement. I only hope that the “recycling-bin-purse-containers” will soon be put to their original intended purpose.