2008 Woodie Awards
ECO-MIND
Students need to Lead UVM Greening
Nate Anderson
Issue date: 3/14/06 Section: Columns
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You may have seen on signs or heard at a lecture that UVM is the Environmental University. But are we really living up to our claim? I recently attended a lecture by President Fogel as part of the lecture series and was struck by how much how poorly defined this vision really is. Does being green mean reducing our greenhouse gas emissions? Does it mean bringing in more research dollars for environmental work? Does it mean that every student who leaves UVM will have some degree of environmental literacy? Perhaps it means all of these things, but with the current lack of a cohesive vision or a clear path to our green goals I hesitate to say that we are living up to our pledge to be the Environmental University.
Our shortcomings are perhaps best exemplified by the fact that our recycling rate is at a 10 year low and is far worse than many other Universities. UVM is currently competing in RecycleMania, a contest between 87 Universities nation wide to see who can recycle the most while reducing their total amount of trash. In terms of pounds of material recycled per student, we are currently 51st and losing to schools like Oregon State (1st), Middlebury College (7th), Harvard (10th) and Ithaca College (34th). To desire the title "Environmental University" we are going to need to find a way to measure up to these Universities.
In other efforts to become greener UVM is sponsoring a lecture series about sustainability in higher education. Two weeks ago president Fogel spoke to a group of people that left many, myself included, with unanswered questions. While President Fogel's talk left me feeling dissatisfied with UVM's current vision, it really showed me how important my role as a student is. All of us associated with UVM should see the importance of our environmental impacts (individual and as a whole) but our highest levels of administration should not be relied upon to lead the way. As students we need to become activists, pushing for change at all levels in the University system.
Recyclemania is a program that begins with the individual. Our standing is a reflection on each individual in the UVM community. It is a great way to show the country and other universities that UVM cares about the environment. More importantly, it is a great way to show our President how serious we are about minimizing UVM's environmental impact.
Beginning at the grassroots level and carrying ourselves each and every day with environmentally friendly attitudes and practices, positive changes can be made. Taking small steps like recycling, walking instead of driving, or using refillable mugs instead of disposable cups may seem insignificant, they have the potential to make a huge difference when we work collectively. Rather than wait for the administration to take the lead, we must each become leaders and set an example for them to follow.
To read more about recyclemania go to www.recyclemaniacs.org
Our shortcomings are perhaps best exemplified by the fact that our recycling rate is at a 10 year low and is far worse than many other Universities. UVM is currently competing in RecycleMania, a contest between 87 Universities nation wide to see who can recycle the most while reducing their total amount of trash. In terms of pounds of material recycled per student, we are currently 51st and losing to schools like Oregon State (1st), Middlebury College (7th), Harvard (10th) and Ithaca College (34th). To desire the title "Environmental University" we are going to need to find a way to measure up to these Universities.
In other efforts to become greener UVM is sponsoring a lecture series about sustainability in higher education. Two weeks ago president Fogel spoke to a group of people that left many, myself included, with unanswered questions. While President Fogel's talk left me feeling dissatisfied with UVM's current vision, it really showed me how important my role as a student is. All of us associated with UVM should see the importance of our environmental impacts (individual and as a whole) but our highest levels of administration should not be relied upon to lead the way. As students we need to become activists, pushing for change at all levels in the University system.
Recyclemania is a program that begins with the individual. Our standing is a reflection on each individual in the UVM community. It is a great way to show the country and other universities that UVM cares about the environment. More importantly, it is a great way to show our President how serious we are about minimizing UVM's environmental impact.
Beginning at the grassroots level and carrying ourselves each and every day with environmentally friendly attitudes and practices, positive changes can be made. Taking small steps like recycling, walking instead of driving, or using refillable mugs instead of disposable cups may seem insignificant, they have the potential to make a huge difference when we work collectively. Rather than wait for the administration to take the lead, we must each become leaders and set an example for them to follow.
To read more about recyclemania go to www.recyclemaniacs.org