Being known as one of the most environmentally friendly campuses in the nation is a big deal.
CU definitely seems to understand the importance of fighting global warming through its various programs, ideas, projects and blueprints in place to keep the school green.
Yet one question keeps nagging at me — does anyone care?
I think it is awesome that some students, faculty and staff are out to save the world one recyclable at a time, but I cannot say I believe most people feel the same way.
Going about my daily life through campus reveals that we are all ridiculously wasteful.
Everyday I notice many people grab three paper towels in the bathroom because apparently one simply will not do.
Styrofoam Jamba Juice cups are flowing out of trashcans all over campus.
I even remember back in the dorms the cute little recycle bins supplied at the beginning of the year often turned into vomit containers by early October, never to see an aluminum can again.
So does this mean we all are cruel and deserve to be power blasted by melted glacier water in a few years?
Not particularly.
I think the real reason we are still so wasteful in such an environmentally friendly area is quite simple — we just do not get it.
We are all here to learn, make new friends, have those “college experiences” and obtain a degree. The last thought on many minds is about how much energy is wasted when a computer monitor is pumping out the bright white background of a Google search. (On a side note, use Blackle.com to search the Internet and save energy.)
Students are not evil, just busy.
I like to believe I am environmentally conscious. I live in an apartment with three other guys, and thanks to sorting our recyclables, we only dump the actual trash about twice a week. I turn off the lights whenever I leave a room. I fill my nine-gallon gas tank less than once a month.
However, I am too busy with school, friends and family (aka “life”) to dedicate myself to being as efficient and eco-friendly as I probably should be.
I am an avid fan of the dishwasher, yet I bet I’m wasting a ridiculous amount of water and heat. Yet it sure saves me time.
I sit here typing on my completely unnecessary light-up keyboard, unaware of how much energy could be used to heat a home that is instead adding a blue hue to my fingers.
However, I spend so much time on my computer I may as well have it look nice.
So what is the best way to make the mass of busy people around CU take the extra time to be less wasteful?
Make it worth the time.
Let’s face it, since a giant tidal wave of doom is not headed straight for the UMC, it is hard to remember why we have to conserve.
We are all so busy with our own lives we cannot see the big picture of what is in store, so the best way to make us aware is by making it personal.
Knowing how saving the planet saves money, time and personal energy for each of us is a great way to get people involved.
If I know I’ll save $30 on my energy bill a month if I simply wash my dishes by hand, I will be far more likely to spend the extra time.
If CU hangs posters or hands out fliers loaded with information on how helping the environment can also help on an individual level, more people would be willing to conserve.
To save the world as a whole, it simply needs to be more personal.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Cameron Naish at cameron.naish@colorado.edu
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