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| (Photo by Megan Davin '10) |
St. Michael’s College already does a lot to be "green," but it’s not enough.
We have joined the ranks of many other higher education institutions in working towards becoming greener. This past July, the college hired sustainability coordinator Heather Ellis to help point us in the right direction.
Our problem: the actions the school was taking towards being green were mostly going unnoticed.
But we do quite a bit. St. Michael’s composts in Alliot, uses green-seal-certified cleaning products, has a yellow bike share program, partakes in the 3 degree challenge to turn down heat to reduce energy consumption, has upgraded its server to reduce energy usage, encourages double-sided printing, calculates the carbon footprint for the school, uses campus compost and grass clippings in the gardens, has CFL lightbulp swaps, and has battery, printer cartridge, electronic, and computer recycling. The college also has free access on CCTA transportation to downtown Burlington, the campus shuttle runs on bio-diesel, free transportation is offered to Smugglers' Notch resort on weekends, and Public Safety has a bike patrol unit. And more programs are in the planning stages.
Is it enough? We have made great strides, but need to continue as a whole community along the way.
If everyone took five more seconds to slow down and recycle, compost, and use reusable products, there would be a lot less waste around campus. I believe that all light bulbs should be phased out to energy efficient ones. All new products purchased should be energy efficient.
Green Up has strategically placed recycling bins around campus for students to recycle their cans and bottles outside on the weekends. It’s a great idea and working well, but what about recycling bins around all of campus next to all the trash bins? Think about it: trash and recycling are often paired up elsewhere, so why not around the St. Michael’s campus?
Actions are supposed to speak louder than words, but what happens when no one is even paying attention? If we all take a step back and think before we act, we can clean up the campus and make it a greener place to live.
Make a statement. Use a travel coffee mug, and invest in a Nalgene, Camelbak or Sigg instead buying bottled water. Recycle what can be recycled, and the trash won’t overflow anymore. Don’t be lazy; take the time to walk to the downstairs computer lab in the library if you accidentally print there from the upstairs lab. It’s the little things in life that can make the most difference. |
