The Daily OrangeSU isn't as "green" as it should be
By Lindsay Barton
Posted: 9/24/09, 8:41 PM EST Section: Opinion
On a crisp September morning, the Quad slowly comes alive. Students with overstuffed North Face backpacks shuffle across the walkways as bikes zip around the Carrier Dome. As I embrace the warm rays of sunshine, I suddenly stop in my tracks. An unsightly pile of plastic bags and other debris rolls by, going unnoticed by all.
As a freshman at Syracuse I have come to know and love my dorm, Day Hall. In fact, the theme of my floor happens to be eco-friendly. It was nice on opening weekend to see green handprints that read "It's In Our Hands, Go Green!" on all of the doors. At the end of the hallway, there was an educational bulletin board detailing what one can do to improve the quality of Onondaga Lake. Although these decorations are still intact, the earth-friendliness is not. There are two trash rooms that explain the importance of separating your trash, but upon opening the door there is just an assortment of metal trash receptacles. Also, the reusable water bottles issued by food services are not BPA-free. Chemicals from these water bottles have the potential to leach into drinking water. With continued exposure, this could become a major health problem. Every Saturday I make a trek to the laundry room where I find a separation container for paper, plastics and glass, and luckily there is a box for ink cartridges in the lobby.
The current motto on campus is "Be Orange, Think Green." Although school spirit is apparent, most are not making an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. Unassuming students still dispose their Poland Spring bottle when they think no one is watching. I thought there was "No Ex-'Cuse for Not Recycling".
When asked about the green scene on campus, Shannon Tremblay, a freshman at the
iSchool, replied, "I think it would be a great idea to encourage more recycling on campus. It could also spur the development of more job opportunities for students."
Shannon's observation proves vital. According to plasticbagrecycling.org, over 812 million pounds of plastic bags and film were recycled in 2006, up 24 percent from 2006. Regardless, that percentage needs to increase, and fast. Even though the bags from the bookstore are made from 100 percent recycled film, most end up in the trash.
As a freshman at Syracuse I have come to know and love my dorm, Day Hall. In fact, the theme of my floor happens to be eco-friendly. It was nice on opening weekend to see green handprints that read "It's In Our Hands, Go Green!" on all of the doors. At the end of the hallway, there was an educational bulletin board detailing what one can do to improve the quality of Onondaga Lake. Although these decorations are still intact, the earth-friendliness is not. There are two trash rooms that explain the importance of separating your trash, but upon opening the door there is just an assortment of metal trash receptacles. Also, the reusable water bottles issued by food services are not BPA-free. Chemicals from these water bottles have the potential to leach into drinking water. With continued exposure, this could become a major health problem. Every Saturday I make a trek to the laundry room where I find a separation container for paper, plastics and glass, and luckily there is a box for ink cartridges in the lobby.
The current motto on campus is "Be Orange, Think Green." Although school spirit is apparent, most are not making an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. Unassuming students still dispose their Poland Spring bottle when they think no one is watching. I thought there was "No Ex-'Cuse for Not Recycling".
When asked about the green scene on campus, Shannon Tremblay, a freshman at the
iSchool, replied, "I think it would be a great idea to encourage more recycling on campus. It could also spur the development of more job opportunities for students."
Shannon's observation proves vital. According to plasticbagrecycling.org, over 812 million pounds of plastic bags and film were recycled in 2006, up 24 percent from 2006. Regardless, that percentage needs to increase, and fast. Even though the bags from the bookstore are made from 100 percent recycled film, most end up in the trash.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Ryan
posted 9/28/09 @ 5:38 PM EST
Lindsay,
If you want to go Green, you have to think big. All those small things dont put a dent in some of the bigger wastes on campus. Do some research on the steam plant (down the hill across from BB) and look how inefficient that is. (Continued…)
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