So, I'm going to try to keep this short and simple. Everyone talks about "greening" our campus, through various means, whether it be our up-and-coming bike share program, organizations such as FEAST, or the plans for the installation of solar rays. Granted this is great, no wonderful, that students are excited about making major changes that will positively impact the campus in such dramatic ways. However, I keep getting the sneaking feeling like we're forgetting the details in our excitement.
Seriously though, I am the only person who thinks that simply turning off the lights in the bathroom is also "greening" the campus? There are so many little steps that Oxy could be making that would lessen whatever negative impact we're having. Little things, like making sure you've actually turned the faucet all the way off, flipping lights off if they're not needed, or asking yourself if you really need the air-conditioning on when it's technically 70 degrees outside, could all potentially have huge consequences.
And honestly, it's really not that hard to think about these things. If you just remember how much waste is produced through the process of making all that energy (electricity production creates 2,337.8 Tg CO2 Eq., 33% of total CO2 emissions: http://fatknowledge.blogspot.com/2006/06/co2-emissions-light-bulbs-vs-cars.html), or how much water the process uses (up to 6,000 gallons of freshwater to light a 60 watt light bulb for 12 hours a day for a year - http://www.ecogeek.org/component/content/article/1559), it would seem pretty obvious that conservation is a smart choice. However, I guess it's just our custom to assume that these things are abundant and unlimited. At this point, we need to get out of that mindset.
I really think the campus should maybe look into a campaign for these kinds of simple greening techniques. Something maybe along the lines of, "Turn off the lights, save the planet." (Let me know if that one's already being used, I would hate to plagiarize.) Kinda hokey, but efficient and hopefully catchy enough it stick in people's minds. I'm planning on talking to my RAs about possibly putting up a few signs in the bathroom asking people to make sure the water sources and lights are properly turned off. Also, there are a few bathrooms around campus that have leaky faucets. I saw one in Johnson that looked like it would fill a cup in about 15 minutes, which would come out to about 6 gallons of water over a 24 hour period. Considering how we're facing a global freshwater shortage, I think it would be a good idea to maybe join forces with Maintenance to look into fixing those things. Most faucets seem like they'd need just a little tightening, which a student could likely do if given a little bit of guidance. I know it doesn't sound particularly exciting, but perhaps a group assemble every now and then to ensure that these quick-fix problems aren't being ignored.
So much for keeping this short, but I really think a discussion about this needs to established. Especially when so much can be gained from relatively easy actions.
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Pia, you have such a great point here! In working closely with greening projects that revolve around larger scale endeavors, I have lost sight of the "little things that count."
ReplyDeletePerhaps, like a local food month, Oxy creates an Oxy Greening Month (do we have a designate month and campaign that involves the entire campus?). This could include emails sent to students revealing little things students can do to help "green" the campus. This summer I was part of a Lights Out campaign that went worldwide. For one hour, major cities turn off city lights for one hour to see how much just the one hour off would save. I think Oxy should implement this too for campus buildings!
(http://www.earthhourus.org/losangeles/losangeles.php)
Overall, by getting more people involved than just UEP classes, etc. greening Oxy can become a community building tool. It is important to not forget the little things individuals can do, since these are the things we tend to overlook when larger (more public) projects are undertaken.
Really good points--and Kylie your Oxy greening month idea is not only pretty realistic, it also would hype student involvement. This would be a huge step to becoming a more sustainability-minded campus, making students and staff that much more aware of how even seemingly small tasks affect us all.
ReplyDeleteThe water situation is especially concerning considering Oxy's environment (Socal region). I feel as though there is some false sense of security within the city, and the campus itself regarding the amount of water we have, and should be using. We are in an almost-desert-like biosphere. We should NOT be sporting lawn upon lawn of grass better suited for more temperate, precipitate filled climes.