With the dawn of 2013, the spirit of environmentalism is spreading far and wide across the globe. Most colleges and universities are planning on bringing a green revolution and thus they all have green resolutions for the New Year. Over a thousand educational institutions across the USA have adopted campus sustainability programs for the upcoming academic year.
Greening efforts in college campuses
Many people focus on the costs involved in going green and hence do not adopt eco-friendly operations. The process involves conserving energy, which will conserve expenses for a long term. Hence, ‘going green’ is quite favorable. Investments are made in alternative methods of energy sources like photovoltaics that are more energy-efficient and reduce costs on an electricity bill. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have made efforts in planting trees, constructing more gardens, and installing geothermal heating systems on the campus.
Students and faculty focus on reducing fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. There are efforts driven to conserve water and use natural resources for energy. In order to avoid plastic usage, colleges have initiated plastic bag and bottled water bans while encouraging tray-less dining in the cafeteria. In order to conserve trees, students have initiated the use of handkerchiefs and cloth napkins in place of paper towels. Tree-planting and recycling campaigns also feature in the curriculum designed for campus sustainability.
Inspiring others with eco friendly promotional items
Students are spreading awareness about the importance of being eco-friendly through many eco-friendly promotional items. These include recycled bags, reusable bags, and greeting cards made of seed paper. The universities are working on increasing green technology for construction and transportation. They have also implemented programs to reduce waste on campus.
Universities have ‘Go Green’ Sustainability Committees and various environmental awareness programs that actively involve students and faculty members. The curriculum of universities includes many courses that focus on sustainability of the environment. Moreover, students with technology background work on projects that can help to construct an eco-friendly environment.
These institutions also have fundraising activities and many community outreach programs focused toward the environment. Students conduct various activities to help the members of their community understand the necessity of building a sustainable environment. To save fuel, students are encouraged to use the public transport system and bicycles to commute from and to college.
Corporate environmental responsibility
While colleges and universities are assuming their role toward helping earth, organizations are also adopting strategies to showcase their responsibility toward the environment. Organizations have begun using energy-conserving equipment, and have initiated programs to rehabilitate communities that face environmental issues. Employees are visiting communities and helping to develop the environment by planting trees or cleaning up the neighborhood. They have paperless transactions, digitizing all communications within the organization in order to conserve trees. These organizations have also enforced a strict recycling policy to ensure that all waste is segregated and disposed through proper channels.
If one citizen tries going green, it creates a ripple effect transforming a large population into eco-friendly citizens. The green resolution for 2013 is to inspire people into realizing the importance of working together to save the planet.
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