2008 Woodie Awards
St. Joe's recycling program: a good first step, but not complete
Ian Parker '10
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
In just one year, Saint Joseph's has come a long way. At the end of last year, there was no hint of the start of a recycling program. This year, we have come to school to find a fully-fledged and operating recycling program. That is a big accomplishment, and although there remain a few kinks to be worked out, the new program heralds the start of a sustainable living trend that has the potential to transform our school and the society we live in.
The first order of business is to congratulate the student activists and school administration who partnered to construct a workable recycling system. What we have this year is vastly better for the environment than our previous trash-only system.
This is not to say that it cannot be improved. Very few students seem to know or care that there is now an environmentally friendly way to dispose of waste. A way must be found to advertise more broadly the benefits of recycling to the student population. Making sure everyone knows about the about the program is also very important. There is no use, after all, in having a recycling program if no one uses it.
It is not just the students, however, who must work to improve the program. The recycling containers are located in unusual places and are almost always full to the point of overflowing. They need to be placed in convenient places and emptied more frequently. Placing all of the recycling bins by the regular trash receptacles would make a lot of sense. If such simple improvements are made, recycling will be that much more popular.
The most important thing about the program, though, is that something has finally gotten done about working to limit our environmental footprint. Hopefully, this is only the first in a long line of programs to reduce pollution. We must remember that there are many things our school could still do to reduce our pollution, especially when constructing new buildings or renovating existing ones. Extra insulation cuts down drastically on the need for heating and air conditioning by keeping a comfortable temperature inside. Fluorescent light bulbs use a fraction of the electricity incandescent ones do. Putting solar panels on the roofs of a few buildings would allow us to generate much of our own electricity with no detrimental environmental effects.
Converting University vehicles to run on natural gas, E85 ethanol, or electricity would also do much to reduce our environmental footprint, as well as saving us the cost of gas. Getting students to help would make it even better, perhaps by offering reduced-price parking permits to students with hybrid vehicles or encouraging commuting students to carpool.
The most important thing to do, though, in to ensure that every student is informed about environmentally-friendly ways to do ordinary tasks, and it is here that we are being failed. There needs to be a concerted effort by the school and by informed students to make sure that everyone knows about easy ways to save energy and recycle. This is exactly what our Jesuit mission would have us accomplish.
The first order of business is to congratulate the student activists and school administration who partnered to construct a workable recycling system. What we have this year is vastly better for the environment than our previous trash-only system.
This is not to say that it cannot be improved. Very few students seem to know or care that there is now an environmentally friendly way to dispose of waste. A way must be found to advertise more broadly the benefits of recycling to the student population. Making sure everyone knows about the about the program is also very important. There is no use, after all, in having a recycling program if no one uses it.
It is not just the students, however, who must work to improve the program. The recycling containers are located in unusual places and are almost always full to the point of overflowing. They need to be placed in convenient places and emptied more frequently. Placing all of the recycling bins by the regular trash receptacles would make a lot of sense. If such simple improvements are made, recycling will be that much more popular.
The most important thing about the program, though, is that something has finally gotten done about working to limit our environmental footprint. Hopefully, this is only the first in a long line of programs to reduce pollution. We must remember that there are many things our school could still do to reduce our pollution, especially when constructing new buildings or renovating existing ones. Extra insulation cuts down drastically on the need for heating and air conditioning by keeping a comfortable temperature inside. Fluorescent light bulbs use a fraction of the electricity incandescent ones do. Putting solar panels on the roofs of a few buildings would allow us to generate much of our own electricity with no detrimental environmental effects.
Converting University vehicles to run on natural gas, E85 ethanol, or electricity would also do much to reduce our environmental footprint, as well as saving us the cost of gas. Getting students to help would make it even better, perhaps by offering reduced-price parking permits to students with hybrid vehicles or encouraging commuting students to carpool.
The most important thing to do, though, in to ensure that every student is informed about environmentally-friendly ways to do ordinary tasks, and it is here that we are being failed. There needs to be a concerted effort by the school and by informed students to make sure that everyone knows about easy ways to save energy and recycle. This is exactly what our Jesuit mission would have us accomplish.
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