Turning Green...and No I'm not sick!

What have colleges done to make campuses greener?
About five years ago, the saying “green” would make people like of flowers, springtime, April, Easter, bumble bees, or maybe even aliens. Now a days when someone says “green” they think of recycle, plastic, conservation, environment, organic, etc. Being “green” is a new movement that has spread across the world rapidly in the past decade. There are programs out all across the United States that encourage buildings and people to “go green”. They have a national holiday now called Earth Day (April 22) that celebrates the environment and nature and how we can use and reuse our resources. Going green typically is more popular among the young adult generation. This would include college students.

As higher education professionals, it is important to have greener campuses and I am not referring the grass color. Which I am sure the way a campus looks is important in the overall experience of the college, but also how the college helps the environment. Walking in and out of buildings and in most classrooms students can find recycle bins for paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass. Personally I use the aluminum recycle bin almost every day. I am a HUGE diet coke lover and I drink one on the way to class. I will finish it and just toss it into the recycle bin as I walk into the building. If this bin was not here, I know for a fact that I would just toss it into the trash can. The movement across campus to place the bins is unconsciously making more students greener.

At Ole Miss for the celebration of Earth day is having a green week which is happening April 19-23. I think that this is important for all college campuses to do. I am sure that other colleges are doing something like this in order to support the green movement. Some of the activities during this week will be a recycling pledge which allows students to volunteer working at the Oxford Recycling Center, Curbside recycling awareness which includes handing out information on how you can get a curb side recycling company to your house, and the commuter challenge which challenges students to commute to school with fellow classmates or ride the public bus transportation.

I think that it is important as higher education officials to make students aware on campus how to become greener. I am a huge believer of conservation which allows future generations to have the ability to use the same resources that are available to use today. If we do not conserve our resources then there is a possibility that they will not be available for our grandkids. This green message that can be found throughout the United States should be introduced to young generations so they can get used to a lifestyle which supports the “it’s good to be green” message.

I did some research to see if there was a ranking of the best green college campus. I found this article written in the Princeton Review which has the list of the best green college campuses:
www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/green-college-rankings-by-princeton-review.php

Here are the top 10:
Arizona State University
Bates College
College of the Atlantic
Emory University
Georgia Tech
Harvard College
State University of New York at Binghamton
University of New Hampshire
University of Oregon
University of Washington
Yale University
Just a shout out to Atlanta (my home city) having two college campuses in the top 10!!

I am just going to leave you with this information….if you are reading this and want to become more green on your college campus, here is an article giving you five unique ways that can make this possible.
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2010/01/28/5-unique-ways-to-go-green-if-youre-living-in-a-dorm.html
Here is the list, you can read them in more detail by clicking the link above:
1. Become an informed consumer. Be aware with what you leave on in your dorms as you leave.
2. Reduce paper waste. Might take a little more cleaning on your part, but replace paper plates and plastic silverware with a real set of dishes.
3. Data awareness. See how much it costs your dorm hall to run its electricity and water.
4. Recycle. This is self explanatory.
5. Get Involved. Talk with other hall mates in ways you can get involved in campus.

Now go get GREEN!