Our next event was a showing of the film Kilowatt Ours, an informative documentary about alternative energy sources, and individual actions that can be taken to reduce each person’s ecological impact through wise energy usage at home. We had over 70 people show up to the event, which was held in our school’s new auditorium. We also acquired a copy of the movie for the campus library, so people can borrow it to watch on their own time, or professors can show it to their classes.
Another issue that we wanted to tackle was initiating a recycling program for our campus. We hadn’t had one in the past because it was reasonably expensive, but we brought together several different important people on campus, including the directors of housing and dining services, and realized that if they purchased a recycling bin together for the campus they could cut down on much of the cost. We are happy to report that our campus will be recycling plastic and aluminum by next month.
The final stage of our project involves talking with our university president about pledging our school to becoming carbon neutral, something that has only been done by one other school in the country, University of Florida. This is the most important stage in our project, and the work is well under way. We’ve had meetings with the campus Environmental Club, Student Government Association (including our student body president), faculty, and staff, and we’ve had nothing but positive support. Our work will continue on this project, and we are very hopeful for a positive outcome.