Earth Day
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm ()
As a student on the Stanford campus, I see efforts left and right to make the campus go green. There are contests between the dorms to use less energy, compost bins and recycling in every eating area, and students who walk around giving away free compact florescent light bulbs to replace the regular ones (they use up to 80% less energy). But what I have realized is that no matter how many systems are put in place to make it easy to live green, it all comes down to personal choice. Every day, I see students toss their entire leftover lunch into the trash instead of separating it into the trash, compost, and recycle bins, simply because it takes less time. In many of my friends rooms, the free CFL lights that they were given are collecting dust under the bed because they neglected to switch the bulb. And these are all young, brilliant, environmentally conscious students who claim they truly want to live green. But its not just about thinking it and saying itits about reflecting your decision to make a difference in every action.
Something that I struggle with personally is the urge to feel good about myself because I am already doing a few things (using a hybrid, changing my light bulbs, biking to get around, eating organic, etc) and then becoming complacent because I can think to myself, Im doing my part. Those few changes are great, and we should feel good about the efforts we make, but I know that I cant let myself stop looking for ways to improve. I cant allow myself the luxury to be lazy when it comes to the environment. This is the future of our planetmy future, your future, and our childrens future. Thats our choice. Living green is not a decision we make once and then forget about, it is a decision we are forced to make a hundred times a day, with almost every action. No matter how insignificant a single action may seem, I trust everyone will join me in the effort to push ourselves to make the right decisionevery single time.
t said,
April 25, 2008 at 1:35 am
Amy, you haven’t say anything about vegetarianism!! The best way to save the environment is choosing a vegetarian/vegan diet. It is impossible to call oneself environmentlist if we are continue eating meat. Farm industry is one of the main causer of global warming.
Go veg!
shawn said,
April 30, 2008 at 7:14 pm
i can’t agree more and will tell you that I, too, have worried about the complacency thing regarding the environment and all the “green washing” going on by many political and supposedly green pundits. it is very good to get the message out, but even more important to live and demonstrate the commitment to actually doing and living the movement as consciously as possible.
Rick said,
April 30, 2008 at 7:46 pm
That’s so great that the campus is going green. I do however, have to disagree with the use of fluorescent lights. You’re right. They do use less energy, but they have a very unnatural form of light that’s foreign to our eyes and distorts our perception of color because they only emit a small fraction of the total bandwidth of the light spectrum. If you have ever studied for hours under a fluorescent light, you’ll recognize the symptoms: tired eyes, sleepiness and a vague overall headache. God created the sun with it’s wonderful, healthy full spectrum light that causes no strain and beautifully reveals true color. If the sun has set and there’s still studying to do, trust me, Amy. A single incandescent light bulb costs very little to operate. It’s much closer to being full spectrum than the alternative and you’ll achieve more productivity in less time and with no strain on the eyes. Rick
Karlina said,
May 25, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I guess an environmentalist’s work is never done. Thank goodness there are people who care about the environment. Amy, you’re website is awesome. It’s very inspirational, and you’re a real person, not a logo!
Sam said,
August 14, 2008 at 7:51 am
You bring up interesting points about the great expanse between the wannabe green environmentalist because its in vogue and the real environmentalist who takes seriously the reality of preserving the best of what God created for us to enjoy. InteI wonder how many of them eat meat, and realize that beef production accounts for a larger carbon footprint than all autos combined… ignorance is bliss.