Miami University President David Hodge recently announced that he has decided not to sign the Go Green Initiative, popular at many universities, because he feels that Miami will not be able to meet all of the agreement's guidelines. The Go Green Initiative seeks to educate students about the environment and implement stricter environmental regulations on college campus. The Miami Student editorial board agrees with President Hodge in his decision to delay or withhold involvement in the Go Green Initiative because of the feasibility of implementing new policies and budgetary concerns, but hopes that Miami will continue to increase its environmental awareness on and off campus.
Some common sense solutions exist to mediate the university's resource consumption that are easily implemented and relatively painless to practice, and Miami can begin by emphasizing the purchase of recycled paper, plastic and glass products. While Miami is actively competing in a recycling contest with other universities, the university needs a more proactive approach to decrease its consumption. Beyond recycling, responsible electricity use should be stressed, and students should be informed of measures such as unplugging appliances and changing incandescent light bulbs to more energy efficient varieties, which can go a long way toward decreasing energy use.
In the dining halls, students need to be conscious of the decisions they make. Too often uneaten food is simply thrown away. The wasteful use of plastic utensils and large piles of unused napkins unfortunately but accurately characterizes the typical dining hall on campus. Students should think twice before buying food they do not necessarily want and will only throw out in the end. While seemingly insignificant, such wasteful practices have a large aggregate impact.
Eco-friendly movements have gained popularity recently and there is a great deal of merit for their concern for the environment. Miami must do its part to ensure the school is a responsible user of resources. The hazard comes in adopting unrealizable environmental goals in order to make Miami feel good about itself, and in so doing avert more effective and pragmatic policies. Nonetheless, it would be very unfortunate if President Hodge's decision not to include Miami in the Go Green Initiative prevents the development of a more environmentally conscious college campus at Miami. Hopefully the students and administration will do their part to keep this important issue on the forefront of campus policy heading into next semester. The development of a realistic and forward looking university-wide environmental initiative is a responsibility that must be addressed.
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