Frostburg State University (FSU) is going green by adopting some measures to reduce environmental degradation and instead help in maintaining a clean and sustainable environment.
One of the ways to achieve environmental sustainability is by reducing usage of plastic water bottles. This will be done by skipping bottled water and instead water purifiers to purify tap water which students shall drink from reusable water bottles. Buying bottled water is both an expensive venture which also generates a lot of plastic waste. Plastics are non-biodegradable and they need energy consuming processes such as burning in order to reduce them to ashes for disposal (worldwatch.org). Some of the plastic water bottles find their way to the environment thereby causing pollution. To reverse this, FSU students shall resort to using reusable water bottles and especially those made from aluminium since they last longer and are cost-effective.
FSU could also adopt environmentalism campaigns that are being applied in colleges across the United States. Smith College students are introduced to environmentalism in pre-orientation program dubbed “Sustainability and ecological literacy” (Judkis, 2008). The students are taught on recycling and energy conservation. Other programs urge students and college stakeholders to consume organic foods and live car-free lifestyles (Judkis, 2008). These measures are geared towards encouraging the reduction of carbon footprint by reducing the amount of carbon stakeholders of the institution contribute into the atmosphere.
Smith college hired a sustainability director who is in charge of organizing events such as tours to power plants, recycling plants and nature walks in order to increase student awareness of the importance of conserving the environment. FSU could integrate a plan such as the one adopted by Smith College into their environmental sustainability. I find the promotion of car-free lifestyles and consumption of organic foods as very appropriate measures to maintain our environment.
References
Judkis, M. (2008, August 25). How Colleges Are Going Green - Fresh Greens (usnews.com). Business News and Financial News - US News Business. Retrieved May 25, 2013, from http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/fresh-greens/2008/08/25/how-colleges- are-going-green
World Watch Institute. (2013) 10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green
Retrieved 25 May 2013 from: http://www.worldwatch.org/resources/go_green_save_green
