When I first arrived at Emerson College this semester, I can honestly say I was thrown off. I had never been exposed to so much cigaret smoke and ironic eyewear. And I found myself out of the loop for being unaware of some secret boy code that pants should be cuffed at all times. Transferring from Maine, my niche had fallen amongst oversized flannels and Carhartt pants- cuffed pants were simply a ‘no’.
Luckily, it was not all Twilight Zone for me. With a slew of hipsters is Boston, I assumed ‘Go Green’ and ‘Save the Earth’ would be everywhere, (or has that become to mainstream?) So, in an effort to find anything related to the environment, I found Earth Emerson- our colleges very own organization working all year to make Emerson a more eco-friendly community. (Quick Earth Emerson plug there.) I am not lying when I say that Maine is 90% forest, (you can wikipedia it), so I have grown up very aware of the Earth and the little steps we can take to improve it. Stepping into Boston, oh gosh, I’ve been speechless- no offense.
Recycling is just common sense to me- second nature, if you will- and I see time and time again recyclable products being thrown away. In a large city such as Boston, we produce so much waste everyday. Not only is it hard on the Earth, but it’s hard on our pockets as well. It is easy for some of us to ignore environmental issues now, because we are not directly affected. But there will come a day when we have used up all of our sources and clogged up our atmosphere, and future America will not be too fond of how disrespectful we were to our home.
Earth Emerson is working on a new prokect called Recyclemania! I know the name is corny and all, but we did not choose it. Recylemania is a nation-wide college competition where schools work to improve recycling in their school. We track the progress of all sorts of recyclables: bottles, cardboard, plastic, etc. and expand awareness about the project throughout the Emerson community.
Recycling is so easy. And it feels great. Maybe you’re just not that interested in the environmental hoopla, but you can save so much money recycling, too.
Tips to be eco-friendly:
– Bring a water bottle! Earth Emerson got rid of most plastic water bottles being sold on campus. Save the money, and some plastic by refilling up a water bottle!
– Say NO to Dunkin Donut’s styrofoam cups. Styrofoam is extremely hard and expensive to recycle, so it ends up sitting in our landfills and NOT decomposing. Bring your own coffee mug and most places will fill that with your coffee! (Portable coffee mugs can be really cute, too.)
– RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE. That box from your frozen pizza? Recyclable. Your carton of morning OJ? Recyclable. Your notebook from that class you really didn’t like last semester? Recyclable!
– Tell the cashier you do not need a bag. When purchasing small or few items, throw them in your purse! It’s a great way to do your part and reduce unnecessary waste.
– When grocery shopping, bring your own bags! Not only does this have the same effect as the later tip, but its much easier to carry large cloth bags than a bunch of ripping plastic ones.
– Turn off the lights, turn off the lights. When you leave a room, so should the light. Use natural light during the day, and at night only light the room you’re in. It reduces electricity and saves money on your bill.
– Unplug electronics not being used. Even if you are not charging your phone, if the charger is plugged in, it uses something called ‘phantom energy’ and wastes unnecessary electricity.
Earth Emerson is really hoping to push far in the Recyclemania competition. We have posters around campus, and work tables outside the dining halls too, so check us out! Find out more tips, or ways you can help.
If you’re interested, you can check out Earth Emerson’s website as well: http://earthemerson.org/.
You’re part really makes a difference.