Campus should be treated with respect
March 27, 2018
Every time I walk through campus, I see trash on the lawns, sidewalks and in the street, even when there is a trash can near by. Solo Cups and beer cans are everywhere, especially after a popular night out or after the weekend.
I think it’s time, as a student body, to increase our awareness of how we environmentally treat our campus and the effects of littering.
People are throwing their wrappers on the ground without any care and chugging their beers only to leave it on the grass. I have seen it countless times, and with about 40,000 students on this campus, the amount of litter we produce is immense.
As spring weather approaches, more students will hang out on the Main Quad. With this comes the possibility of an increase in the trash left undisposed. Our campus, the Quad especially, is a beautiful place that should be treated with respect and attention to its cleanliness. No one wants to sit and hang out on a trash-filled quad.
Littering can of course can negatively affect the environment we live and breathe in, can be costly to clean up and can negatively affect our health. For the University, all these effects are important to recognize, but the presence of littering could also affect the admission rate. If a campus is not considered a clean one, then it could deter a prospective student from coming here.
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Littering in general costs the U.S. about 11.5 billion dollars a year. For educational institutions, it’s about 241 million dollars a year for litter clean up. If we reduce our littering habits, we can hopefully put that money to better use.
The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment at the University has great research and projects committed to becoming a greener campus. Even with this great resource, however, we must also be committed to becoming greener as individuals.
A 2009 study by P. Wesley Schultz from California State University and Steven R. Stein from Environmental Resources Planning LLC found that “individuals are the key source of litter. In fact, the observational results found that 81 percent of observed littering acts were intentional.”
Environmental responsibility on campus all starts with us. Becoming more aware of trash on the ground and throwing it away is a good place to start. Learning how to dispose of trash correctly is also helpful.
No matter if you’re going out or rushing to class, just throw your Solo Cup or whatever trash you have into a garbage or recycling bin instead of disrespecting our beautiful campus.
