Student Essays, Opinions & Other Insights on a Sustainable UMD 2013-2014 Academic Year | Page 11

Yael Gutin
Major: Dietetics
Class of 2014
The Golden rule- it is one of the first lessons that your parents
will teach you as a child and will be repeated to you consistently
from kindergarten through 12th grade and beyond. “Treat
others the way that you want to be treated”. This rule is meant
to teach us compassion, consideration for others feelings,
empathy, and responsibility for our actions. This lesson
becomes so engrained in our minds as children that we seem to
forget its true meaning as we age and we begin to take these
words for granted. Yes, as a child you may remember this
Golden rule and refrain from pushing your classmate for
stealing your last cookie, but why do we not apply this rule to
relationships beyond our child years? More importantly, why do
we not extend this compassion beyond our daily interactions
with people and instead shift our responsibility to an even
larger entity- the world we live in?
When thinking about sustainability, it is extremely important to
remember that we do not own this planet. The Earth was here long before we were and will be here long after
we are gone. Yet, we as a species have forgotten this and are slowly destroying the blessing of nature and
beauty that we have been so graciously given. Deforestation, water pollution, greenhouse gases, factory
farming- these are all examples of the ways in which we abuse our planet. We have forgotten the importance
of the Golden rule when it comes to the world we live in. We have forgotten the responsibility we have to
respect this planet, to appreciate it, and to treat it with the compassion and admiration that we would want to
receive in return. That is why sustainability is so important to me, because I want to strive every day to give
back what I am able to the beautiful planet in which I am lucky enough to spend the short years of my life.
Throughout the weeks of the pledge, I aimed to be more aware of my daily actions and how they affect the
world around me. Even more important was the explanation I would offer to people who questioned why I was
turning the water off as I was brushing my teeth, or unplugging all my appliances when they were not being
used. It was not only impactful for me to carry out these actions myself, but also to help others understand
why sustainability is important and encourage them to make these small changes in their daily lives as well. I
think there is a huge disconnect between the sustainability movements and passion of students living on
campus and off campus, particularly in Greek housing. As a member of Greek life, I am angered and frustrated
at the reality that there is only one recycling bin in my chapter house, which barely gets used because many
people are uneducated about matters of sustainability. I think a very effective way to increase sustainability
awareness among students in Greek life would be to elect sustainability ambassadors to bridge the gap
between the efforts of SGA and members of Greek life and increase the involvement of Greek life in events like
the sustainability pledge and the Earth Day festival. Perhaps everybody just needs a little reminder of this
“Golden” rule, to take a step back outside of ourselves and appreciate the beauty of the planet we live on, and
start treating it the way we would want- and how it truly deserves- to be treated.

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