Student Essays, Opinions & Other Insights on a Sustainable UMD 2013-2014 Academic Year | Page 15
Savannah Green
Major: Chemical and Bimolecular
Engineering
Class of 2014
I signed up for the pledge because I want to
commit to being a more sustainable human
being. I felt like this pledge was a great way to
start and see how I can change my habits. I
was able to ease my way into a more
sustainable lifestyle and it wasn't that hard at
all. Making a few changes to your lifestyle can
make things so much better not only for the
environment but for your own personal
finances as well.
Sustainability is particularly important to me because my mom works for an environmental services company.
She instilled in me values to ensure we were making our environment better for future generations, not worse.
However, once I got to college, living on my own, I began to let go of some of the habits she taught me. I
stopped doing things as simple as recycling just because it was more convenient to have only one trash can. I
started to realize and dislike the way I was living and wanted to make a change for the better to get back to
how I was raised. This challenge helped me make changes in my life that I will commit to even after the
challenge has ended.
To be more sustainable the university could make several changes. The bathrooms in all buildings could have
light sensors to turn off when there is no movement for a few minutes. We could use a biking system such as
Capital Bikeshare, which is a biking system in DC. This system would need biking stations where people can
use and return bikes on campus. This would be beneficial for students because it allows for an
environmentally friendly way of transportation for students as opposed to driving a motorized vehicle.
Additionally, solar energy systems could be implemented in new places on campus. Lastly, more recycling
cans should be placed around campus, particularly in the dorms. The academic buildings have a lot of
recycling containers that are emptied efficiently, but the dorms could use more containers or containers that
are emptied more frequently, particularly on the weekends.
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