Student Essays, Opinions & Other Insights on a Sustainable UMD 2013-2014 Academic Year | Page 18

Kimberly Choi
Major: English and Sociology, and
Sustainability studies minor
Class of 2014

It is jarring to realize that ‘sustainability’ is a stronger
word than we commonly acknowledge. If a lifestyle is
sustainable, it is capable of being sustained. We are not
living sustainably merely by recycling or turning off
the lights when we leave the room; we’d have to live at
a level that the Earth’s limited space and resources
would be able to support, which few come close to
doing.
We speak of it being decent to be unobtrusive, to not
impose ourselves on other people or cause them problems, if not to actively help them and support their wellbeing. Sustainability, to me, is the same principle applied to others beyond whom we tangibly see—it is
respecting the Earth as a whole, and people we don’t know, people who may not have even been born yet. It is
important that I recognize what I might be imposing upon these others, for the lifestyles of people in the
modern age have the potential to do so very much to the Earth.
I took the pledge to examine on an intimately practical level what I could do to lessen my environmental
impact. In some sense, it was satisfying in the same sort of way that it’s satisfying to choose healthy food over
unhealthy food. It made me feel it was in my control to live, in a basic, tangible sense of the word, in a better
sort of way. The pledge made ordinary activities like showering and dining more interesting by placing values
underneath them and challenging me to improve my habits.
The University of Maryland has a good range of measures in place to make such considerations possible, such
as waste disposal, public transportation, and greener dining options. It seems to me that what UMD should be
doing is encourage more people to make use of these features.
I see paper Pepsi cups in the recycling bin quite often—I only found out they don’t belong there because
someone mentioned it in an environment-related class I was in. The sustainability pledge was effective in
turning my attention to lifestyle changes I could adopt, but I learned abou HY