This week, Fordham is taking part in Sustainability Week in order to raise awareness for increased environmentally friendly procedures on campus. The Sustainable Fordham Facebook page boasts a slew of events happening this week in order to promote “going green,” a pledge to be sustainable, and articles about the importance of recycling. The page’s most recent posts urge students to recycle pizza boxes, attend a series of sustainability talks and wear green in order to show support for the sustainability proposals.
The Sustainable Fordham program is putting in a lot of effort in order to stress the importance of being environmentally conscious in a way that will get students excited about being involved. Indeed, some initiatives to reduce Fordham’s environmental impact have already been successful.
United Student Government’s (USG) midyear report reveals that the school has implemented measures to increase recycling on campus. USG has a committee specifically dedicated to improving sustainability on campus, which has made significant gains. One of its accomplishments, for example is that all residence halls other than Martyrs Court now have separate recycling bins.
This progress may not seem ground-breaking at first glance, but the fact that Fordham is making strides toward a greener campus and more environmentally friendly practices is a great achievement for our university and community. Improving sustainability on campus requires the total involvement of the student body, which is precisely the point of the campus events taking place as a part of Sustainability Week.
Environmental reform is a priority for many students here at Fordham. Last September, the Students for Environmental Awareness and Justice (SEAJ) club took part in the People’s Climate March in Manhattan in order to gain the attention of United Nations leaders who were about to debate about environmental issues. Even The Fordham Ram has been trying to do its part by reminding readers to recycle paper copies of the newspaper.
The efforts of Fordham students to improve the condition of the planet are admirable. Though we may be one small community, our efforts can make a difference as we continue to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into our lives.
However, the efforts of a couple of clubs and committees will not be enough to help Fordham reach its full eco-friendly potential, unless the rest of the student body actually makes an effort to incorporate those small changes that are often stressed, like abiding by recycling rules. That is precisely why we need the events sponsored by Sustainability Week to popularize these practices.
The significance placed on sustainability by multiple campus organizations is a good sign that Fordham is on the right track. Hopefully, this week’s events will create a greater culture of environmental consciousness at our university.
The only thing that will truly make a difference, however, is the student body’s commitment to making a change in their daily lives, by becoming aware of the sustainability efforts brought forth by Fordham.
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