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Going Green in American Universities
American universities have joined in the worldwide campaign of going green. In terms of the courses provided, universities have instituted studies and courses that include environmental studies. American universities have also engaged in a competition dubbed the Green Power Challenge under the environmental protection agency. In the competition, the universities compete to find out which university can purchase the greenest and cleanest energy. This encourages the schools to offset their power and substitute it with green power to the highest percentage. The colleges are also incorporating environmentalism in their orientation process for new comers. The universities train students on how to minimize the impact they have on the environment when they are both on campus and off campus in the orientation programs.
The topics taught include ecological literacy and sustainability, recycling, living without a car, consuming organic foods and conserving energy. The students also tour various places to meet the people behind the environmental efforts in the various colleges. The dormitories in the schools are also being constructed in accordance to the leadership in energy and environmental design or LEED. The dorms are rated in terms of gold silver and bronze for the best, second best and third best. The students in the dorms also think of green decorations and how to install them in their dorm rooms (Fine, 2009).
The colleges are introducing organic food in their diet system. The organic food, which ranges from gourmet to fast foods, is being included in the schools’ dining hall menus. The universities are also growing organic foods in farms and form composts with the waste coming from it. Blogs have also been instituted where students could discuss their various efforts to go green and share new ideas. There are fully-fledged eco-friendly colleges in America where only environmentally minded people are allowed, universities which offer human ecology as a course and an Earth university that is located in Costa Rica (Fine, 2009).
As a student at the University of Texas at San Antonio, my recommendation would be to institute many of the strategies above if not all where we could hold competitions with other colleges and universities to challenge one another in the spirit of going green. Moreover, the university staff and tutors require leading by example and engaging in the activities that involve making the earth a better place to live in. For instance, the staff could join the in their dining rooms while they have their organic food. This would show their support for the cause. The school should also have a green day where people do no attend class and everyone comes to school to plant trees, collect litter around the school, unblock drainages and cut the grass to make the school as green as possible. With these moves and the incorporation of pre-orientation lessons to all freshmen about the environment, it shall promise that every year in the UTSA there shall be a team of environmentalists that are going to dedicate their time and energy to take care of the school’s environment and make UTSA the leading green university in America and the world.
Works Cited:
Fine, Doug. Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living. New York, NY: Random House Publishing Group, 2009. Print.
College Cost Reduction Act of 2007. New York, NY: DIANE Publishing, 2007. Print.
Kemp, Roger L., and Stephani, CarlJ.Cities Going Green: A Handbook of Best Practices. McFarland, 2011. Print.
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