Chapel swiping, class syllabi, curfew. Every year, freshmen at ACU embark on the challenging journey of navigating a college campus for the first time. Beyond making new friends – and just making it to class – college means determining identity, who we are and how students can make a difference in issues that matter.

For many students, life in a residence hall represents the first steps of independence out from under the familiar awnings of home. And whether by apathy or deliberation, students choose how their lifestyles will affect the environment.

Environmental issues are slowly pervading campus scenes across America. According to a 2008 article by U.S. News & World Report, “Fresh Greens: How Colleges Are Going Green,” colleges are making the effort to be more environmentally friendly.

Several universities, including New York University and St. Mary’s, have participated in contests with other universities to see which can purchase the greenest energy. Others, like Yale and Brown, are including organic options in on-campus dining. Smith College even has conducted pre-orientation programs about how to minimize impact on the environment both on and off campus.

In an age concerned with melting glaciers and homeless polar bears, as newly independent citizens, students have the opportunity to build habits and practices that either hurt or help the “go green” movement. That opportunity comes in the form of both insignificant and distinct changes.

The Obvious
When moving into a residence hall, green living probably is not the first thing on a student’s mind, said Lindsey Flemming, senior interdisciplinary major from Beamsville, Ontario, and Sikes Hall assistant director. But that doesn’t mean green living isn’t important.

“It’s one less thing to worry about,” Flemming said. “Also having cable and everything included, they may think, ‘I really don’t have to be careful how much I use.'”

Flemming said although motivation to go green can be scarce in the residence hall environment, it’s worth the effort among the few to potentially inspire the hall as a whole.

Residence hall life, with its communal-style living and lack of utility bills for students, changes the appearance of a go-green effort, she said. Rather than cost efficiency, the focus shifts to a general sense of responsibility.

“It takes care of where we live. The less we waste, the less things are going to rise in price, if you want to think about it that way. Also, a lot of our resources will be cleaner and better taken care of.”

Although dorm life raises unique challenges to green living, some of the same techniques our elementary school teachers taught us for greener living still apply, and most are as simple as flipping a switch.

1.    Turn it off. From lights, to running water, to appliances, turning off what you are not using is common sense. Televisions, stereos and computers all can use electricity. Use power strips to turn off electronics, some of which drain energy even when turned off, according to an article on www.onlinedegreeprograms.com entitled “101 Ways to Go Green In Your Dorm Room.”

2.    Recycle. Paper products, certain plastics and glass all can be recycled to reduce carbon footprints. It’s as easy as setting up sorting bins and dropping off recyclables at Walmart.

3.    Make Walmart work for you. Save plastic bags to use as trash bags instead of paying for specifically tailored trash receptacle liners.

The Extra Mile

Colleen Ashley, senior political science major from Pago Pago, American Samoa found the ACU Environmental Society as its vice president in the spring of 2010.

“I think this is an initiative that’s going to have to come from the students,” she said, citing student groups and SA resources as possible springboards for additional environmental efforts. If administration made living green easier – possibly by supplying more recycling bins around campus – or even offering rewards for doing so, more students likely would join the effort, she speculated.

“I think students are more concerned about environmental issues than past generations. I also think we’re a lot lazier, so you know, I think the problem is motivation,” she said. “At this point, there’s not enough motivation to outweigh the laziness.”

For those wanting to take green living a step further, options abound.

1.    Reuse. Instead of investing in new furniture, peruse local garage sales and thrift stores for “fixer-uppers” or vintage finds. SALT’s annual stuff swap offers optimal possibilities for obtaining secondhand stuff, from clothes to furniture

2.    Decorate green. Use magazine and newspaper cutouts or even quirky product labels to create wall décor instead of printing new photographs or purchasing posters.

3.    Utilize nature. From compost to natural light, nature offers plenty of ways to avoid unnecessary electricity and resource expenditures, the only catch? We have to be paying attention.

True Stewardship

As attendees of a Christian university, Dr. Jim Cooke said he would expect the general ACU population to show above average interest in the green movement. For Cooke, professor of agriculture and environmental science, the issue comes down to Christian duty.

“We believe in a creator god, the god of the Bible, and the Bible is replete with admonitions and theology that the creation is good, the creation is valuable, that God cares for the creation and that we as human beings have a responsibility to be stewards and caretakers of that which God has created,” he said.

In fulfilling this Christian duty, the ACU campus may need to adopt some of the same practices as secular or state universities, Cooke said, like utilizing cleaner energy sources or installing more energy efficient technology. Although the end results may look the same, the inspiration to go green at ACU should come from a spiritual level as well as a political or humanitarian level.

“It may not look a lot different, but there certainly is a difference in the motivation behind it, so I think it is very much a part of our faith and our working out that faith, our journey, if you will, to bring glory and honor and praise to the Father, to the creator, through the way that we live.”

1.    Consume compassionately. Whether you sew your own unique styles or frequent the Abilene shopping scene, buy fair trade instead of capitalizing on lower prices from sweatshops in India. Labels indicating “fair trade” mean the artisans who created the product will receive fair compensation for your purchase.

2.    Buy in bulk. As much as space and spoilage allow, save on price per unit by buying products like paper towels, feminine products and some food in bulk. Microwaveable noodles, canned foods and frozen dinners, for instance, all may be purchased in quantity to save money.

3.    Do your homework. Research what you buy. Remember, a “non-choice” still carries consequences, so don’t let apathy determine your environmental impact.

Going green can be as simple as taking advantage of natural light or turning off an appliance or as involved as sewing your own handbag. But the impact reaches everyone from neighbors to polar bears in the Arctic Circle. And as Ashley believes, it’s an impact that should reverberate out from Christian campuses like ACU’s.

“We, as Christians, are supposed to be stewards of the earth. So it makes sense that a Christian campus should be at least as environmentally conscious as others, because we should be taking care of God’s creation and looking after this world that He’s given us,” Ashley said. “I think it also can inspire some social consciousness and active involvement that is good for any university and any student body.”

With a little extra awareness and a little extra effort, Ashley hopes the green movement will inspire more social consciousness and involvement on ACU’s campus, which as she said, would be good for any university and any student body.”