Fighting for a Cleaner Tomorrow
By Kirstin Le Grice
Upon entering the University of Colorado’s Environmental Center, one is immediately overcome with a sense of tranquility. Dimly lit lights line the ceiling, and plants inhabit not only the windowsills, but the desks and the floor as well.
On a window sill near the entrance sits a Dieffenbachia plant. Upon the information desk rests an orchid that Sarah Dawn, Programs Assistant at the center “rescued from the trash.” Adventure further into the center and one will stumble across at least one Aloe Vera plant, an Umbrella tree, and countless other plants.
Above the entrance leading to the desks of the employees and the student lounge area hangs a beautiful, multicolored painting which reads, “RETHINK, please love your Earth.”
Sarah Dawn might be soft spoken, but her passion for the environment and the center shine through her peaceful demeanor. “I get kind of nerdy about it,” she says with a grin.
Sarah sees great potential in the future of the Center’s online and digital activity. “We haven’t gotten into the vibe of Twitter, but we’re on Facebook,” she says. “Your generation is so talented in using technology,” she adds.
Aside from having a Facebook page, the Environmental Center boasts a very informative website which includes links to a plethora of environmental sites, and information about CU’s current as well as upcoming Green initiatives.
The center’s homepage currently displays a short video as well as a brief overview of CU’s plan to install Solar Panels on the roofs at Coors Event Center along with the roofs of the dorms on campus.
The video found on the website covers Scrape Your Plate Day and sends one simple message: take less food, waste less food.
Along with its multimedia approach, the Environmental Center’s website also contains the Facebook link, and the option to sign up for an online newsletter. Upcoming events are displayed at the top of the home page, with links allowing online readers to access further information pertaining to each event.
One such event advertised at the top of their website is the Live Green Pledge. According to the website, the pledge is asking people to lessen their impact on the Environment “by choosing 3 actions from the Live Green Pledge.” Actions include biking more and driving less, recycling more, turning down the thermostat, and using reusable products.
Each desk proudly displays a large, white Mac. The walls are covered with recycling posters. Above the computer where a CU student diligently types away hangs a poster whose message reads, “Jump into the mainstream, RECYCLE.”
There is a strong Boulder hippie-chic presence within CU’s Environmental Center. At the computers sit longhaired boys wearing Birkenstocks and knitted caps. Sarah Dawn herself wears chunky bangles, colorful rings, and on this particular day, bright lavender colored pants.
The Environmental Center has come a long way since its first primitive days. “Forty years ago it was students collecting recycling in an old bus…I mean it was Grassroots,” says Dawn.
Since then, the Environmental Center has accomplished many feats, including the organization of a bus that shuttles students to and from the ski resorts on the weekends. “Our role on campus has been an advocacy role,” says Dawn.
The Environmental Center is also responsible for the bus passes issued to students at the start of each school year. Sarah Dawn believes in listening to the student’s requests, “that’s where we find out initiatives,” she says. Regarding the bus passes, it all began with a simple request of “hey Trans, what if we had a bus pass? Lets do that,” says Dawn.
Everything in the Environmental Center screams sustainability, right down the to carpeting. “The chairs in the office are made out of recycled components, and the carpet is made from recycled plastic,” says Dawn.
One of the main goals for the Environmental Center is working towards making CU’s campus a zero-waste campus. And, it’s getting there. Solar panels on the roofs of dormitories and Coors Event Center “will produce 140,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year—enough to power 20 medium-sized houses,” according to the center’s website.
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