USC Going Green

Environmental issues are at the forefront of concerns; the University of South Carolina is boosting their efforts to becoming more ecological. According to the Green Learning Center at USC, initiatives for a cleaner, more efficient campus are to be a driving force in future development and in current reduction of carbon footprints left behind. Green minded gamecocks have many opportunities to become involved in all things eco- friendly.
At USC, efforts to recycle as much as possible are evident across campus. In the Russell House dining center, there is an Eco- station where reusable dinning ware is washed, bins for plastics, paper, and glass bottles, and also areas to recycle the biodegradable to-go containers. In another effort to cut down on waste, the dining services offer an eco-bottle alternative to plastic bottled drinks. Outside the Thomas Cooper Library, there are recycling bins lining the fountain to increase the ease of recycling. Each on- campus housing facility has an area where residents can choose to salvage goods rather than toss them out in the trash. There is also Recyclemania, organized by students participating in the Green Learning Community, which is an event hosted on move- in and move- out days campus-wide. This effort has lead to 103 tons of goods being recycled and donated to local charities according to the USC green website. Though the boost for an increase in recycling is large, it is not the only factor in the equation of a clean, green campus.
‘It’s not just recycling: it’s sustainability’ was the message at the last Green Action Film Series, just one of the green events hosted by the Green Learning Center. West Quad faculty principal, David Whiteman, says, “There are more problems at hand than just recycling. We need to be conscious of our consumption and become a sustainable community.” Merriam-Webster defines sustainability as “relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.” In essence, though recycling is a necessary part of sustainability, there are other components that are just as essential to ensuring that those resources are not depleted.
“Students need to think about what they are using and see how that effects the world as a whole,” says Cynthia Harbison, an employee at the Green Learning Center here at the USC campus. Harbison went on to say that the easiest way to start reducing use is by not buying plastic water bottles. Plastic is not biodegradable and the consumption of water bottles is the highest it has been in years. Reusable drinking containers, like the eco- bottle featured in the dining facilities, are not only more eco-friendly, but cheaper when filled up with water from fountains.
Organizer of the Green Film Action Series at the Green Learning Center, Elizabeth Farry, voiced that becoming more sustainable is easy campus- wide and those who want to be more eco- conscious have the opportunity to do so. Not only by participating in green events such as Sustainability Week but by considering living in the West Quad, also called Green Quad.
Green Quad is an environment where students actively participate in programs that promote sustainability: recycling, composting, a garden area, and conservation of energy. Resources and support are guaranteed to students who wish to further their sustainability efforts. Green Quad, built in 2004, was the most ecologically conscious building in the world at that time. Along with the basic sustainability amenities in all housing facilities, Green Quad is one of the leading forces in current and future reduction of carbon footprints.
Due to the desire of faculty, staff, and students, USC has become one of the forefront leaders in sustainability and its proven by their sustainability report that they received in October of 2009. They earned a B, which though can be improved, is much higher than other schools in South Carolina. The attention to all things environmental has led to several programs that allow those that wish to be more active, a chance to do so. Jason Craig, assistant direct of the Green Learning Center, believes that USC is doing its part to help lessen the waste in the Columbia community. In an increasingly wasteful society, USC has made it their mission to not only inform of the dangers of waste but also take action to counteract it. Craig says, “We [as a community] need to focus on the big picture and that means taking steps to ensure that our earth will be able to sustain us."

Thanksgiving: Kryptonite to Dieting

Around this time each year, there is something that triggers in the minds of everyone that makes them want to lose weight and become healthier. It starts off subtle. The weather starts changing and light layering becomes necessary. Either you go to the closet to throw on a sweater and for some reason it just doesn’t quite fit or you grab some jeans before class and they won’t button. It’s at this very point that for the first time you start to notice that you have put on a few pounds. Though you had this weight yesterday, it seems to have magically appeared overnight and you have no idea where it came from.
Here is where we all consciously make the decision to change our diet and get back in shape. We start heading to the gym, watching our calories, and drink water by the gallons. We stay on track for a week or two, three if you are really dedicated, but then the inevitable happens: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is to dieting what kryptonite is to Superman: the one thing that can bring all your effort to a screeching halt. Thanksgiving is the perfect excuse to “reward” yourself for your efforts. However, for most of us, it is the catalyst that results in us returning to our old grubbing ways.
If you can make it through Thanksgiving and are still dedicated to your diet and exercise, congratulations, but you are not out of the woods just yet. Soon there are finals and the last thing you are worried about is how many calories you are taking in and how many you need to work off at the gym later that night. Cramming in information at the last minute leaves very little time for preparing healthy meals and Little Debbie just seems like the only choice at 4 a.m. Though it seems impossible, some people at this point have actually withstood the temptations of both Thanksgiving and exam week. For the rest of us, we have already decided to get back on track after the Christmas season, which means it will end up being our New Year’s resolution.
It seems to me that not only are we all aiming for the same goal around this point in the semester, but most of us have the same problem with motivation. Diet and exercise are an important part of life and for some reason it only remains important in our own minds for a few weeks at a time. It’s not like we do not have access to a gym, dieticians, nutritionists, trainers, and other support through the Student Wellness Center so we can’t blame anyone but ourselves. Though all this is at our disposal, very few take advantage of it, myself included. Its great to have a goal in mind to become healthy and fit but not reaching that goal with all these resources seems ridiculous.
Breaking your stride by allowing Thanksgiving and exam week to interfere has to come to an end and remaining motivated and determined are the only ways of breaking it. If you can’t hold out for the holidays then when will you? When New Year’s rolls around? Don’t be another statistic! Break out of your cycle and when Thanksgiving rolls around next year, you will be happy to know that your winter clothing is now a few sizes too big!