Kermit the Frog told us when we were young that “It’s not easy being green,” but being green on campus is actually one of the simplest things a student can do.
As the Green Quad celebrates its 10th anniversary, it's an excellent time to reflect on the progress USC has made toward sustainability. It's also a time to be inspired to constantly strive toward being better and more sustainable.
After opening the country’s largest “green” building on a university campus in 2004, USC has the difficult task of out-doing itself at hand. Keeping up consistency with that huge precedent is no simple feat, but doing so would mean greatly lessening the carbon footprint of USC’s over 30,000 students.
If you look at the litter around areas like the stadium, the sheer volume of cardboard that places like Pandini’s hand out on a normal day, or the number of cars circling the parking lots, upping their emissions while looking for spaces, it’s clear that USC still has a long way to go.
After opening more LEED certified residence halls like Patterson Hall, the university is clearly interested in continuing its progress, but we believe the true leaders of the campus’ movement toward sustainability must be the students.
We are the ones leaving red cups on the ground after tailgates. We are the ones leaving our paper plates on the brick walls around Greene St. We are the ones leaving our lights on in our rooms while we’re in class all day. The university can hang thousands of posters and hand plenty of stickers reminding us to be green, but until we take that message to heart, no real change will be made.
Little changes in our everyday lives can make all the difference. Whether it’s resolving to turn down the thermostat on the weekends you go out of town or choosing to use the reusable cups and utensils when eating in Russell House, if every student makes an effort to be a little more green, this university can be a force for good in the movement toward ecological sustainability.