Sustainability is a choice made every day that shapes our community, bringing a better environment and a cleaner atmosphere.
As students at USC, we are a community. As a community, we must take care of our environment. But it is also the job of the University to ensure that it is fostering a sustainable society for its students as community members.
“For better or worse, we become our own mini-society within the USC Columbia campus. So some of the issues that we face in our bubble are the same things that are happening on a broader scale everywhere else, but we can play with things on a smaller scale,” Jessie McNevin, associate director of USC sustainability, said.
Sustainability is important because of the benefits it provides society. The United Nations has a list of 17 sustainable development goals that can be achieved when sustainability is practiced. What's special about these goals is that the diversity of the them, not just being about the environment.
Some of the goals include quality education, life on land and gender equality. They show that ending poverty and other challenges needs to happen alongside efforts to protect the environment. This list is meant to be followed by countries everywhere to ensure productive sustainability practices and higher functioning societies around the world.
One simple practice for students is to start using reusable items. Non-reusable packaging and items create waste, a huge factor that leads to pollution. This is because plastic packaging sent to landfills typically ends up in our wildlife and streets because it does not decompose . This creates litter, harming the wildlife, and decreases the quality of the environment. Reusable products decrease the amount of plastic waste, helping to clean up our carbon footprints.
University students everywhere produce 640 pounds of waste per year.Globally, there are 3,825 tons of waste produced every minute. About 75% of air pollution is human-generated. Waste causes air, water, and soil pollution, which is unhealthy for us and decreases the quality of our communities.We should all be taking it upon ourselves to minimize our own waste to create a clean and healthy community.
A clean campus makes our environment more beautiful. When sustainable practices are put into use, like keeping the campus clean and litter-free, the greenery around campus can flourish. That is the beauty of USC, Jason Lambert, the Associate Vice President of Facility Services, said.
"If you've been to any other campus in the SEC, a lot of them don't have the kind of trees we have," said Lambert. "The trees on campus are a good part of what makes USC, USC.”
The facility services at USC have been making efforts towards becoming more sustainable. Lambert stated that his team wants to be good stewards of their resources and they are, "taking every opportunity we can to be more sustainable."
Lambert mentioned efforts meant to improve sustainability in buildings. These efforts include replacing the air coolers in Thomas Cooper, making them more efficient energy-wise and the green garden initiative that is decreasing the energy used in the five buildings on campus that use the most energy. Those buildings are Close Hipp, Swearingen Engineering Building, 1600 Hampton, Jones Physical Science Center and Thomas Cooper Library.
The Office of Sustainability is an example of a good initiative that promotes environmentally friendly involvement opportunities. Larry Cook, Director of Sustainable Carolina, said the office was founded in the early 2000s .The office aims to bring sustainability efforts to campus by offering opportunities, through their events, for students to learn more about how they can be sustainable. Since then, the office has been flourishing, giving students the opportunity to learn about sustainability and get involved with it.
While the University has a large responsibility towards fostering sustainability, students can also take it upon themselves to advocate for it. Students who are passionate about this could join organizations, such as the Office of Sustainability, or they could volunteer at the Sustainable Carolina Garden.
“It's not that you have to be the best, but you have to show that you're kind of working toward advancement,” Cook said.
What makes a sustainable community is the passion of those within it. When people begin to care about the environment and show it with their actions, goals are accomplished. This is something anyone can do, no matter their background or major in school.
"There's room for everybody, and I think the positive and passionate people within the sustainability sphere is what keeps me coming back,” McNevin said.
There will be a resource fair called Green on Greene being held Oct. 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to kick off Campus Sustainability Month. It will showcase existing efforts and highlight opportunities for students to advocate, volunteer, or spread awareness.
As citizens of the world and members of this community, it is our responsibility to practice sustainability to keep the environment clean and properly functioning. It is also the role of the University to advocate for this so these efforts continue.