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Show aaaiaw Going Green? Minor, cosmetic changes labeled "Green"by marketing firms distract from real sustainability Chris Manor Guest writer In response to climate change, many people have started to change their habits and practices. For instance, public transit usage is up and more people are riding bikes. Drivers are buying hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius. People are buying energy efficient, compact florescent light bulbs. Recycling is on the rise. Reusable shopping bags are hip. More and more, people are going green. This seems like a good thing, right? Wrong. For starters, all of these are changes in consumer habits. This idea that going green is going to solve all our ecological problems is a joke. The punch line is that those responsible, the big corporations, are going to continue to plunder the natural world while making an extra buck off us with these green products. "Green" is a complete abstraction with no concrete foundation. It doesn't set any type of realistic goals the will ensure sustainability and life on a healthy planet. It doesn't address the real issues. What "green" is, is the new marketing campaign for capital. The self-organized appearance of change with none of the sincerity or intent. The spectacle if you will. This brings me to our new student government's green initiative. In a recent interview in the UVU Review, student body president elect, Trevor Tooke, in response to the following question, 'What is the one things that you would like to change?' stated, "1 want to improve the campus recycling program." Tooke, if you haven't noticed, there are several, blue trashcan looking receptacles all over campus. The theory is that people are supposed to put things like paper and aluminum cans in them. From there, those items will be recycled. You can set all these programs in place, it doesn't mean that people will use them. I believe that structural change and individual change are both crucial, but right now structural change takes priority. I don't want to be critical without constructing, so here's a proposal. Instead of refining the programs we already have in place, like recycling, why not do something different. Consider this. Push for the installation of solar panels on campus. This would create energy to power the school that wouldn' t come from coal or other environmen- Jordy Kirkman/UVU Review tally harmful sources. If the campus were able to produce it's own power, we would lower the energy bills and could pass the savings on to the students in the form of lower tuition. This would be a step towards sustainability. It would help the school better negotiate this economic depression. It might cost a lot in the short term, but the long-term benefits are undeniable. While I agree that recycling should be part of the solution, it should not be the solution. Right now there are more pressing issues. Recycling may have beqn effective in our parent's generation, back when it See Green • A6 Letters to the E Whccty the/ deed/ w Cth r o-the-editor t FthCnk/UVU professors need/toiMiay with attendance/ poli/Thly iy coUege/, and/we-stuare/ "Paying/ a/ larches surw to- be/ enrolled/ here/, notletthe ytudenty control/ ' or notattendsings clayey 'be/ mandatory? I do-not r e/ to- ha>ve/ the/ attendance dropped/ becaAAse/ of any to- ml&y clayey, but dAArings the winter ser yl getsisckatlea/Stoncea/ Now, everyWme/I gethick/, • two- or three- school* dayy. tfply that by four monthy in and/1 have- missed/ jeen/ eight to- tweh/e/ dayy of sju&t beings hick/. I am/ wilLtxr wiake/ up for any time/ but ir\/ clayey with manattesndance, every ab• after three will drop your That i& a/ fuW grade lost of my imwuAne/ hystemA a/looter attendancefor aib of vny imswutnity'brothery and/hihtery - - pluuy everyone/else/. —Andrew Jonet/ Vear Editor- * I am/ writings to- brings up a/ problem/ that I OAW hure<J O i l that a/ lot of ytudenty share/ with me: bahed/ on- vny eyperienceyhere/, home/profeshory, I preyume/, are/ not here-toteach, but rather to- trick ytudenty. Are- we- not going' tothitf inytituturn/tc^learvv, nc^tctbe/tricked/ctrfoxyled/? I recesnttytook/O/te^hereatthe/unO^erhisty and/bctmbed/ itwith flyingscolory. Theque4&x>nycm/theejtasvYV werenot, and/1 repeat, were- not irv anyway hhape or form/ how my professor had/ presented/ them/ in the review heyhion. Throughout the entire- teyt I felt ay if my profeyhor way try ings to- trick/ me/, try ings to- make/ a/ mockery of my intelligence/, and/ each question got progressively trickier and/ trickier. 'Ever hince the begfannin& of the/ heswieirter, I haA/e/g<>ttenthesfeeliA^that my profewsr revelyinthe fact that the dayy average/ iy a/ yta^gerings and/ dvymal/ 60-65 for the/ ejeosvny. It hhould/ be/ more/ than apparent, that in- a/ cla^y of over 150 ytudenty, if the/ majority of them/are-scoringsthat low on-their e^uXmjy, bomethings iy obviouMy fundAxmentaUy wrongs. I understand/that my profewor ypentyeary and/yeary honings and/ developings hly/her craft to- get in the/ portion he/hhe iy in. I get that, I do-, but the/ cXa^y that I ypeak/ofiya/1010 claw. The/que4&Ayvtycm/thee%asm/were/ worded/ in buch a/ way that I felt ay if I were/ takings the bar ejeam/ to- become/ a/ lawyer who- specialised/ specifically inthat area/. I studied/ Osnd/ studied/ and/ htxtdied/forth^partiAMlar esyxww, her much so-, that it wajy on- my vnind/ almost con*Sta<ntly, and/ yet the/ outcome/ way nothings near what I had/ hoped/ for ay I walked/ into- the testings center with my head/ held/ high/. I walked/ out of the testings center di&grun&ed/, defeated/, my confidence ripped/ aAvay. Our professory should/ want uy to- succeed/ on/ esxasmy, should/wantuyto-do-wellintPxe/cla&y, should/wantuytodo- well in/ life-. 'But ay sad/ asyitiytO' hay, that iyju&t not the co/se/ with home/ professors that work/ at thly instituNow, I am/ not naVve- enough/ to- think/ that thCy problem/ iy only Specific/ to- UVU. I understand/ and/ I am/ Osware that thiy iy probaMy a/ problem/ at the hundreds and/hundredy of higher learnings institutions that are in/ thiy cowntry. However, that wv any way doey notjuyt^theproblem/or makeitany lewiwvportasnt. My plea/ iyto-thxfhe/who-feelthesamje/way asyl do-... How caruthCy problem/ be/ rectified/? Sincerely, a/ concerned/ Bryhon/Qunter student, uvureview.com Vear Editor, I wcnAA^lOf^e/to-e^UpressyvYvy app* ationforthe/ hosve/atUVU; U Oh, wait... we- don/t ha>ve housings on- campuy. M)hy U I think/ ay a/ unixerhity, we/ j have/ the/ hasme/ opportunity other uniA/erhitiey enjoy, the portunity to- unite/ our mottoc unique, creative, so- that they share in- the/ experience of student hou4 campuy. Student housings we facilitate/ closer student and/pi interactiony, not just at but in our liA/ing' situations tc So- mosny UVU students from/ aH over Utah/ County mA4frthe/hesn4&cfcom#vuAnity comey with student There/ are, yey, apartwtenty are/ walkings dA^tonce/ from/ iM but they are- open- to- the/ pi and/ not reserved/ for (aA1though/many roomyare/1 pied/by them/). I think/UVU we be/an/even a/better hchool/t already foifittoe&thatnexti and/ created/ student houAingd |