kilgorethecat
Registered: November 2009
City/Town/Province: Knoxville
Posts: 1
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The American environmental movement has recently become more of a necessary cry for help as opposed to the historical fight against the Industrial Revolution. Many communities across the nation have decided that the fight against pollution will be much easier fought if techniques for early prevention are put into action, but unfortunately many more are only now starting to agree that a solid realization of the consequences of human actions comes “better late than never.”
People struggle their whole lives to claim individuality and originality; they want to be good at something and use their skills to earn a living. Competition becomes inevitable and causes them to understand that they must jump at the chance to take advantage of a situation. This is Capitalism. Many Americans embrace this ideal, but many others blame it for causing the problems we face today. Whatever the cause or effect, one thing remains true – if we do not simply act now for what we believe is right; we only continue to let the problem fester. We are only feeding the situation with confusion and anger. In order to genuinely change the outcome of an event, one must step down from the debate and risk fallacy. To be wrong is to free creativity and learn from a mistake. This is the philosophy that I have found most useful while pursuing worthy endeavors. Instead of worrying about what my peers think is right or wrong, I make an effort to educate myself and overcome the fear of losing the fight and in the process, I come to understand the value from both sides. I can see the problems caused by freedom as well as the solutions available in its presence.
My name is Mary. I am currently a 22 year old community college student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biosystems Engineering and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering. After 22 years of life in the South and two years of post-secondary education, I can safely say that Knoxville is in desperate need of environmental reform. In fact, much of the Southeast and other parts of the nation are in the same boat, but one must start somewhere. Pellissippi State Community College has been in business since 1974, and after 35 years of academic progress, the school of more than 10,000 students can hardly begin to fill an Ecology class. The recent recycling efforts started by myself and others are actually an additional attempt to succeed where previous attempts had failed. In an effort to usher Pellissippi and the community into a new era, I have taken it upon myself to ensure that these and other motives are noticed and considered worthy of further pursuit. Pellissippi’s website states, “In partnership with the community, the College sustains the effort toward an ever-improving quality of life for residents of East Tennessee.” This bold proclamation directly correlates with the increasing environmental concerns in our community and sustainable campus initiatives.
In addition to my messy responsibilities and quickly increasing volume of recycling over the last two years (approximately 1000 lbs. to date), I have made it my commitment to educate not only my fellow students, but the faculty, staff, administration, and community about “Recycling Etiquette” and the value of resources. My biggest obstacle was figuring out how to reach 10,000 students, hundreds of faculty, and the elusive administration. After careful thought and discussion, I finally decided that “Green Fees” Petitions were a step in the right direction. Green Fees are mandatory, per-semester contributions from students to be used for sustainable campus projects and are administered by a student, faculty and staff elected committee. I distributed more than 150 petitions to faculty at two campuses, explaining my intentions to whomever would listen and describing the potential benefits to arise from a mere extra five to ten dollars added to tuition each semester. I politely requested that they present it to their students and contact me when they have gathered the signatures. So far, I have collected over 500 signatures. Perhaps because of all this publicity, on October 16th, Pellissippi’s Administrative Council invited me to their monthly board meeting as a guest speaker.
Finally, an opportunity to present the ideas I had been working so hard to promote and develop had arisen. After my presentation, several Council members agreed to support Sustainable Campus Initiatives by adopting my campaign for “Recycling Etiquette” and a "Campus Sustainability Policy" fueled by energy audits. I possess no prior knowledge of conducting energy audits, but the experience is worth more than none, and since I am no longer afraid of being wrong, I have nothing to lose. The Internet is a valuable source of easily accessible information, and through research I found a simple, straightforward example to follow. First, I recorded monthly utility usage from January 2008 to present considering electricity, natural gas, water, and their individual costs. The collection, analysis, and report of this data led to a list of suggested alternatives for each category and their varied costs. I contacted local environmental organizations and businesses that specialize in each alternative to gain participation. They agreed to provide what guidance and education they could to increase my chances of success in the quest to "green" Pellissippi. Another very important piece of information I gathered were possible grants from the Department of Energy and newly established Tennessee Solar Institute. I got in touch with a Tennessee Solar Institutue contact, and set up a connection between my school and the institute to develop a photovoltaic industry and workforce once funds were in place.
After months of promotion, petitioning, networking, and research, I am finally prepared to take my case straight to the top. My presentation is now ready, so I scheduled a date to meet with the President of Pellissippi, Dr. Allen Edwards. The meeting's content will consist of the need for a permanent recycling program that is cleaner, safer, and more efficient, "Green Fees" and their possible uses, the implementation of a sustainability policy, the need for a more thorough energy audit and application of specified alternatives, as well as grants for bigger projects. I shall make a point to emphasize that these are all investments guaranteed to pay off with little to no risk. The decision to secure Pellissippi's future as a green school will set a higher standard for environmental responsibility and what it truly means to be a leader among other community colleges. Developing a formal program in which to involve students will provide more scholarship opportunities and positive competitive goals. My favorite community college is now well on its way to becoming a green school, and I pledge to continue with them on this journey, no matter how much time it takes or how many obstacles stand in the way.
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