Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
When the Governor and the Board of Regents told us that we needed to cut five percent of our annual campus budget, instead of wondering whose job would be terminated, I immediately thought of environmental science, since a good understanding of the environment can save us all money while making the world a better place to live.
For example, environmental science can help us learn how to better regulate building temperatures, so that we’re not wasting valuable energy heating rooms so hot that students have to open the windows to keep from passing out. It can remind us all of an age-old tradition that seems to be forgotten on this campus: last one out of the room turn off the lights! The University of Kansas recently saved $335,000 just by turning off unnecessary lighting and adjusting thermostats. Environmental science could help our campus save thousands of dollars by recycling waste paper and cardboard instead of paying big dollars to throw those resources into the landfill. Princeton University conducted a waste audit and found that solid waste recycling could save up to $77,000 a year!
Wouldn’t most students rather deposit their office paper and aluminum cans in a collection bin rather than see class sizes and tuition costs increase? Well, there is a growing group of people on campus who would like to investigate these issues, as well as a wide variety of other environmental science topics, including river conservation, damaged lands restoration, and wildlife habitat improvement. If you are interested in environmental issues, please join us for the Georgia College & State University Environmental Science Club meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. in Herty Hall, Room 252.
You may be surprised at how environmental science can improve your life and the quality of your community.
Doug R. Oetter
Assistant Professor, Dept. of History and Geography
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Jan 30 2004. Filed under Letters to the Editor.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
