Students demonstrated environmental conscientiousness and a passion for the Earth Wednesday by participating in the first Pepperdine Earth Day. Pepperdine’s Center for Sustainability the Pepperdine Volunteer Center the Office of Intercultural Affairs and the student-led Green Team collaborated to put on this event.
?Between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Joslyn Plaza was the site of student-run booths aiming to educate attendees about topics of environmental significance and call students to action.
?”The ultimate purpose behind Earth Day was to take away a lot of the negative connotations associated with ‘being green’ Green Team President Cliff Champion wrote in an e-mail. Pepperdine is a unique college campus in that the demographic here tends to be largely apathetic if not hostile toward the environmental movement.” ?
The event was brought about with the vision of uniting students staff faculty and other members of the local community to learn about the ways to live sustainably and with the hope of ultimately making Pepperdine a sustainable campus.
“We were hoping to exhibit different booths that would bring attention to environmental degradation on a local level Champion wrote. The theme of this year’s Earth Day celebration was ‘smart living’. We hope we accomplished this by educating students about practical economic ways in which they can live more ecologically conscious lives.”?
Champion shared his view on what he sees as Pepperdine’s duty to the earth as a Christian institution.?”We need to return to our roots and see things through a more sustainable lens Champion wrote. Resources are finite if we use them without regard to nature’s rhythm. Resources will continue to flourish and provide for us if we respect God’s creation by treating it as a precious gift from a magnificent Creator. Pepperdine’s mission is Christian and in this day and age sustainability is coming to the forefront.”?
To promote sustainability the Green Team raffled off a dorm room set with items such as organic sheets energy-efficient light bulbs and other environmentally friendly products.?One group of students promoted the transition of the Caf from disposable paper to-go containers to reusable to-go boxes made of plastic. The switch will reduce the amount of paper that fills up landfills offering a far more environment-friendly option.?
“According to Sodexo we’re using 10000 to 12500 to-go boxes per week. That’s 280000 to 35000 per year student Daniel Willis, who was helping to conduct the environmental project for a Religion 301 class, said.?
Students also encouraged attendees to buy reusable water bottles to reduce the size of landfills.? Other students, such as senior Jessica Rotter, encouraged students to consider animal rights and be more conscious of our food sources at Pepperdine. Rotter offered a petition that would promote the closer investigation of exactly where we get our meat and the process it undergoes before it comes to us.?
In addition to the booths, California Recycles– an organization that seeks to provide Los Angeles with necessary recycling products– provided an electronic recycling drop location at Rho parking lot, so that students could properly dispose of their electronics.
?The Green Team continues to encourage students to be mindful of its motto— Observe think change repeat!”?Champion said he recognizes this change won’t happen over night.
“Take things one step at a time and make little changes in your daily life toward a heightened sensitivity for the impact of your actions Champion wrote. For example if you are eating at the cafeteria use reusable cutlery and dishware. Or if you are going to the grocery store remember to bring a reusable bag so that you don’t have to take disposable ones at the cash register. Even though these things seem minute or insignificant they add up.”???