September 2008 - The Parklander Magazine

GOING GREEN
Florida Colleges Go
“Green”
By Amanda Levine
In the 1980s, big hair and leg warmers were the trend. In the ’90s,
baggy jeans and bright colors were all the rage. Surprisingly, the trend
of the 21st century is shaping up to be something very different than
has been seen before. Americans today are getting rid of their gasguzzling
SUVs, turning off the lights in their homes and recycling all
bottles and cans in an effort to “Go Green”.
After Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, and with the
advent of hybrid cars, we are hearing more about “Going Green”
everyday. Turn on the TV, and you’ll see entire channels devoted to
green living and celebrities showing off their green-outfitted homes.
Here in Florida, local universities have jumped on the green
bandwagon, doing their part to protect the environment.
In May of 2005, University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando
became the second location in Florida to plant a green roof on one of
their buildings. After receiving a grant by the State Department of
Environmental Protection, the school placed a variety of plants on top
of their student union building. These plants help to absorb energy
and keep the temperature in the building balanced throughout the
different seasons.
Each chapter involved with the Greeks Going Green Organization
chooses one eco-change from a list created by the president of
the organization. Changes include recycling bottles and cans in the
kitchen, replacing all light bulbs with energy-saving “swirly” bulbs,
taking shorter showers and serving organic foods in the cafeteria.
“No one slips up with the recycling and I actually have girls wanting to
do more to make a difference. I really hope we will be able to have
additional funding to make larger changes within the house next
year,” Pi Beta Phi “Green Chair” Alexandra Clark said.
Recently, Greeks Going Green has spread its influence into the town
of Gainesville with the Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) program. This
organization has created a competition among Greek chapters in
which participants bring along their own canvas bags to the local
grocery stores, and use these bags instead of the plastic or paper bags
that the store supplies. When students bring their bags to the store,
they get points for their chapter in the competition.
“It’s a fun way to see which houses are not only making big changes,
but it is encouraging the girls to participate and make a difference in
their actions,” Clark said.
In May of 2005, University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando became the
second location in Florida to plant a green roof on one of their buildings.
Besides being beneficial for the environment, another perk of the
green roof is that the plants on top of the building help the roof last
longer, taking away the need to replace it. With the success they have
seen, UCF plans to add more green roofs to their campus.
With Florida colleges becoming extremely crowded, universities are
doing everything they can to keep the number of cars on campus at a
minimum. In 2005, University of Miami (UM) established Green U,
an organization dedicated to fighting global warming and promoting
environmentally friendly activities. Green U inspired the college to
become a part of the Zipcar Car Sharing Program. With Zipcar,
students pay a yearly fee of $35 to reserve, use and return cars,
eliminating the need to own a car on campus. With the high gas prices
today, this program saves students money and helps the environment by
eliminating the amount of gases released into the air.
At University of Florida (UF), students have taken action to make
their dorms “eco-friendly”. The Tri-Delta sorority has decided to
educate the large UF Greek System about global warming.
However, students are not the only ones striving for eco-friendly
universities. Presidents of several Florida colleges including Florida
Atlantic University, Florida International University and University
of Florida have signed the American College and University
President’s Climate Commitment. The goal of this commitment is to
“eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.”
Colleges that sign the pact must create short term and long term goals
to help their school become “carbon neutral,” meaning they have no
greenhouse gas emissions. Along with making changes around the
school, colleges are expected to educate students about global warming.
Although these days most trends seem to come and go speedily,
“Going Green” seems to be more than just a fad. By making simple
changes around their campuses, colleges are helping to make the
world a safer place for future generations.
Amanda Levine, a summer intern, started her senior year at Stoneman
Douglas High and plans to pursue a career in journalism.
98 SEPTEMBER 2008