Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, spoke at the United Nations conference in New York on Monday, Sept. 23.
\nThunberg organizes climate strikes every Friday all over the world. She doesn\u2019t fly \u2014 she instead sails across the Atlantic to save fuel. She told world leaders on UN summit that they had stolen her childhood with \u201cempty words\u201d, and she won the \u201cAlternative Nobel Prize\u201d for environmental work.
\nThunberg\u2019s actions may seem extreme, but her passion is an example of individuals making a difference.
\nMany Harding students may not know about the \u201cgreen side\u201d of Harding, because it is not often discussed.
\n\u201cI do not tell people I am vegan, because even the label \u2018vegan\u2019 carries so many stereotypes,\u201d Dr. Cody Sipe, associate professor of physical therapy at Harding, said. \u201cI felt bad telling people publicly, because usually people look at you funky.\u201d
\nSipe is a founder of Plant Powered Searcy (PPS) \u2014 a new organization to increase awareness of health and environmental issues. PPS holds informational lunch sessions complete with healthy and delicious plant- based cuisine where participants can learn more about the organization.
\n\u201cPeople think when you say you do not eat meat, you are somehow taking a moral high road, and it is simply not the case,\u201d Dr. Amy Qualls, associate professor of English, said.
\nQualls joined the green side when she went to college, and since then, in the name of the environment, she does not eat meat, avoids plastic, recycles and makes her own shampoos and soaps, minimizing her waste level almost to zero.
\nQualls said the factory farm system creates an environmental disaster because it exploits animals and human labor, contributes to greenhouse emissions, misuses the resource of water, and has the potential to contaminate water.
\n\u201cAt some point, everything is going to come to an end, and we will go to look around and say, \u2018What are we doing?\u2019 And it bothers me,\u201d Qualls said. \u201cI think it should bother a lot of people.\u201d
\nQualls said she incorporates a lot of this material in her classes.
\n\u201cVery organically, I don\u2019t force it,\u201d Qualls said. \u201cStudents can start by researching to make informed decisions; they can choose one day a week with no meat. It can make a huge impact on a college campus.\u201d
\nSeveral years ago, Harding placed recycling bins in dormitories. However, some students kept throwing food in the recycling bins.
\n\u201cThe administration has shown that they are open to alternative possibilities, and it is up to the students to demand it. Once they do, they will find that the administration will have open ears,\u201d Qualls said.
\nSenior Alyssa Martin said she believes becoming an eco-friendlier campus goes far beyond what the University itself chooses to do.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s obviously a lot of loopholes in this argument, because having a more environmentally friendly campus would promote people to be more aware of their environmental choices, and in return, most likely make people more environmentally aware,\u201d Martin said.
\nSearcy Recycling Center used to have their bins outside of their facility, but they had to move them back into building because people were throwing trash in them. Searcy recycles type 1 and type 2 plastics, cans, cardboard boxes and paper. Two years ago, they began to recycle glass.
\nDr. Jon Singleton, associate professor of English, is intentional about living a simple lifestyle.
\n\u201cI have a painted sign on my living room wall: \u2018simplify.\u2019 Rent a smaller house, try to avoid having a cluttered house, try to keep only what we really value \u2014 though this is hard \u2014 and try to be careful of bringing new possessions into our house,\u201d Singleton said.
\nSingleton and his family have one car. He rides a bike. Singleton said although it causes scheduling difficulties, it forces the family to bear with each others\u2019 needs and see more clearly the impact of the commitment on the family.
\n Not everyone may be a Greta Thunberg. However, as shown by many Harding professors, everyone can do their part to go green.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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