Lucky number 7
ETSU is the 7th school to approve $5 green fee
Elana Gulas, Guest Columnist
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: ViewPoint
Did you realize that right across our very own campus there is a green school? This means that the school practices the following policies: 1) natural resource conservation, 2) solid and hazardous waste reduction, and 3) environmentally preferable purchasing.
As of this year, ETSU's University School recently has been designated a Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership, TP3, a program of the Tennessee Green Schools program. Many may not realize that these young students, ranging from K-5 to 12th grade, have been working very hard to have their campus follow these new environmentally friendly guidelines.
Presently at University School, the innovative program has been very successful. Recycling plastics and aluminum, switching to more energy efficient light bulbs, and starting a compost pile are just a few of the things that have been done on campus According to an article published in the Johnson City Press on Sunday, April 06, 2008, by Rex Barber, University School students and faculty have recently taken their efforts online, creating a green school Web site "complete with tips, information, advice, surveys and soon videos on how to be green." A 5th grade boy interviewed for the article boasts that he found a way to make his school lunch "green" by reusing plastic bottles and even washing out plastic bags!
At our own university, we already do many of these things. We recycle, we have retrofitted almost all of the lighting on campus, and most recently we have started to compost. The one thing that University School students have they we at ETSU do not is an environmentally conscious mindset.
These students not only practice greening in their school but they also have a deep understanding of why it is so important to be environmentally friendly. In an article written by Sam Watson for the Johnson City Press on October 22, 2007, a 10th grade student proclaims, "I think [greening University School is] important because we can be more aware of it to use later on in life. I think we just want to put back into what's going on in our world."
Universities across the state of Tennessee are seeing a major increase in student interest towards sustainability. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech University, Austin Peay State University, the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have all made decisive efforts to "go green."
Combined, these six universities generate $1.6 million annually for energy efficiency/ conservation, renewable energy, and other sustainability projects (climateaction.net).
Visit http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Detail.php?Cat=LOCALNEWS&ID=62349 and http://www.etsu.edu/coe/uschool/facstaff/green_school/default.asp for more information.
As of this year, ETSU's University School recently has been designated a Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership, TP3, a program of the Tennessee Green Schools program. Many may not realize that these young students, ranging from K-5 to 12th grade, have been working very hard to have their campus follow these new environmentally friendly guidelines.
Presently at University School, the innovative program has been very successful. Recycling plastics and aluminum, switching to more energy efficient light bulbs, and starting a compost pile are just a few of the things that have been done on campus According to an article published in the Johnson City Press on Sunday, April 06, 2008, by Rex Barber, University School students and faculty have recently taken their efforts online, creating a green school Web site "complete with tips, information, advice, surveys and soon videos on how to be green." A 5th grade boy interviewed for the article boasts that he found a way to make his school lunch "green" by reusing plastic bottles and even washing out plastic bags!
At our own university, we already do many of these things. We recycle, we have retrofitted almost all of the lighting on campus, and most recently we have started to compost. The one thing that University School students have they we at ETSU do not is an environmentally conscious mindset.
These students not only practice greening in their school but they also have a deep understanding of why it is so important to be environmentally friendly. In an article written by Sam Watson for the Johnson City Press on October 22, 2007, a 10th grade student proclaims, "I think [greening University School is] important because we can be more aware of it to use later on in life. I think we just want to put back into what's going on in our world."
Universities across the state of Tennessee are seeing a major increase in student interest towards sustainability. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech University, Austin Peay State University, the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have all made decisive efforts to "go green."
Combined, these six universities generate $1.6 million annually for energy efficiency/ conservation, renewable energy, and other sustainability projects (climateaction.net).
Visit http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Detail.php?Cat=LOCALNEWS&ID=62349 and http://www.etsu.edu/coe/uschool/facstaff/green_school/default.asp for more information.