I always considered myself to be a fairly environmentally-friendly person. I grew up in a household where we recycled and I tried to use a reusable water bottle most of the time. I never littered and I thought I was doing a pretty decent job at contributing to the well-being of our planet. It never really occurred to me that that might not have been enough until I went away to college.
Going to school in a big city has opened my eyes to the massive toll our population takes on our natural world on a regular basis. The volume of traffic that drives through the streets and the amount of consumer goods being transported in plastic bags: the numbers are staggering. It is no wonder the availability of natural resources is dwindling. I’ve heard the spiel about how if we don’t take care of the world we live in now there won’t be a world for our later generations numerous times. But for the first time, away at a college and living independently, it struck me as important. I realized that just as I am responsible for doing my homework and turning in my assignments on time, I am equally as responsible for protecting the environment I call my home.
I thought the task of adjusting my lifestyle to make it more suitable for the environment would be daunting and difficult. It was quite the opposite though. For starters, I began with the faults I saw in others. That person leaving Target with six plastic bags worth of groceries? I would no longer be her. The girl who takes 45 minute showers every day? I wouldn't be her either. I’ve instead become the person who makes a conscious effort not to use paper towels after washing my hands and who turns the water off the majority of the time when brushing my teeth. The conscious efforts have since turned into habits.
I’ve also found green inspiration across my campus. In every residence hall and dining facility, the trash and recycling bins are separated and labeled with exactly what materials and items can go into each. I take no shame in standing at the cans for 15 minutes, sorting and making sure every piece goes in the correct bin. With the encouragement of advertisements put out by the sustainability program at my school, I’ve also started washing laundry in cold water and bringing reusable coffee cups to Starbucks. All of these tiny actions may not seem as gratifying as planting a tree somewhere, but I truly believe I am making a difference for our planet.
I plan on living a very long and healthy life, and I want my earth to do the same -- to grow old gracefully right alongside me as she had done for so many years prior to our modern exploitation of her features. I want my children and grandchildren to be able to see polar bears and sea turtles. I want them to learn about the rain forests and the coral reefs. I want them and people everywhere to have clean drinking water and experience less natural disaster. And if all it takes for that to happen is for me to be more conscientious about my own actions, then let me be the "able" in sustainable.
