Cole Scott & Elise Parrill
Video by: Abigail Burke
Bellarmine Seeks to Become More Environmentally Friendly
Did you know by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish? There are many things you can do on Bellarmine’s campus to become more environmentally friendly.
“There are many simple things that you can do as an individual to help our planet,” professor of environmental science professor Carolyn Waters said. “For example, turning off the lights when you are the last one to leave a classroom or when you know there is no one else in the bathroom.”
Being more environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be hard. Sometimes even the simplest actions can make the biggest differences. From eating a vegetarian cuisine (this reduces methane output in the atmosphere), to avoiding a plastic straw, small eco-friendly changes can have a meaningful impact over time.
You can even help save the environment each time you use the restroom.
“The toilet water in the University Dining Hall is rain water that was collected from the roof, so we are not using clean, treated water from the Louisville Water Company to flush those toilets,” said Waters.
Around campus, there are numerous recycling bins, but not many people know that plastic can be recycled only a few times before it is discarded. Sometimes companies even burn waste they claim to recycle. To eliminate some of her plastic waste, environmental science major Emily Brown has a good mindset.
“It all starts with just being very conscious of what you are doing,” Brown said. “Whenever I go get a drink, I bring a reusable cup for coffee or I do not even get a lid; little things like that really add up.”
According to National Geographic, coffee cups are one of the most popular items people think are recyclable. Recycling facilities must have a special machine to properly recycle coffee cups, so many cups end up in the landfill.
By using a reusable coffee cup each day, students can ensure that they are saving the planet and receiving that much-needed caffeine. Students can also reduce their plastic waste by using a regular bowl and spoon for ice cream at the University Dining Hall instead of a plastic cup and spoon.
“The fact that we are a large institution within a city… gives us a lot of power,” Waters said. “The more we can do here, it will have a big effect on our local community.”