The Stentor

Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Mark Riesterer Editorial Cartoon for April 24, 2008

This week, the world has gone green. With Earth Day having occurred Tuesday, and the entire NBC family of television channels declaring that "Green is Universal," The Stentor will use its last editorial of the academic year to address environmental issues on campus.

The Stentor believes that Lake Forest College should join in on this global movement; the reasons range from the obvious ethical and political to the cost-efficient. While we cannot set out a comprehensive plan in this space to make our campus totally green, this paper has a few humble suggestions to start us down the path.

First, we must make the new Sports Center addition compliant with the LEED standards detailed by the U.S. Green Building Council. While LEED certification will be an added expense up-front (and may delay the start of construction), The Stentor believes that this is a worthy investment. Having this new project LEED-certified will be a feather in the College's proverbial cap for recruitment, and will eventually pay for itself in energy cost savings. With the rising price of energy, and the fact that utilities fees are a major source of spending for the College, the usefulness of making the Sports Center energy efficient cannot be ignored.

Second, The Stentor believes that certain offices on campus could be more energy-efficient. For instance, the Office of Public Safety could explore alternate transportation methods during the more temperate months. While this paper does not propose that Public Safety gets rid of its SUVs (students still need rides to the hospital or pick-ups from the train station), The Stentor merely suggests that more gas-efficient vehicles (like hybrids, golf carts, or even walking) could be utilized during normal circumstances, especially when the weather is conducive to walking. In the majority of Public Safety's driving, their Dodge Durango is rated at a maximum of 13 miles per gallon by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Thirdly, small changes could be made on campus to encourage recycling. As an example, the Student Center's garbage cans and recycling bins are placed far apart, and are often hard to identify. A student in a hurry doesn't have time to walk around the entire Student Center to find separate cans for a paper coffee cup, a plastic soda bottle and a greasy plate. If the cans were placed together in clusters and clearly marked, like they are in the city of Chicago, students might be more apt to properly sort their items when finished with their snacks.

The Stentor hopes that these ideas can be implemented, and the administration and student body will start thinking of other ways to make the campus more environmentally friendly.

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