--Simone Dozier
YES
Absolutely, the school is spending too much. I have the following three suggestions for the University in regards to being green:
1. Eliminate 90% of the leaf-blowing crew on campus (especially the guy who insisted on blowing leaves outside of my window at 7 a.m. sophomore year). No, but seriously. Some days I think that there’s a 1:1 student-to-leaf-blower ratio. The blowers run on gas, and I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but trees have a crap ton of leaves. Leaves that keep falling.
2. Walking around campus before and after my evening class, I notice that a lot of classrooms, buildings and offices have lights on all night long. So, here’s my suggestion for the people in the Gambrell and Humanities buildings: When you leave for the night, TURN THE F@#%ING LIGHTS OFF. With the money saved, maybe we could start a compost heap or something.
3. There are so many recycling bins on campus. The University should adopt a policy so that if you see someone throw a Sprite bottle or newspaper in a regular garbage can, you are free to punch him in the chest. I’m sick of these morons who can’t keep a bottle an extra seven seconds because the garbage can is closer then the recycling bin. Reduce, reuse, recycle, jerks.
But seriously, no matter how much money the University throws at a problem, there will be no solution until the school can get the Carolina community fully in support of sustainable initiatives. There needs to be more focus on educating students about already existing environmental measures, such as campus-wide recycling programs and student organizations like SAGE. If USC can communicate that going green is beneficial not just on a bureaucratic level but on a more personal level, then maybe I’d be okay with them spending my money. But until that time comes, I want my dolla, dolla bills, y’all.
--Benjamin Sheinkin
