Sustainability has become a growing issue of concern for young people. Gen Z and Millennials are the first generations to list the environment and climate change among their top three issues. I
n the future we can expect this concern to rise as there becomes less room for ignorance and as more people begin to see the effects of climate change on their daily life.
Our planet’s health is such an important and all-encompassing issue that it can feel overwhelming to try and address it on a personal level.
Paige White, a Cortland student herself, talked with some of her fellow students at the Student Life Center to discuss how they they practice sustainability and the improvements they’d like to see towards a more environmentally friendly campus.
It comes as no surprise that many of the students interviewed made reference to their water bottles as a way of practicing sustainability. The gym is a staple of SUNY Cortland daily life so one consistent and easy way to be more sustainable is to use reusable water bottles instead of unnecessary plastic ones.
Virginia Alvisi, a Junior, talked about her blender bottle that she uses every day and how she was able to personalize her sustainability efforts by adding designs to the bottle. Matthew Lee also talked about his blender bottle which he said he said he uses “for daily water, my protein shakes, my pre-workout, I just use this, I don’t really use much else”. Matthew also said he would like to see more of the refillable water bottle stations around campus.
These water stations could be beneficial because they come with built-in filters that could be more reassuring to anyone concerned about water quality. Reusable water bottles appear to be becoming more popular, Hydro Flasks being a notable example.
More recently, TikTok seems to single handedly have made the Stanley Quencher a must-have purchase. Basing your consumption on TikTok trends is an idea that often receives criticism, but there are certainly worse things to come from social media, and perhaps it is an example of how social media and advertising can be used to create a more environmentally conscious culture.
The Student Life Center is arguably the most popular place on campus. So if we want to create a more sustainable campus the SLC may be the best place to start. Kaitlynn Williams, a Senior who works at the life center said she believes the campus should look into turning off the lights at the SLC when it’s closed, as a way to save energy.
Matt Ballesteros is a building manager at the SLC who stressed that we “have to be more aware of the negative effects of the things we consume”. He also mentioned a way the SLC already practices sustainability that many people might not know about, “cans for causes”. These are blue bins that can be found around the life center. The bottles and cans placed in the bins are recycled and the money is donated to charity.
Some other ways that students practice sustainability are by turning off lights when they leave their house, gardening at home, and opting to walk rather than take short car rides. You can listen to all of the interviews here: