By Kareem Woods
As our society evolves, it has become apparent that cleaning up our environment is a necessity. Fitchburg State University is taking steps to join the fight against environmentally disruptive behavior. This institution has been around for decades and now with the renovation of the campus, upper administration is moving toward a greener direction.
The administration is not the only part of our campus community that is helping to make this city more eco-friendly. There is an organization on our campus that goes by the name of MassPIRG, which “works on behalf of the students fighting to reduce student debt, alleviate global warming, increase recycling and make hunger/homelessness a thing of the past.” The new construction process pleases MassPIRG President Samantha DeManbey, because all of the new projects have been LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by green-energy professionals.
“We (MassPIRG) have been focusing on getting the bottle bill passed this semester. When passed, it will allow water bottles and Gatorade bottles to be redeemable recyclables,” DeManbey said. “Our next big project is drafting up a bill to reduce plastic-bag production in Massachusetts. About 1 billion plastic bags are produced daily in the USA, most of which contribute to the Great Pacific Garabage Patch.” She also stated that her organization plans to give another attempt to going “trayless” in Holmes Dining Commons.
On a final note, DeManbey mentioned, “The city of Fitchburg, mainly Mayor Lisa Wong, is in full support of efforts to make this city greener. She has even created an energy conservation committee and reached out to our campus for members. Despite this, students need to remember that everything you throw away goes somewhere. We need to be conscious of what we throw away. We are hurting ourselves by degrading the air and water quality.” If you are interested in joining the green movement, head down to the MassPIRG office in Hammond and they can help you get in touch with your inner green.
