Where’s the Green?
Written by: Lindsay Burke, Brooks McClendon, Lindsey Robinson, Joshua Stanford, Darrias Thomas and Meaghan White
One of the campus slogans for Ole Miss is “Red, Blue and Green,” but where is the green? This slogan was meant to promote a campus-wide sustainability program, but many students are having trouble seeing this concept become a reality.
“I see ‘Red, Blue and Green’ banners all over campus, but I have a hard time finding recycling bins when and where I need them,” said Bo Lewis, a Senior Journalism Major.
Many Ole Miss students and residents of the Oxford community are simply not accustomed to putting forth recycling efforts because it is not part of their culture. While many people see the value of recycling, most people do not participate because of the lack of accessibility and convenience.
While attending a focus group concerning Oxford’s recycling efforts, Anna Kate Robbins, a sophomore Public Policy Leadership and English major said, “I would recycle every time I had the chance, but I’m not going to walk out of my way to go find a recycling bin.”
“I think compared to my freshman year back in 2007, I feel that they are making a considerable amount of effort and improvement. Evidence of that would be the recycling bins in the Grove, which were not there, and I think that encourages more people to recycle,” said Jay Staler, a Junior History Major
Ole Miss is trying to change the culture by implementing a recycling program. The university has taken small strides towards achieving its goal of making Ole Miss more sustainable by setting out recycling bins around campus and offering recycling in the Grove. This is a slow process, but it is starting to take off.
“The process of starting a recycling program is like a marathon. Last year we laced up our shoes, and this year we are on mile one. It’s going to be a long process,” said Jim Morrison, University of Mississippi Head of the Sustainability Department.
The city of Oxford is also doing its part by offering a curb-side pick-up service for recyclable goods. While some residents do participate in the curb-side service, there are still many residents who are not even aware that the service is offered, and that the service is provided for only $2.08 a month.
While these programs can be effective, they are not efficient due to lack of participation and funding. The University launched a sustainability program 18 months ago in hopes to create awareness across the campus but have not been successful.
In the past students have rejected The Green Initiative Fund, which would raise tuition, but there is the possibility of it passing next semester. As pointed out by Morrison, this would provide around $200,000 for the Sustainability Program on campus per semester and would allow the program to expand in both convenience and awareness for the students.
“It would be perfectly okay with me for the university to tack on a few dollars to my tuition for recycling purposes if I knew where it was going. I think most people would be okay with it,” said Amos Gibson, a Senior Business Major.
Oxford and The University of Mississippi are by no means completely sustainable, but the ball is rolling. The main focuses for the sustainability programs are recent efforts on campus and in the community such as curb-side pick-up, accessibility to recycling bins and increased awareness. The programs are in place and increasing in popularity, but amplified awareness is the key to the success of the sustainability efforts.