Tuesday is Earth Day, and there is no better time for students to reflect on the ways they can make a difference and lessen their environmental footprint.
Within the past year, we've witnessed a healthy and much-needed dose of environmentalism at AU. Eco-Sense has done a great job promoting the green cause, and their recent initiative to teach and certify environmentally friendly offices on campus is incredibly perceptive. AU administrators' concern for the planet's wellbeing is equally impressive; even though there's still a lot to be done, the university made its commitment to sustainability clear when it ordered eco-friendly buses, planted a new green roof on the Media Production Center and promised to construct the new School of International Service building with as much attention to the environment as possible. And no matter how much students complained, TDR's short-lived "Trayless Tuesdays" were a great idea meant to conserve food and eliminate unneeded waste.
We're also excited for the upcoming Earth Day concerts scheduled to take place at the National Mall. This is the first time the Green Owl Festival is coming to the District, and we encourage students to attend. Not only is it certain to educate concertgoers of the merits of environmentalism, it's bound to be a great time.
But no matter how effective the likes of Bono and Al Gore are at galvanizing the environmental movement, it should not take an inducement from the glitterati to get us to care about the world around us. Effective environmental change - not to mention a dampening of the global warming phenomenon - is the result of long-term behavioral changes, not momentary displays of faux-conscientiousness.
It is wholly unsurprising that university requests for students to alter their daily routines out of a commitment to a change they may never see in their lifetimes is utter anathema. Sometimes, our environmentally unfriendly behaviors are the result of convenience or ease - times in which it's easier to drive than ride a bike, or leave our computers running than change their settings - and we truly mean no offense to the planet; our harried lifestyles make our decisions. But inadvertence, sadly, is no excuse for rapid temperature change, overpopulation, water pollution and the slew of other problems that plague our planet. So when the pageantry of Earth Day is long over and students return to their daily routines, it is imperative we remember that the biggest obstacle to environmental change is our shortsightedness - a vice for which there is a clear remedy.
