Whether you are living on campus or receiving the best of both worlds as a commuter, there are several ways to start a habit of going green in the new year. Green Sharks e-board member, Elena Kampian, shared some different ways to ease into zero waste for the new year.
COVID-19 has caused a halt on many activities this year and the activities planned by NSU’s sustainability club on campus was no exception. Every year, Green Sharks sets goals on activities they wish to accomplish on campus and in the surrounding community. Even with the harsh effects of the pandemic, Green Sharks is ready to get a move on their goals for next year.
“This year has been kind of weird, as everyone’s probably experienced. We’ve had some drawbacks, but we’re still trying to get a lot of events going on. One of the things that’s great for the campus that we usually do is RecycleMania. This year, we couldn’t exactly have RecycleMania, but we do still encourage recycling,” said Kampian.
Green Sharks is constantly keeping their social media up to date, informing NSU students of upcoming meetings, events and days that revolve around going green.
On campus
“My advice is to just pay attention to the recycling rules and clean out the containers that you get, whether it’s Shark Dining or anywhere else. The more that you do that, the less risk there is of contamination and the more recycling we can have on campus,” said Kampian.
Off campus
“Set up a system to be more sustainable. [For example, tell yourself,] ‘This is the time I’m going to take my recycling here,’ and put reusable bags in your car so you have them whenever you’re at the grocery store.. These things happen gradually,” said Kampian.
Although recycling may not be a daily norm for many people, there are several ways to create this healthy habit. Starting slowly and easing into this new way of throwing out containers and reusing materials occurs over time.
“It’s kind of like snowballing one thing off of another because many people don’t know where to start. I think the first step is making one small change and seeing how easy it is to keep making those changes,” said Kampian.
Kampian voiced multiple different ideas Green Shark has in mind for the beginning of the new year. They hope to be all-inclusive, engaging with students who aren’t physically on campus due to the circumstances.
“We’ve been talking about having sustainability 101 lectures and bonding events… Everything’s been pretty virtual so we’re trying to keep that engagement,” said Kampian.
NSU’s Green Sharks is always open for new members and ideas, especially in the new year.
