Editorial:
Time for action on environment

Before the lights go out, the administration and students need to take notice of the growing neglect of the University’s environment. It’s not that trees are being chopped down or stacks of pollution are billowing into the air. It is the simple daily decisions being made and a lack of awareness that is wreaking havoc on the environment. The opportunity to advance a sustainable environment dwindles as the clock continues to tick. Sometimes a harsh reality is needed to brighten an issue that some would rather keep hidden. Realize this – the decisions we make today will impact us in the future.

The amount of energy Rider wastes is alarming. Simply open your eyes and take a look around. Lights in residence hall rooms are left on, televisions are blaring and computers are powered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Add to the mix refrigerators, DVD players and other energy-hogging devices students may plug in for use. In trash rooms, recyclables are being mixed in with regular garbage. Still need more convincing? Instead of placing an emphasis upon environmental friendly vehicles, general services use fuel-guzzling cars and SUVs to travel around campus.

It is time to jump start change. The administration shares a large portion of the culpability for perpetuating a culture of apathy. The leadership initiative on the part of the University to foster environmental responsibility is appalling. If the University is taking the environmental concerns seriously, why is there not a plan of action? Paying lip service is not the same as implementing a sustainable course of change.

Students also share fault for the growing environmental woes. We may not directly pay for the electricity utilized but that is not an excuse. A simple flip of a switch on the way to class can save a bundle of energy. Put empty soda cans and water bottles on the side and simply throw them into recycling bins in the trash rooms. None of this is rocket science.

On the national level, the picture does not get any rosier. President Bush’s administration is modeling a failing environmental policy to its citizens and to the rest of the world. The Kyoto Protocol is a treaty in which participating countries are pledging to reduce greenhouse emissions by 5.2 percent by 2012. Although more than 141 countries have ratified the treaty, the U.S. refuses to sign this accord. Business interests seem to be trumping environmental concerns.

Students have two choices: Be part of the solution or be part of the problem. Join the Sustainable Rider organization, which is working to make gradual changes on campus. Check out Al Gore’s eye-opening account of global warming, An Inconvenient Truth. The reality of the film may not present a positive outlook, but it’s not too late to alter the future of the environment.

Students and administrators, it is time to wake up and smell the sun-brewed tea. Together these groups can take part in making conscious environmental decisions. Then and only then will Rider solidify its sustainable future in the world of academia.