Big Red Goes Green

Every year, 2.12 billion tons of trash are dumped into landfills around the world. The U.S. produces a whopping 624,700 tons of waste each day—more than any other country. Our world cannot sustain our consumerist lifestyle much longer if we continue the trend of ‘disposing’ rather than ‘reusing.’ By making simple adjustments and being aware of our actions’ consequences, we can keep our skies blue and make the world a little greener. And the best part? Exeter is here to help.Exeter is the perfect place to start making change. After all, there are tons of resources, clubs and services that promote sustainability. The first area to learn about is Exeter’s dining service. Our outstanding dining hall staff manages all of our food waste and composts any food that doesn’t get eaten. Imagine how much food might end up in landfills if they didn’t compost. Exeter needs help, however, when it comes to paper waste. At the moment, most people put their paper towels into the trash can, the same place as non recyclable or compostable materials. We can see that Exeter has made the effort to remove paper towel dispensers in the science building and replaced them with automated hand dryers but that is not enough. Exeter should make a separate bin for paper towels or include a compost bin in every dorm since that is the most common place where paper towels and food waste pile up in the same bin. Recently in social media, there has been a trend in living a zero-waste life. For many zero-waste influencers, a must have is a metal straw. Grill in the Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center now sells metal straws for a dollar, following the example set by popular cafe, D Squared Java. At the café, students can also bring reusable cups to the cafe to earn points to a free beverage. Since Grill still uses plastic cups, the school should implement a new service where students bring their own reusable cups for a discount or have a system where students can borrow a cup and return it when they come for their next visit. These systems ensure sustainability without hindering convenience to the students. Have you ever stood in front of Grill, trying to figure out whether to put your waste in trash, compost, or recycle? You might just throw it in the trash because you don’t know where it goes or mistakenly recycle it. This scenario is proof of a lack of education among students about what waste goes where. In addition to posters on the trash cans and in dining halls, there should be a formal education system for younger students in elementary school to establish which types of waste go in each bin. In Japan, all disposable items have an icon that will indicate what bin to discard that specific item, and elementary students are required to learn about the Japanese recycling system.We’ve talked about stats, what Exeter does well and doesn’t do well, but what are some ways that you as an Exonian can help? When you shop, instead of using multiple single use bags, you can bring your own bag or consolidate your items to fit into one bag. Or when you throw your trash away, make sure you are putting it in the proper container. Besides packaging and utilities, what are the other ways that Exeter as a community affects the environment? The short answer is food. Many students don’t realize it, but a pound of beef requires 1,847 gallons of water and produces half a pound of methane. Factory farming actually produces more harmful emissions than the industrial industry. This section of the article is in no way intended to convert the entire Exeter population to being vegetarian or vegan, but to allow students to become more conscious of the environmental impact of farms. With the help of students like us, we can make the air we breathe cleaner and save wildlife from the dangers of improper waste disposal.