Big Red Goes Green
Surrounding the recent Climate Strike, Exeter, as well as the world at large, has expressed heightened concerns about climate change. Various reports indicate that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are causing the Earth’s atmosphere to absorb the sunlight reflected off of Earth and, instead of letting it go, re-radiate it as heat.
With this information in mind, cultivating a more eco-friendly lifestyle and encouraging others in the PEA community to do so can become a great boon to sustaining a healthier environment. Here are a few steps you can take in order to help Exeter “become more green.”
1. Raise awareness
Before anything, having an overarching understanding of climate change and raising awareness about it are important initial steps to take. On Sept. 20, many Exeter students took part in the climate strike at Portsmouth; active participation in environmental activism and protests is a good way to determine the needs for a “greener” community and how to achieve it.
Other methods include social media and individual initiatives (informative articles, podcasts, filmmaking, etc). Using platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, WeChat, Blogger, etc. to inform others about climate change, whether it is through informative and creative writing or documentaries, all contribute to building a globally interconnected community for a gradual implementation of an eco-friendly mindset.
Of course, institutions like the Grantham Research Institute have hosted debates over whether climate activism, such as the Extinction Rebellion or local school climate strikes, will be able to bring about the radical changes needed for governments and businesses to set policies for preventing global warming. Efforts through activism and strikes can be quite effective, but there are other solutions available as well.
2. Large-Scale/Group Projects
Whether they are done in a club, classroom setting or individually, students can start projects centered around solutions for environmental issues. Innovative thinking and problem-solving can always apply to environmental causes.
For instance, there are productive software programs that help to analyze data and monitor the effects of climate change. Pangeo supports environmental research by providing connections to open source and big data tools. Leaflet is an open-source JavaScript library that can be used for eco-projects like the Arctic Web Map.
Furthermore, Exeter’s Student Council has been discussing initiatives to build a greenhouse on the school campus. Upper Joseph Chen, co-head of Exeter Green, encourages support for Exeter’s on-campus environmental initiatives led by groups like the GULL teams, or EAC with their Terracycling project. “Every little thing will help, like properly recycling your waste; more importantly, properly COMPOST. Even a single piece of contamination could ruin a whole pile of compost, which invalidates the whole composting effort by the school,” he explained.
3. Small-Scale Changes in Lifestyle
Finally, there are minor changes anyone can make in their daily schedules that, although may seem trivial, can add up to have long-term, significant effects. Here are a few eco-friendly tips that can be good starting blocks to pursue a “greener” lifestyle.
Try to cut down on using plastics by purchasing reusable materials: stainless steel straws, biodegradable waste bags, long-term use drink bottles like Hydroflasks, etc.
Use compact fluorescent or LED light bulbs rather than conventional, incandescent bulbs—they last longer and are more energy-efficient.
Minimize water use; using cold water for the washing machine also saves energy when compared to using heated water.
Taking action in the PEA community to educate others about climate change, starting to change aspects of one’s own habits and actions and just being constantly heedful to the environmental problems themselves are all ways that can contribute to a greener school community and environment, which we should strive for.