The Environmental Center at CU has extended its deadline for students and faculty to pledge to dedicate themselves to a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
The Live Green Pledge can be accessed at their Web site, and gives the CU community the opportunity to discover simple means of living greener by signing on.
“It’s something we all can do in less than three minutes,” said Moe Tabrizi, the assistant director of CU Facilities Management.
According to Tabrizi, the pledge lists 10 ways students and staff can alter their daily routines in order to lessen their impact on the environment, and those who sign the pledge must choose three of these 10 items that they will commit to integrating into their routines. Some of these items include remembering to recycle, using reusable mugs, bags, etc. in order to reduce waste and choosing to travel via bike or bus rather than driving all the time.
Originally, the pledge signing process was supposed to end on Wednesday, Earth Day, but the administration and the Environmental Center decided to extend this deadline. Dave Newport, director of the Environmental Center, did not provide details as to when the new deadline will be, but as of now the university has agreed to allocate $5 toward sustainability programs on campus for each CU community member who signs the Live Green Pledge.
Those who sign the pledge will also receive monthly e-mails from the Environmental Center that include tips for leading a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Some CU students have said their peers could benefit from the awareness that campaigns such as the Live Green Pledge provide.
“I live with two other girls and they leave the lights on all the time,” said Melissa Diehl, a 19-year-old freshman open option major. “It annoys me just because no one’s there ever, and I walk in and everything is [on].”
Carmen Warren, an 18-year-old freshman English and international affairs double major, explained that she sees a great need for environmental conscientiousness in the dorms on campus.
“I…think in the dorms it’s a lot worse because…this is just kind of like separate living than a house or an apartment and people don’t care as much about places here and how they live in [them],” Warren said.
The Live Green Pledge campaign has proven to be successful at CU in the past. According to Moe Tabrizi, enough community members signed the pledge last year that the university allocated $65,000 to sustainability programs on campus.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sara Morrey at Sara.morrey@colorado.edu.
