SSC Corner
-- Dave Rubin & Victoria Levy
As we dive into the new semester, Students for Social Change (SSC) would like to extend a warm welcome to all new and returning Metropolitan State University students, faculty and staff.
The fall of 2008 is sure to be a semester unlike any other with the Republican National Convention taking place in our ‘backyard’ and the excitement of the political season upon us through the November elections.?SSC would like to use this space this month to discuss several ways in which the Metropolitan State community can approach the new school year with an eye toward environmental consciousness on campus. Here are four suggestions:
•Be aware of the various recycling receptacles in your classrooms and elsewhere on campus and use them accordingly. If you are in possession of recyclable refuse yet don’t see an appropriate bin on campus, hang on to it until you can dispose of it properly (at home or elsewhere).
•Minnesota has some of the best tap water in the country. Consider purchasing a reusable water container and filling it from the tap, rather than buying bottled water that was shipped in from out of town and packaged in non-biodegradable plastic.
•Use paper wisely. Print multi-page documents double-sided where possible, and reuse previously printed sheets as scrap paper. Additionally, instructors can utilize the E-Reserves electronic document storage functionality to provide students with documents in electronic form, rather than printing and handing out hard copies.
•As you meet your new classmates during the first week of the new semester, see if there are any opportunities for carpooling with others who live in your neighborhood. Also, consider public transit where possible. As we all know, transportation is no longer solely an environmental issue. With gas prices being what they’ve been, it is in all of our interests to conserve wherever and whenever we can!
Stay tuned for additional eco-conscious ideas in future editions of the SSC Corner. In the meantime, SSC hopes to meet many of you at this year’s Fall Fest, where we’ll be tabling and helping people register to vote.
Lastly, we want to extend an open invitation to everyone in the Metropolitan State community to come down and check out one of our monthly meetings. We meet on the last Friday of each month from 6-7:30 p.m. in the St. Paul room in New Main. We can also be reached at rubinda@go.metrostate.edu.