Going Green

Introduction

Recycling is the act of taking something that is old or used, and reusing it for another purpose to avoid using new raw materials. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, America began taking steps for the first time towards conserving our environment. A Green Movement was set in motion, focusing on not only limiting pollution, but protecting wildlife and parks, as well as recycling materials. My focus is how the progression of the general American attitude towards recycling has become a large part of schools, and specifically college campuses. Now more than ever, campuses are aiming to waste as little as possible and to maximize availability of recycling bins. As the student bodies become more aware of their environmental impact and more aware of the simplicity of recycling, the number of efforts to conserve even further grow exponentially.

Although the movement to reduce and recycle is at its peak and only progressing, not all campuses value the idea equally. Today, there are still many campuses that have unaware students and faculty and poor options for recycling, so the amount of waste from college campuses is still quite large.

This is why my aim for this collection is to shed light on schools that have taken steps to help reduce their overall environmental impact. The project will be made up of eight color photos of recycling efforts made around two different college campuses. They will all be in color because the collective emotion for my project is supposed to be positive and inspirational, and black and white photos tend to convey a duller message. Most of the photos will have words in them related to recycling, and some will be pictures of signs. A few of the picture will be at a downward angle to create line of sight for the viewer, as if they were looking down at the recycling been. My goal is that the viewer will look down to the bins like any other trash can and realize that recycling is just as easy as throwing something away. Other pictures will be taken at an upward angle to display methods of recycling already used nationwide that have made their way to college campuses because of their efficiency. All of the photos will include captions that depict their significance in society at this point of history. Recycling is a simple method of reducing the environmental impacts of humans and their use of nonrenewable raw materials, and it is only becoming more popular each day.

This photo was taken from a low angle to empower the equality between trash and recycling. Both are easily accessible, and the juxtaposition of trash and recycling and simplicity of color encourage students to recycle because it is just as easy as throwing something away.

This photo was taken from a high angle to signify to viewers how easy it is to toss recycling the same way as trash. The photo is also panoramic to create a line of sight from left to right to display all the different materials that can be recycled.

This photo was taken head on to create a more abrasive image. The single recycling been among the other two creates a powerful view, as it highlights the “no trash” and guides the viewers eyes down to the alternative, recycling. It shows that Texas State University

This image captures the efforts of St. Mary’s University to enforce recycling as a major means of disposal. The light-hearted colors encourage students to look at the sign and to be aware of all the the items that can be recycled. The image shows that simple organization can prevent numerous product from becoming trash.

This image captures the efforts of Texas State University to get students reducing, reusing, and recycling as a major means of disposal. The green background captures an earthy feeling, and the composition of words emphasizes the order in which students should try to conserve. It is most important to reduce the use of materials, then reuse them if you cannot reduce, and finally recycle if the other two cannot be done.

This photo was taken at eye level and up close to show that Texas State University is incredibly encouraging of recycling efforts. The juxtaposition of the green and black creates a negative view of simply throwing away trash.

The low angle of this photo forces the viewer to look up to the idea of refreshing the planet. The mostly white exterior of the cup evokes a sense of purity in the idea that a product, that will eventually become waste, is 100% compostable. The light shining on the cup is symbolic of the light that is being shone on products that can be reused, even as fertilizer.

This photo was taken from a low angle to signify the importance of the message within the photo. It shows that large corporations such as Dasani have taken measures to reduce and recycle, and the resulting impact is that college campuses have started to sell the company’s product instead of product that does not.