AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
If you didn’t know, the planet is dying and it’s all thanks to us, humans. The generations before us so carelessly took advantage of our beautiful planet and now it is up to us to save it before the human population goes up in flames. I don’t know about you, but that makes me go, “AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”. With little time and so little we can do as individuals, it’s important to do whatever we can whether it’s simply recycling, going vegan, reducing plastic use, or biking instead of driving.
A great opportunity to take action in the community by making a positive impact on the environment and raising awareness is to join the EcoOwls: Students for Environmental Sustainability organization at KSU. This organization is made up of many people who have one thing in common: they are passionate about keeping the environment intact while educating others on sustainability and what they can do to contribute. Of course, you can be environmentally sustainable on your own, but it could be so much more fun doing it with a group of like-minded people.
By joining EcoOwls and paying a small fee of $10, you will receive eco-friendly merchandise such as a club t-shirt, reusable water bottle, sticker, and string bag. Meetings are held every Monday 5:30–6:00 pm. You’ll also get to participate in tabling at the farmers market located on the green, revitalizing the campus arboretum, possible plant-based diet potlucks, clean-up opportunities around campus and local communities, working with Habitat for Humanity, climate strike events, and much more to come. If that didn’t convince you, how could you miss the trip to the Southeastern Student Sustainability Conference? It takes place Friday, February 28th — Sunday, March 1st at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. Who needs a hotel? We’re going camping for the weekend instead!
At the first meeting for the fall 2019 semester, I learned that The Commons at the Kennesaw campus wastes over 95,000 lbs. of food each month. I would never expect that to be the number, but it is and that’s only at KSU. If you think that’s a lot, can you even imagine how many tons of food are wasted globally? In EcoOwls, we have already discussed looking deeper into this problem at The Commons. Hopefully, we can discover the biggest cause for all the wasted food and maybe prevent or decrease the amount wasted each month.
When it comes to the big picture, you may think that what you do as an individual won’t make any difference, but it does. Because you don’t see a direct impact of your actions, it can be hard to really capture what harm you are causing to or how you’re helping the environment. When you’re a part of a group of people doing good for the environment, you’re more likely to see change occur right in front of you and it feels good. Everyone loves the planet because we need it to survive, but most people don’t treat it so kindly. Be a part of something that can set an example for others to make change and show kindness to our wonderful planet.
