On the evening of March 4, student advocates for the University of Oregon Recycling Program pleaded with the ASUO Appropriations Committee for assistance. What sort of assistance, you ask? Unlike many other campus programs, the University of Oregon Recycling Program asked the ASUO Appropriations Committee to help purchase five biodiesel vans for on-campus use. Upon first glance, this proposal appears to be yet another plea from an under-funded ASUO program. However, I can assure you that the issues discussed in the EMU Board Room affect every student on campus.
In my first year with Campus Recycling, I have developed an understanding of appropriate student activism. The Campus Recycling program collects approximately 1,400 tons of materials annually. This is a benefit to the entire campus community. Imagine a university overrun by filth and streets cluttered with debris. Now, imagine the effects of such a campus on the rest of the world. Now is the time for the students of the University of Oregon to wake up and realize that they truly have the ability to make a positive impact on the world.
Campus Recycling vans operate at a condition that is hardly acceptable to DEQ standards. The average University student, probably walking to or from class, can see the decrepit, noisy recycling vans driving down 13th Street. Of course, the vans are trailed by a long stream of black smog, containing chemical components such as carbon dioxide and sulfur, which have devastating effects on the earth’s ozone layer. These carbonic emissions are contributing to the global dilemma that our society faces, as our ozone layer begins to decompose. However, these molecules quickly spread beyond the conceived boundaries of the University, far beyond Franklin Boulevard. This seemingly insignificant local problem is, in fact, contributing to the global warming crisis, which will affect future generations.
Students often complain that they do not have a voice in national or even global matters. Most students are quick to state that they have no voting power, thus they have no ability to affect the world in which they live. Yet, here is the opportunity that so many have been waiting for. Global warming is not a problem for “environmentalists.” Global warming is a global problem. Here and now, the students of the University of Oregon have a cause to fight for – a cause that transcends the perceived limitations of students. Through collective power, a united student body can accomplish anything. If the students of this campus were to stand in support of this proposal, which aims to combat this global epidemic, then nothing could limit their desires.
Through support of the Recycling Program’s proposal to purchase biodiesel vans, the amount of sulfur and carbon emissions from our current activities will be reduced by approximately 75 percent. This proposal is a very tangible solution to a global problem. Therefore, I urge every university student to support the Recycling Program’s proposal. It is a solution to a global crisis, one that we as a student body have the ability to change. It is very seldom in life that a group of individuals has a significant opportunity to truly change the world. My message to the student body is “wake up and use your power to make a difference!”
Nick Schultz is a student at the University