I've never really been that big on environmental issues.
It's not that I don't care about the environment, it's just that I care more about the test I have coming up next week or what my friends and family are up to.
Plus, environmentalists have always turned me off to their issues. In my experience they have a tendency of trying to make you bike 30 miles to work or make you feel guilty for taking long showers.
Still, Robin Williams had a legitimate point in his "Live on Broadway" stand-up act when he said there's no such thing as global warming. We've gotten to the point where now it's more like global cooking.
In the spirit of turning down the cooker, I have a few ideas on how we, as a campus, can become more environmentally friendly.
Don't worry, I'm not going to speak of the evils of bottled water or keeping your kitchen lights on…I enjoy being hydrated and am rather keen on the invention of electricity.
What I'm suggesting are little things that can make a huge difference. They'll take less than ten minutes time and less energy than the average walk to class.
First, the Raynor Memorial Libraries print off literally tons of paper each year and it is non-recycled paper.
This begs the question: Why?
This is something that if a few of us get together and challenge Janice Simmons-Welburn, dean of the University Library, there is a very real possibility for change.
More importantly, Marquette needs to do something about the academic facilities themselves and it's high time that we, the students, challenged the administration to that effect.
Buildings like Lalumiere, Cramer and Johnston Halls are old and, because of their elderly nature, they consume a ridiculous amount of energy.
I'm not suggesting we tear the buildings down and build new ones, or even spend money on renovating them. I've done some research and there's a minimal effort fix to the problem — solar panels.
Solar panels on top of the buildings would provide energy that would allow us to consume less coal-based steam energy which would minimize the costs to the environment. And, if we play our cards right, it would minimize the costs to the university.
We Energies, right here in Milwaukee, provides subsidized grants up to tens of thousands of dollars to commercial-sized buildings for the development of solar panels.
It's called the Solar Energy Development Program and with minimal application requirements we could obtain all the money needed for solar equipment to be installed for large solar electric systems on the buildings.
Additionally, We Energies has an energy incentive program for new construction that Marquette is not a part of.
This begs the question: Why not?
The program allots up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for environmentally aware construction projects. I think that's a pretty good incentive to act in a way that fulfills Marquette's ideals, as a Jesuit university.
In the next few years we're going to be building several huge academic complexes, but for some reason Marquette hasn't applied or, to the knowledge of the We Energies office, even looked into applying.
This, once again, begs the question: Why not?
I know I've exasperated you with my "why not" questions, but what's even more exasperating is the fact that I have to ask them.
It's time we accept responsibility for taking steps to improve the state of the environment that affects all our lives.
I would like to thank members of Students for an Environmentally Active Campus for their ideas and support of this column. Hopefully there will be inspiration for change.