In the ever-moving college life of projects, papers, tests, parties, volunteering, interviewing and sometimes even sleeping, who has the time to worry about how “green” they are?

Who has a spare moment between tweets and Friday night recaps to consider their water intake or waste output?  For most of us, our personal carbon footprint hardly weighs heavily on our consciences.

However, in honor of Green Week on campus, a few words should be said about sustainability. On a systematic level, Marquette is growing in an eco-friendly manner.  All the new buildings, including Zilber Hall, Eckstein Hall and McCabe Hall, have received LEED certification, and the new Discovery Learning Complex will when it’s complete.

Sodexo works hand-in-hand with local suppliers, such as Red Barn Family Farms and Stone Creek Coffee, who put all levels of sustainability at the forefront of their values.

New programs are constantly being added, such as the Zip Cars, composting initiatives at Straz Tower and campus-wide single-stream recycling.

Students for an Environmentally Active Campus (SEAC) are constantly collaborating with student organizations to promote sustainability, and they are currently working with the Wisconsin Native Tree Project to beautify campus in a natural way.

While being conscious of eco-friendly daily decisions is important, the problem runs much deeper on a behavioral level. For example, on campus, many of us have taught ourselves to use a sustainable Brew mug.

For awhile, it was a conscious decision, but now, it is simply a part of our behavior.

When simple conscious decisions – such as using a Brew mug, carrying your own water bottle, turning off your computer at night or switching off lights when you leave a room – become behavioral habits, sustainable progression begins.
I challenge you to make small eco-friendly choices in an attempt to make them a part of your everyday life.

I hope you have been aware of the Green Week events going on around campus this week.  The awareness factor, in order to make informed decisions, is the first step.

As a part of the Marquette community, we are all expected to “be the difference.” Living a sustainable lifestyle is the perfect opportunity to live out this mission.  Hopefully, this week has brought environmental issues on campus and in this world to light, and will help propel Marquette to a new level of sustainability.

Remember, blue plus gold will always equal green.

Tara Vandygriff is a sophomore in the College of Communication.