Those who go into the military prepare to fight the evil forces of the world — few expect to fight them with Meatless Mondays. 
In an attempt to combat the military’s carbon footprint, Norwegian soldiers at major bases are eating vegetarian once a week, and these efforts will soon spread to overseas bases as well. Norwegian officials predict that over the next year, this will cut 330,000 pounds of flesh off their menu.
I applaud Norway’s creativity, and wish the LSU would follow suit in light of the United Nations’ recent environmental summit.
During the UN’s two weeks at conference, representatives were provided with the latest UN Emissions Gap Report, a document showing if we allow the temperature of Earth to raise by more than 35°F by 2100, Africa will have to scramble together $350 billion a year for acclimation efforts — building seawalls, growing sturdier crops, and dealing with droughts and the fires caused therefrom. 
ActionAid International claims Norway, the U.S., the European Union and Australia are the main cause of the nearly 35°F rise this planet has seen over the past decades. Because these four bodies were reluctant to promise reparation and preparation fees to poorer countries, 132 states’ representatives, led by China, walked out of the talks.
Whether or not you believe humans affect the intensity of global warming, the big players of the world certainly do. I would like to see the U.S. respond accordingly.
I do not necessarily agree we owe developing countries                    reparations for our nation’s advancement; the U.S. giving money to China would be like expecting today’s white Americans to be held accountable for this country’s past system of slavery. 
Nonetheless, I think people should be held accountable for their present actions, and I see no harm in attempting to keep the Earth healthy beyond one’s own life span.
As such, the U.S. government should take a more obvious               approach to dealing with its environmental efforts by proselytizing respect for the earth. Head honchos can research alternatives forms of energy and material processing all they want, but there’s little point if people and business do not know or care about such advances. The government needs to fund advertising for green-thinking, without hidden incentive.
While mindsets would not be changed overnight, anyone who studies World War I knows how effective government advertising can be on the general populous. 
However, I recognize I am a very small voice calling for a very large action; thus, I appeal to my peers to understand how powerfully this planet can be affected and be appreciated. 
Negating harmful acts toward the planet is not as difficult as it may seem. Putting newspapers and soda cans in a recycling bin instead of a trash can is the simplest of actions. 
What would be more impressive is to follow Norway’s suit and stage Meatless Mondays in the cafeterias. We would not even have to appeal to the University, because with enough students interested in the effort, our food services would naturally mend their menu to meet the trending campus demand.
Growing a sense of appreciation might prove more difficult for college students. Swamped by papers, math lab hours, textbook reading and lecture hours, we afford ourselves little time to attempt a weekend in the forest. Still, a quiet hour by the LSU lakes might be enough for one to feel wonder at nature’s simple beauty. 
In regard to our mindsets on a more massive scale, I do not think we should look at the effects of global warming as a country-owing-country situation. Rather, it should be a people-helping-people situation. Some of us are born in technologically advanced areas of the world, and some are not.
What we need to do is appreciate our luck and recognize we have this lifestyle because of the efforts of others. What is left to us now is the ability to make the present even greater and give humans of the future the chance to live well.
Alix Landriault is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Natchitoches, La.