Going green is more contagious than the flu these days during winter months, and many students on campus are doing their own part to help out. Anthony Bacala, graphic design junior, said he recycles because he grew up doing it. “If they have a garbage can and a recycling bin right next to each other, it’s just as easy to throw a bottle away in there, so I kind of stuck with it,” Bacala said. “My parents always had a compost pile, and there are so many benefits from a compost pile.” Scott Beckstrom, geography sophomore, said he has always recycled, but now he does what he can to avoid driving. “I walk and ride my bike instead of driving my car. I drive less – not so much as a product of green advertising – but because I can walk more on campus and in Baton Rouge than I could in high school,” Beckstrom said. “We are all people on this Earth, and we are facing a problem together. So it doesn’t really make sense for me to live detrimentally to the environment.” Beckstrom said he tries to carpool as much as possible. Amy Lutz, interior design sophomore, said she thinks the green trend is here to stay because pollution has become a more immediate threat. “[Going Green] is just keeping the world a beautiful place, helping to conserve energy, and keeping things clean, not using so many resources or finding a better way,” Lutz said. “People are drawn to it now, so it seems like a trend. It’s always been here, but there is always going to be pollution.” The University has also made it easier for students to become more eco-friendly. Andres Harris, solid waste and recycling manager, said the University put several measures into motion at the beginning of this year. “We have inmates here on Saturdays; we rake and bag leaves. But in the past, those used to go to the landfill to go in the trash, but now we compost the material,” Harris said. “Another thing the Ag Center is doing as a green measure is turning cooking oil from the 459 Commons into biodiesel.” Harris said the compost from the leaves produces a black powdery substance, which is used as a fertilizer in campus flower beds – saving the University money. Harris said he encourages students who live off campus to use campus recycling methods. “Many [students] live in their own apartments off campus, but they are more than welcome to bring their recycling here to campus,” Harris said. “Even though many of [on-campus recycling units] say ‘for paper and cardboard only,’ they can put [all recyclables] in there.”
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