“Today I agree to embrace my responsibility to help the environment. I pledge to directly impact the Earth’s health by making environmentally responsible choices everyday,” the SMU Sustainability Pledge said.
Roughly 150 members of the SMU community agreed to this pledge on Wednesday, during the seventh annual national Campus Sustainability Day.
The three-hour-long event, which began at 11 a.m., consisted of a tailored-made game of Environmental Jeopardy, the introduction of the residence halls’ new team of “E-representatives” and the premier of SMU’s “Green Minute” video.
The video selected was the winner of a contest among 11 other SMU student-made videos. Those who placed in the top three spots won prizes.
In third place, Matthew Rispoli won $100 along with gifts from Whole Earth Provision Company and Green Spot Market and Fuels. In second place, Norman Belza won $200 plus a gift card from Green Living. First place winner Aleksandra “Leksi” Gawer won $300 and a group rental bike outing from Fleetwood’s Kit Kat. Gawer’s video will also be featured on the SMU homepage and may be used to promote campus sustainability through other venues.
SMU’s Campus Sustainability Committee is “looking for ways to draw attention to the new (SMU sustainability) Web site. We want to let students know that there are resources that they can use,” said Kimberly Cobb, SMU’s Director of National Media Marketing. This is one of the main reasons SMU put on the video contest.
“The contest is a good way to reinforce how easy and important it is to keep the campus green,” said Michael Paul, committee chair and executive director of SMU Facilities Management and Sustainability.
Little things you do on an everyday basis can make a difference, according to an SMU Sustainability Pledge handout. Tips included turning off the lights when leaving a room, using compact fluorescents and taking one less trip in the car every week.
“It’s really important to just know what the facts are and what the rumors are so you can separate them. Don’t just get worried that there will be some doom’s day,” senior geology major Ashley Howe said.
