When I first heard that Greenbelters would be required to take a course as a part of our sustainable living this year, I was a little annoyed, especially because it would be taking place on Fridays from 2:30-3:20. In the weeks since however, class on Friday is something I look forward to.
The first two class periods we talked about sustainable practices we can commit to in our daily lives. Small things like using reusable water bottles, composting, printing less, and buying products made with sustainable materials can make a large difference in the long run. Dr. Dripps gave our cabins shower timers, smart power strips, and drying racks. I now try to make sure all my showers take less than 10 minutes. With time I’m confident I can get my time down to five minutes, but for now I still take too long shampooing my hair. Using a drying rack instead of a dryer really has not been too hard, clothes simply take longer to dry. I’ve been told it’s better for your clothes, so I will probably end up buying one for myself once I get back home. Our smart power strip is also fairly simple to use, and reduces our phantom power consumption in a way that is much more effective than unplugging our appliances every single time they are n
ot in use.
Two days ago we spent our class period on the Furman Farm picking tomatoes and okra. I came to Furman from what I like to the Washington, DC bubble– a metropolitan area known for monuments, history, and traffic. I didn’t grow up camping or hiking. Before Friday, I had never picked my own food or felt the sting of fuzzy okra spines on my palms. Feeling the sweat on my brow and itchiness on my fingers has given me a greater appreciation for all the farmers who grow and pick our food year round. After picking, I felt proud of my contribution to the 20% locally sourced food Bon Appetit uses in the Dining Hall.
Overall, Greenbelt so far has been a blast. All of my housemates seem to get along really well, and even though we are not the most “green” people on campus, we all envision a sustainable future for the planet. I talked to Jacques about a possible CLP we could do with the Bartram Society and he seemed to be all for it. My roommate Jack is a vegan, and I plan to cook more vegan meals with him. Miles and I enjoy shopping at The Fresh Market and other local markets to stock up on organics and produce. I know it is unreasonable to force everyone to buy into the sustainability movement; however, if we can convince average people that making small changes in their lifestyle and habits is not difficult, we can make sustainability a priority and a feasible task at that.