Looking back on my time in the Greenbelt community, I feel as if the experience has had a positive impact on me, not only in terms of sustainability but in terms of being a good person as well.
Even though my sustainable project ended up falling through, I believe the Greenbelt as enabled me to make some real change in how I live. When I began life in the Greenbelt, I was not the most sustainable person, and I will be the first to admit that. However, I quickly learned how easy it is to have a real impact on your community and on the environment. I learned that sustainable living is easier than one might think, and implementing simple adjustments to your everyday life can make a large difference. For example, on the first day of class, Dr. Dripps handed out simple tools for us to take that would make us more sustainable. One of these tools was a shower timer, and it is something I use all the time now. I learned simply shortening a shower to under five minutes actually saves a good amount of water. Now I can take an effective shower in under four. In addition, I recycle quite often now. Before living in the cabin I never bothered to. Now I always separate my glass plastics and paper. I even sometimes use some naturally sourced laundry detergent on my clothes when I wash them.
However, when I look back on my time in the Greenbelt I feel that the biggest change came in the sense of community that was developed. Personally speaking, my current roommates have become some of my best friends at Furman. I feel that living around people with a good deal of diverse interests and lifestyles is something that few Furman students can take advantage of. The Greenbelt has given me the opportunity to get to know some incredible people, and I am thankful for that. I hope that the future groups have as good of an experience as the one I have enjoyed.
Jonathan Fitzgerald