Furman Greenbelt Sustainable Living Community

Imagine waking up every day to the sound of birds chirping, the smiles of friendly visiting, and a view that one could only dream. Every day I find myself falling deeper in love with the cottage I now call my home. I mean how can you not love waking up to the sound of chirping birds, smiling visitors, and a beautiful campus. The friends I have made and the community is simply irreplaceable. I can’t imagine my year without them. They are your personal cheerleaders—standing on your side telling you “you can do this” and keep the momentum going. Within the first weeks there, I found out quickly how important the community feel would be. Whenever I was in need of help, I could easily look to my neighbors to help solve or aid me. For instance, recently I injured myself—as always— and neighbors kindly provided a band-aid. Shout out to my neighbors! It is a beautiful thing having a group of people who have connected sheerly on location. I look up to every single one of them— mostly because I’m 5’2, but eh why not.

Besides the community, I have found that living in an eco-cabin has sprouted much intrigue from my friends on what exactly “living in an eco-cabin” implies. By no means, am I a poster child for eco-friendly living—I don’t typically fit into the “eco-friendly housing” mold so many have sculpted. I didn’t like short showers and unfortunately, to my dismay, I didn’t know what exactly was recyclable and what was not, but Eco-housing are not only for those already eco-friendly being— no— I would argue anyone who has the will to change fits the eco-cabin mold. Having adaptable mindset is all that is essential. I came in being a terrible resident of the planet earth and now I have compromised with our lovely planet. I take a 7-minute shower now (sorry 5 minutes is still too short), I know the differences in recyclable materials, and arguably I feel more eco-friendly in nature. Change is good they say and for the most part, they are right. Change is good when it is for the better.

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–Juhi S.

Sustainability in a nutshell means confronting my overconsumption; at 7 AM when I’m taking a shower and realize that I have far exceeded the 5-minute hourglass timer, at noon when instead of filling up my water bottle I latch onto my fourth Aquafina, before bed when I charge my phone knowing that it does not need to be charged all night. As I work on continuously growing and continuously developing, I’m learning that some of my most ingrained and reflexive habits are unsustainable—this creates an obvious cognitive dissonance (my actions are inconsistent with my beliefs). To my distaste, I am embarrassingly materialistic, I love easy solutions, and I want things as long as they are immediate—and this is a part of my core identity. My habits are a contradiction to who I want to be, and living in an Eco Friendly Cottage has made it all the more apparent.

But more importantly, it makes me want to change into a person I know I can be. This does not mean I have dematerialized, it simply means that I am thinking more so in terms of everything around me rather than what’s best for me.

My want to change has further played an effect on my overall thinking process. As someone who has been studying human-centered design, I have become much more aware of how often my intentions to make the world a better place are contradicted with my own behavior. Human-centered design runs parallel with environment-centered design. Human centered design and creation now, to me, means not only building products that are shaped around the behavior of humans but it also means to making sure these products also affect the environment in a positive way. It means creating and designing products that don’t compromise the future, our future.

My want to change has made me confront and critically analyze the things I don’t like about myself. We are a generation that has the power to put an end to poverty; we are also a generation that’s taking the wrong steps that will negatively impact the climate.

So my overconsumption has been acknowledged; to change the future, we must first change ourselves. Sustainability begins from within, and then expands outwards. If this means quicker showers, and refilling my water bottles—then, I think we can all take a step towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

-Juhee Bhatt

09/29/2016

As many people know, Furman University prides itself on how sustainable and eco-friendly the campus is. The University has received many accolades and rewards for its continued efforts to make the campus sustainable. At the forefront of Furman’s sustainability efforts are the Greenbelt Community and the Shi Center. The Greenbelt community is a group of students who all live together, and are devoted to living a sustainable lifestyle. The Shi Center is a recent addition to campus, but it has been one of the most successful. Named for former Furman President, David Shi, the Center provides a base for Furman’s sustainability efforts, while housed in a building which leaves virtually no carbon footprint.

While these two communities are an intricate part of sustainability at Furman, the campus is actually much more “green” than people might think. As a student at Furman, I was not aware of the extent to which the University is really sustainable. Furman has done an outstanding job of incorporating green living practices into everyday life here. Below are just a few examples of sustainability efforts which are championed by the university.

1) Sprinklers: Many students often complain about the sprinklers on campus. They are ALWAYS running, and never seem to be watering anything but the sidewalk. However, many people don’t know that the water being used comes directly from Furman Lake. Using this system, Furman is able to reduce the energy and water costs it would otherwise incur by using water from the city.

2) Greenhouse/Plumbing System in Riley: As many students are aware, Furman has an extensive Greenhouse attached to Riley Hall (located across from Geer Residence Hall). However, what most people do not know is that the plants there are watered with treated toilet water from Riley. Inside Riley there is a water treatment area, in which human waste is removed from water then later used in the Greenhouse. The waste is also reused as fertilizer in the Greenhouse. The entire system is closed, so no outside water is ever used in that building!

3) The PAC: Most students know the PAC, and likely will spend a good deal of time there in the four years at Furman. The PAC is one of the Greenest buildings on campus. The roof of the building is covered with solar panels to reduce energy costs. Furthermore, some energy produced by workout equipment in the PAC is converted and used to power the lighting system. So know when you’re working help to stay fit, you’re helping out planet do the same thing!

These are just three of the countless ways in which Furman devotes itself to living in a sustainable fashion. Hopefully now you have a better understanding of just how green the school actually is.

-Jonathan Fitzgerald

This week many people have noticed that the Furman Lake is not looking too great. The water level has been lowered by two feet, which has exposed the muddy, somewhat smelly lake bed in many areas. Dr. Dripps addressed this and has said that due to the flooding last year in Charleston and Columbia, the DHEC has updated their dam safety regulations. In order to comply with the new regulations, Furman needs to remove the trees that line the earthen dam along the road to the maintenance buildings. While this is going on though, a new wooden boardwalk is being built to replace the temporary gravel walkway on the other side of the lake. This new area will be converted into a natural marshland, adding some new visual appeal to the area along with the new ecosystem services that natural wetlands provide. I believe that the improvements being made to the lake will make walking and/or running around the lake, a much more desirable option. With regard to the lake, fishing is still outlawed, much to everyone’s dismay. Hopefully in the future this ban will be lifted and fishing can resume, for now though, the swans are taking precedent.

As for life in the cabins, I’m enjoying it immensely and hope to continue to learn about the sustainable practices that Furman is currently doing and be able to pass that knowledge on to my fellow classmates. This past class we learned about all of the sustainable practices that Furman is currently implementing. These include the use of a Solar Aquatic Waste Water Treatment System that uses plants to treat the wastewater from multiple buildings around campus including the Plyler Science Building, and a new $1.7 million solar farm across from the main entrance on Poinsett Highway. The solar farm’s completion date is set for early 2017. These are just a few of the many sustainable practices that Furman is using in their plan to be completely carbon neutral by 2026.

– Miles Hauser

“Why are you vegan?” is probably the single most commonly ask question I have received in the few months since I started my venture into the world of veganism. A lot of people choose the vegan lifestyle as a more ethical option; it is kinder to animals, after all. For me, though, being vegan was about choosing a healthier lifestyle.

I am now 4 months into being vegan, and I’m very happy with it. A lot of people hear about being vegan and say, “I could never do that!” and write it off completely, without ever trying it. When you really commit to it though, it’s simply not that difficult. The food is just as good (if not better), and part of the fun is trying to make vegan versions of your old favorite foods.

I’ve also experienced numerous positive changes since going vegan. Being vegan has encouraged me to branch out a lot. I’ve tried new cuisines that I don’t think I would have otherwise. There’s also been foods (vegan crab cakes have been my favorite) I’ve tried, that I would have written off, too. Most importantly, I’ve lost a good amount of weight, and I feel more energized and healthy than ever.

Another big upside to being vegan is the environmental impact. I’ve always been somewhat eco-conscious, but I’m not the poster child for living green by any means. Looking into the numbers, though, can be startling.

The meat production industry is singlehandedly responsible for one-fifth of the greenhouse gasses polluting our atmosphere. That is more than transportation, which most people tend to point the finger at. Even if you were to still eat dairy and eggs, you would be eating a diet that uses 2.9 times less water and 13 times less fertilizer than a carnivorous diet. In terms of water use, the livestock industry accounts for 8% of global water use, and in terms of land, 70% of previously forested land in Latin and South America have been used for pastures to feed livestock. The list of problems associated with a carnivorous diet go on: livestock waste problems, water pollution, and several others.

On paper, it sounds obvious that being vegan really is a better diet. As a man with first hand experience, I can vouch that it isn’t as hard as it might sound initially, and I’d definitely encourage everyone to try going vegan.

– Jack G.

“I’m living in an apartment next year”.

“OOO. I still have to live in the dorms.”

“I’m living in my fraternity house, it’s way cheaper. Celia, where are you living next year?”

“I’m living in a sustainable cabin”

All of my friends just laughed, rolled their eyes, and said, “you would, Celia”

My friends, along with a large majority of the population, have this preconception that only certain people would ever voluntarily live in an eco-cabin. But why? Why does it have to be that only an environmentally minded person would live in an eco-friendly cabin? Us environmentally-minded folks generally find ourselves removed from the rest of society at times. However, the complexity of sustainability issues requires that everyone, in every profession, in every area of the world should start to care about these deep-rooted unsustainable practices that can cause irreparable damage. We should become the majority instead of the minority. In my effort to make aware these unintended environmental issues that have become so engrained in American society, I chose to live in the Greenbelt cabins.

However, many times people have misconceptions about what the cabins do. Being environmentally conscious has become an onerous undertaking in society’s mind. Thus when people hear the reality of the eco-cabins they are astounded. For instance, I have been asked, “do you have timed showers?”, or I’ve heard “you have to hang your clothes to dry them”, or “you guys don’t have AC or heating”. People assume that sustainable living is burdensome. So when I tell them that this is not the case, that we can take showers as long as we want and we have drying machines and we have AC, they are surprised. Sustainability does not have to be a steadfast anti-21^st-century technology lifestyle; it is simply the commitment to doing everything in your mental, physical, and technological capability to live a lifestyle in which future generations will not be at risk. The idea is to help the future livelihood of the human population, and you get to decide how worthy a cause that is worth fighting for. So while none of these previously mentioned assumptions are necessary, they are all still available. It is up to all of us to live a sustainable life and I hope that we cabin-livers will show the rest of the Furman community that sustainable living is not as awful as they make it out to be.

-Celia C

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 not 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.

When I first told my friends that I was living in the Eco Cottage (which my cabin mates and I lovingly refer to as the Cabbage), I continuously received responses like, “But you’re not a hippie.” As I told more and more people about where I was living, it became apparent that the majority of the student body has a very limited understanding of the Greenbelt community. I often found myself explaining what I thought to be known facts, such as the DH uses fresh produce from the Furman Farm or that Furman even has a farm for that matter, to those who asked about my experience in the Greenbelt. So I thought I would dedicate this first blog post to some of the common misconceptions I was asked about:

1. “Don’t y’all have timed showers?”
   1. No, we do not have limited shower access. While Dr. Dripps, our residential advisor and teacher, strongly encourages us all to aim for a five minute shower, most of us simply try to cut our normal shower time in half.
2. “Does your electricity cut off at night?”
   1. However, we do use solar panels and skylights so that we are more energy efficient. Also, we have a refrigerator full of food so that would be really bad.
3. “Don’t you have to be a sustainability major to live there?”
   1. My cabin is filled with people who have different academic interests, and all of us come from varying backgrounds of sustainability. Aside from Celia, the only sustainability major in my cabin (who quickly became the go-to for all questions and concerns), most of my cabin has relatively basic knowledge of sustainability. The most important quality which we all share, is the willingness to learn more.

Every week I learn more and more about sustainability, and I hope that this blog post and the others to come will help clarify and shed light on what it actually means to live in the Greenbelt community.

 

 

Felicity Williams