Preview a couple quotes and follow the link to the original post:

Jack Neumeier, ’15, Health Administration and Public Policy (President, The Garden@UMBC): Sustainability doesn’t just mean recycling, composting, or being ‘green’!If we go back to the root word, sustainability becomes a kind of life philosophy. How can I account for the social, economic, and environmental impacts of my actions, of my society’s actions? Through this process I must first acknowledge the profound impact I have on others, and the profound impact they have on me, the majority of which go unseen but don’t go un-felt. In that way President Hrabowski offers that elusive, pithy definition when he quotes Mother Teresa:“We belong to each other”. If we can acknowledge that, we’ll have a come a long way.

Rita Turner (Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies): "Don’t let people get away with assuming that the way we do things is the way we have to do things. Question why we live the way we do and why we think the way we do. Ask yourself what your surrounding ecosystems and your fellow beings mean to you, and live in ways that force others to face this question as well. Truly be part of a local community, and recognize that community does not just mean humans, it means all the interconnected life that co-inhabit a place. Respect and defend your neighbors of every species."

BreakingGround

 

Building a Sustainable Culture

October 21, 2013 By David Hoffman Leave a Comment

100 Words is a BreakingGround series that asks faculty, staff and students across campus to explore a challenging issue that impacts us all. This post asks: “What can members of the UMBC community do to contribute to a culture of sustainability?”

Click on one of the photos, below, to see the full gallery of responses and add your view, in 100 words or less, as a comment.

Tanvi Gadhia (Environmental Sustainability Coordinator): Sustainability starts with recognizing the consequences of wasting resources; the sacrifices, exploitation, oppression and destruction associated with our consumption and waste. A sustainable culture recognizes interdependence, and acts with hope and gratitude rather than greed or ego. Sustainability can be accomplished through conserving resources, which often also conserves money and time. We can all transform our impact- personally, collectively and systemically- to restore the health and well being of all, from across the street to across the globe. Sustainability means living mindfully, discovering new solutions, remembering our deepest values, and expanding compassion and respect to all life, and the planet.

Nathan Rehr, ’13, Political Science (Acting Assistant Director, Sondheim Public Affairs Scholarship Program): Look around your room and see how much junk you have. How much did you buy that you didn’t need? How much are you going to end up throwing away? What can be re-purposed and what can be recycled? We’re all guilty of over-consumption and we can all take actions to live more sustainably. Only buy what you need. Buy used or refurbished materials. Start thinking about every product you consume as the sum of its resources. Once you realize the extent of your footprint, you can begin to reduce it. And pass it on, always speak for the trees.

Rita Turner (Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies): Don’t let people get away with assuming that the way we do things is the way we have to do things. Question why we live the way we do and why we think the way we do. Ask yourself what your surrounding ecosystems and your fellow beings mean to you, and live in ways that force others to face this question as well. Truly be part of a local community, and recognize that community does not just mean humans, it means all the interconnected life that co-inhabit a place. Respect and defend your neighbors of every species.

Meggen Marx, graduate student in Imaging and Digital Arts (whose work highlights the impact of plastics/toxins after their appealing durability and convenience has expired). What is it we aim to sustain? Our world is in crisis. Let’s question a market selling products for short-term use — gobbling resources, increasing landfills and enlarging the growing North Pacific Gyre, a toxic museum of consumer waste swirling in our ocean currents. By consuming more lastingly, considering the ways and means of production, and supporting business and regulation that align with sustainability, we can strive to do what is best for the environment, society, and the future first – and the economy second. Individual actions can reverse our current state, achieving a culture of sustainability we so desperately need.

Dawn Biehler (Assistant Professor of Geography and Environmental Systems): Who will get to enjoy the sustainable world that we envision? Many people think of sustainability as a technical challenge to be solved with new innovations, but it is also – perhaps even more so – a challenge of politics. The history of environmental projects is littered with great inventions that failed to help the people who most needed them. I’ve heard of dozens of ideas for ingenious sanitation systems or tree-planting schemes, yet many communities still have not benefitted. A culture of just sustainability requires that we assert our political will to re-order priorities and overturn privilege.

Eric Zeemering (Assistant Professor of Public Policy): At the local level, communities with higher levels of civic engagement appear to make more progress on the adoption of programs intended to help their communities become more sustainable. Supporting a sustainability goal like increasing recycling is easy. If recycling containers are available, an individual can choose to recycle alone. To tackle more complex sustainability problems, a community must work together in order to reflect on collective behaviors. To foster an active interest in sustainability at UMBC, the community should encourage dialogue about how we can make the campus a more sustainable place.

Donna Anderson (Manager of Landscape and Grounds): Reduce distractions! My belief is that we are to take care of where we live. This idea began with the creation of the earth. It’s not a new-age thought. If you are aware of your surroundings, you will seek to improve them. We strive to make our lives better than the way we begin. Do no harm: Don’t throw trash on the ground, cover up to keep warm and turn off the lights to save energy. It’s not rocket science and it’s not too difficult. Whatever we do affects not only ourselves, but everyone around us and those that come after us. Respect yourself and your environment. Make an effort to become aware.

 

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