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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has found that 91% of students feel that “their place of study should actively incorporate and promote sustainable development.”  While the University of Georgia has expressed interest in meeting this need, its current efforts are not enough. Despite comprising a considerable part of campus, classrooms and dorms have often been overlooked when considering campus sustainability.  

One of the biggest ways UGA could improve sustainability is by providing recycling bins in every dorm room. This would act as a direct reminder to students to be mindful of their waste and would provide an easy way for them to do so. Offering an alternative to simply throwing something away can go a long way for students who want to live sustainably but are hindered by a lack of opportunity. While this solution does come with financial costs, the money UGA invests would be well spent by keeping the campus as waste-free as possible.

Although UGA provided optional recycling bins that students could pick up at certain dorms, these containers were small and likely would have had to be emptied frequently, deterring students with numerous responsibilities and busy schedules. As a student who currently lives in a dorm myself, I have seen almost no use of these bins, probably due to the fact that only 1,000 bins were offered, compared to over 8,500 students that live on campus. 

Large receptacles for recycling are offered outside dorms next to the dumpsters for regular trash. However, while the dumpsters fill up quickly, the recycling receptacle is often nearly empty, presumably because students lack the proper supplies to separate their trash. By providing bins in every dorm, students would have an easy way to recycle. 

A less obvious way to make a difference is to provide environmentally friendly alternatives to common dorm items found in the UGA bookstore. Unlike a typical plastic toothbrush, biodegradable toothbrushes are made from renewable materials that can decompose and break down in several months, rather than thousands of years. Reusable water bottles help cut down on the millions of barrels of oil used every year to make disposable ones. Reusable bottles also reduce plastic buildup in our oceans.

Similarly, to target waste in classrooms, UGA could crack down on “no laptops or phones” policies or unnecessary demands that students have physical copies of books. Many students likely prefer digital textbooks since they are cheaper and easier to carry around and would also prefer to avoid filling up notebooks, only to throw them away at the end of the semester. 

This is not to say that UGA has failed in its conservation efforts. It has implemented many award-winning programs that maintain a variety of tree species, including pollinator friendly plants, across campus and it has also pushed to minimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides. 

Similarly, the university has invested in plumbing that reduces water waste, and also utilizes nontoxic cleaning products that are used in all interior spaces. These are all great strides forward, but they are not enough.

Most students spend a large portion of their time in classrooms and dorms, so UGA should prioritize these spaces. Many of these changes may seem small, but considering UGA’s population of around 40,000 students, implementing effective policy would make significant progress. 

UGA has shown repeatedly that it cares about being environmentally friendly. However, it is not unreasonable to demand that these efforts continue to evolve and meet higher standards.

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