For those of us that attend Michigan State University, “Go Green” has less to do with being eco-friendly and more to do with cheering at sporting events (the school colors are green and white). Recently, some re-interpretation of the phrase has taken place, and MSU is becoming a more environmentally concious institution, with one of our school colors taking on a greater role than in past years.
This greater attention to eco-friendliness means that MSU is embracing green throughout – from its dormitories to its cafeterias, from its study body to its faculty. As an eco-friendly digital marketing intern at Ingenex Digital Marketing, as well as a current student at Michigan State University, campus getting greener is a great thing to see!
Michigan State Universitys’ “Be Spartan Green” campaign was launched as the stewardship imperative of the university’s “Boldness by Design” initiative, which aims to move the MSU from a land-grant to a world-grant institution by 2012. According to Boldness by Design, MSU will improve the sustainability of its campus by reduction of inputs, process efficiency, and optimization of outputs.
To become more environmentally friendly, the campaign will employ strategies across campus – the one that I found the most interesting was Materials strategy. As someone who lived on campus not too long ago, I remember being disappointed with the recycling facilities on campus, especially since many students on campus rely on bottled water to get their hydration.
Students have heard, believe it or not, that bottled water isn’t the best choice environmentally, and they may know that it is many times tested less vigourously than tap water, but their drinking habits prevail. What’s the deal? If memory serves me correctly, the campus water was far from tasty – much closer to undrinkable, although it passes testing standards. Additionally, the convenience of recyclable bottles is great for the dorms, especially when there isn’t access to a sink other than the conventional bathroom sinks.
In my day in the dorms (all two years ago) students threw away water bottles willy-nilly. There were a few places you could put your used bottles and enterprising eco-students would haul them by car to a local recycling center, but that stopped when construction started on the road to the recycling center. Additionally, in the hallways around campus there wasn’t anywhere to recycle bottles or paper other than newspaper, except maybe in the library.
With the Go Spartan Green initiative, a goal of the university is to implement a comprehensive recycling plan that will take in not only bottles but other materials as well. I can attest that I have seen the changes at work! In dorms as well as classroom facilities, there are more recycling options on campus. It’s exciting to see that the university is embracing being green, and that the huge consumption on campus is being offset bit by bit.
The only issue I can see with the Go Spartan Green initiative is that it isn’t visible enough to students on campus. Yes, there are obvious changes on campus that students may notice on their to and from class, but a greater online presence could really boost interest in the program and get students involved with the initiative.
The Eco-Friendly Internship program could have a role in promoting this plan, especially to a student body that is hard to reach using traditional media approaches. Social media is one of Ingenex Digital Marketing’s specialities through Social Harbor, and by incorporating student input and ideas along with Ingenex’s expertise, the Be Spartan Green initiative could gain greater recognition and greater participation along with it.
P.S. I’ve also heard whispers of something different in Yakely Hall cafeteria this year; apparently the caf has gone tray-less! By doing so, less water will be used to wash countless trays each year. If you can sneak me into the cafeteria, I promise to give an eye witness report!
