Editorial By Taylor Stevens – Sustainability Assistant

When we think about all the environmental impacts that our consumption and waste habits have on the environment, there is a lot to be talked about. In the new wave of trends and discoveries, people have been experiencing the realization that our consumption of products: plastic, paper, natural, etc. all have an impact on the environment around us. Unfortunately, if we do not pay attention to crucial issues such as human consumption and single use plastics we can miss a lot of details in the makeup of the ecosystem we call our Earth. We need to be aware of the impact that our daily habits have on the environment. We also need to ask ourselves the question of: What will happen to the world around us if we don’t start becoming aware of the impacts that our daily habits have on the Earth around us?

As for single use plastics, the real question we should all be asking ourselves is why have we not talked about this sooner. For decades we have dumped single-use plastic trash into our oceans and shipped them overseas to countries that may not be as developed at the United States. In the process, we are destroying our natural ecosystems, poisoning waterways, and killing off the food that we eat and the animals we call our companions on this Earth. However, why has society recently focused on the use of plastic straws specifically and not the overall use of plastic? Plastic straws are apart of the single use plastic problem contributing to a lot of plastic waste, but what about single use plastic consumption as a whole issue? What happens when the plastic cutlery, plastic product bottles for beauty items and water, plastic food containers, and plastic wrap add to our use of plastic straws and the plastic catastrophe as a whole? Then, instead of the problem just being about one form of single use plastic, we have created a massive monster of single use plastic that is slowly killing our oceans and our Earth. We need to start asking ourselves what can we do about it and how can we change?

For the month of October is it Campus Sustainability Month. Sustainability is embracing the principles of conservation, preservation, justice, and environmental activism to create positive change in the world around you. As a campus, the University of Wisconsin Whitewater Sustainability Office will be having a pledge and petition. We, as a collective campus are fighting to reduce our use of single use plastics! For the week of October 1st, on the 2nd and 3rd (Tuesday and Wednesday) we will be having a banner pledge signing as well as giveaway sessions on the North Mall and in the UC 12:30-2 pm. The banner is a pledge to reduce your use of single use plastic in your personal life in any way possible! Small changes among a collective group of individuals can have a massive impact on the larger community. When you decide to sign the banner and pledge to reduce your use of single use plastics, you will be given a prize from the following variety: reusable tote bag, reusable water bottle, bamboo reusable cutlery, or a stainless steel straw. Please consider taking the pledge to reduce your use of single use plastics and lessen your personal daily impact on the world around you!

Interested in joining a student organization focused on sustainability? Consider joining SAGE (Students Allied for a Green Earth) Wednesdays 6-7:15 pm in UC 275 A! As a campus we can create a brighter sustainable future for both our community and our campus here at Whitewater. Ask yourself the steps you can take to help the environment around you in your daily life- it could be as simple as refusing to use a plastic non-reusable water bottle. You can make a difference! Go out and try to make a change!

More questions or comments? Contact sustainability@uww.edu