Toilets

Trinity University has implemented many ways to save energy and water, but there is one place that still needs to be changed. I feel like the toilets need to be adjusted because every time someone flushes, they are really strong and take a lot of water. A lot of water is wasted when people flush the toilet. As a result, this is impacting the environment. If new flushes were implemented, students would not even realize the change but the environment will. Saving water is a big part of going green. Though the work might be a little tedious to change the toilets, the result will be admirable. I realize that there is a water saving flush that is already implemented, but I do not understand why they need such a forceful flush in the first place. People would not even realize the change. Normal toilets already waste a lot of water with every flush. With Trinity’s super flushes, there is more water that is wasted. Changing this would help conserve water, and it does not impact student that much. All in all the purpose of this blog is to help Trinity University improve some of the minor things around campus so that it is more eco friendly. By making some of these minor changes, the environment can become better in a lot of ways.

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toilet by Maya Ravishankar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Light Switch

Last year, I lived in the freshman dorm, Calvert. Trinity just renovated those dorms and my class was the first ones to live in them. With new beds and desks, Trinity greatly improved the dorms. With all the great renovations, there was one flaw. As Trinity was trying to help with the green movement, they implemented automatic light switches in the Calvert rooms and bathroom to save electricity. They figured that even if students forget to turn off the lights, they would switch off automatically. Though their mind set in the right place, the result did the opposite. In the bathrooms, they did not put a light switch, so the bathroom light would stay on for a long time. As a result, rather than saving electricity, it was doing the opposite. I feel like Trinity should go back and correct this because I remember even if you were just passing through the bathroom; the lights would stay on forever. By implementing a light switch, it would not inconvenient anyone but rather save a lot of electricity. The rooms not only had automatic lights but also had a light switch to save energy. So in conclusion, one more way that Trinity can continue going green without inconveniencing their students is by implementing a light switch in the Calvert bathrooms to save electricity and energy.   

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light switch by Maya Ravishankar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Recycling

Recycling is something everyone can do to help the environment. Though I am not a tree hugger or anything, I really value saving energy and recycling. The world can only become better if people start caring about their environment. Many people think that others will do it, but everyone needs to help to promote the green movement. One thing on Trinity campus that I think needs to be improved is glass recycling. There are only a couple of bins around campus to recycle glass. Many bottles that are sold in Coates and places around campus are glass bottles. Glass is a product that can be reused in so many ways. Trinity can definitely help by implementing a glass recycling bin in the dorms. Trinity has a wonderful recycling program and promotes saving the environment. In order to go the extra mile to help the world, they should set up recycling bins around campus for glass recycling. It might take a little bit more time to separate out recyclable products versus trash, but the process goes a long way to saving the earth. If Trinity places more glass recycling bins around campus, they are not altering people's life drastically but rather helping the world. In trying to have a greener campus, Trinity should install bins to recycle glass.  

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glass recycling by Maya Ravishankar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

How can we help?

With the environment changing drastically due to global warming and human involvement, it is our responsibility to help out and stop the destruction. Over the past decade, weather patterns have been inconsistent. Going to Trinity and being an Environmental Studies major, I developed a keen interest in helping push for a greener campus in order to have a greener earth. I started noticing some small things around the campus that could be changed in order to drastically save the environment. Rather than inconveniencing people's luxuries, these small changes would not drastically alter their lifestyle. Some of these changes include installing light switches in some of the dorm bathrooms that do not have any, lowering the water pressure on the toilets, and implementing glass recycling around campus. More than just changing things around campus, people need to be aware of simple things like switching lights off and conserving water. Trinity has done many things to help save the environment like implementing automatic lights, getting rid of styrofoam to-go boxes, and starting a community garden. Though the Trinity community is helping the environment, through this blog I want to convey some small changes that could further help the green movement and push for a greener campus without inconveniencing people.  

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recycling bin by Maya Ravishankar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.