It has recently come to my attention that not everyone understands what the word sustainability means. The EPA (an organization set up by conservative president Richard Nixon) defines it as, “Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations. Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment.”
At club rush most students would ask if we were the “recycling club.” While sustainability has to do with recycling it encompasses much more. My favorite way to respond to what does the word mean would be to say something like, “much like the Wu-Tang clan, the Sustainability club is for the children” or use the Eagle Scout camping adage to leave the camp site (in our case the campus and environment) in better condition than you found it. Sometimes I feel like it means you don’t crap where you eat. Sustainability is the story of stuff (look up the video online). It is the story of the stuff we use on a day-to-day basis, everything from our trash to the energy and water we use. Being sustainable is about being a good steward and using resources in a way that preserves them for future generations.
If you would like to take part and help Dixie State University become more sustainable you can join the club online using OrgSync.
Trevor Anderson
Junior biology secondary education major
La Verkin
