Dear Editor:
“Phasing out the human race by voluntarily ceasing to breed will allow Earth’s biosphere to return to good health.” So says the home page of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, whose answer to environmental problems lies in the prospect of a future without humans. While this would be beneficial to the planet, anyone can see that this solution is both unrealistic and unwanted. One must give them points for effort, though.
So what can a person do about the vast environmental issues our generation is facing? It is easy to get overwhelmed when one considers the realities of global warming, explosive population increase and the veritable buffet of toxic wastes we spew into the environment every day.
What can a single student, such as you, actually do? In reality, one person can do very little.
However, just as the human body is comprised of countless cells working to achieve life, so must be the movement towards a sustainable future.
It will require more than buying organic cotton shirts saying “Go Green” or investing in a Prius to pretentiously boast about higher gas mileage.
It will require a large group of individuals fully dedicated to preserving the planet. Amassing this kind of group is the long term goal of SOARE (Students Organized to Advance Renewable Energies), but in the short term, we hope to educate both campus and community about renewable energies and the benefits of a sustainable future.
As you may or may not know, you were charged $10 this semester for a “Sustainability Fee.” In fact, every student was charged this fee and the sum is to be spent on “green” projects on campus.
Some of the upgrades from this fee include water regulators and light sensors throughout campus, as well as the solar array on APSU’s farm. A wind generator is also under construction on the farm.
The amount of money available provides a lot of potential for even more drastic changes to reduce our campus’s energy consumption.
However, this fee was intended to be spent with student input, and very little has been received. SOARE hopes to act as a mediator between the student body and the Sustainability Fee Committee.
If you have any ideas for projects to request to the school, or you just want to find out more about our organization, please contact us at soare.apsu@gmail.com.
If we can significantly decrease the amount of energy consumed on campus, we can greatly decrease the amount of money spent on energy. This money could improve student life in countless ways. So essentially, if you help the environment, you wind up helping yourself. Imagine that.
— Luke Holliday, SOARE President





