What Is Your Earth Week Pledge?

Happy Earth Week! This week we are celebrating the earth and we are taking this week to appreciate everything the environment has given us. This Earth Week, we are challenging students, faculty, and staff at Union College to make a pledge for earth week! This is the week to think, what small changes can we make to our lifestyles that will mean BIG changes in protecting our planet? 

For those of you who don't do much now but want to do more, here are 10 Earth Week pledges to get you started! 

1) I will buy a reusable drinking container and start filling it with water from the many water refill stations around campus. 

2) I will only take what I need in the dining halls. If I am still hungry I can always get up and take a little bit more. 

3) I will recycle my one-time use containers and be more aware of what I can recycle around campus. 

4) I will carpool and encourage my friends to carpool when traveling. 

5) I will walk short distances instead of driving there. 

6) I will take shorter showers. 

7) I will bring reusable bags to the grocery store and not take plastic bags. 

8) I will recycle my plastic bags in the bin located outside of the Union College Bookstore. 

9) I will do my laundry only when I have a full load to do. 

10) I will make an effort to buy more local foods (Start today! the Schenectady Greenmarket is outside of Reamer Campus Center from 11-2pm!)

For those of you who feel that you incorporate a lot of environmentally friendly practices into your everyday life, here are some more challenging pledges to take on! 

1) I will encourage 10 friends to make an Earth Week pledge. 

2) I will walk/bike to work or class. I will only use the car if it is in a carpool, otherwise I will travel by foot. 

3) I will not eat meat for the duration of Earth Week. 

4) I will not use any single use containers for all of Earth Week. 

5) I will not use the dishwasher. I will only hand wash all of my dishes this week. 

6) I will not purchase water bottles. 

7) I will start composting my organic waste in my home. 

8) If I see someone not disposing of their waste properly, I will make an effort to say something in order to educate my peers on proper recycling practices. 

9) I will bring my old electronics to facilities and recycle them. 

10) I will use empty glass containers to store food instead of using aluminum foil or plastic wrap. 

Make a commitment today! Write your commitment on an item that can be recycled and take a picture with your pledge! Send your pictures to schwarts@garnet.union.edu or haleyqum@union.edu. We will be posting all of our pledges to many of Union's social media sites including Garnet Goes Green! You can also write down your commitment and take a picture in front of Reamer Campus Center tomorrow from 11-2pm!