Eric Wood said he hopes he will see a good turnout of students and faculty today in Heroy Auditorium – each a sign of progress for environmentalism at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, as well as for Syracuse University.

Wood, project coordinator and full-time organizer for the New York Public Interest Research Group, said he wants people to be educated on the dangers of climate change at this year’s global warming teach-in.

‘The turnout could be anywhere from 200 to 20,’ Wood said.

The teach-in, organized by NYPIRG and supported by 1 Sky, a global warming advocate organization, is part of a nationwide event that will work to educate colleges, high schools, middle schools and businesses about ideas on how to curb climate change and environmental impact.

Richard Smardon, a graduate studies coordinator at ESF who will be speaking at the event, said he hopes students take away ideas about how they can create their own environmental initiatives. Smardon said in an e-mail interview that he wanted students to increase sustainability measures on campus, like reducing carbon emissions and supporting local farmers markets. Smardon is one of five SU and ESF faculty members speaking at the teach-in, which also involves the movie ‘The First 100 Days.’ The film discusses global warming solutions for the first 100 days of President Barack Obama’s administration.

The event comes a year after Syracuse was ranked the 17th ‘greenest’ city in the U.S. in the February 2008 issue of Popular Science. SU and ESF have been working toward improving sustainability, which is the conservation of resources, and reducing human impact on the environment.

SU created its own sustainability department, headed by chief sustainability officer Steve Lloyd, in July 2007. The department works in coordination with Chancellor Nancy Cantor and the Presidents’ Climate Commitment. The commitment laid out campus proposals and programs to reduce the environmental impact, even though SU has been working toward renewable energy since 1972.

‘We are working now on drafting a plan of how to increase sustainability for the Climate Action Plan of 2009,’ Lloyd said. The plan would outline necessary steps to reduce the negative environmental influence SU has on the area.

Melissa Cadwell, marketing manager for the Sustainability division, said SU and ESF want to implement changes that will have deep roots in the future, rather than simply saying, ‘We are a environmentally friendly campus.’

‘The biggest problem is getting students involved and reaching out to them,’ Cadwell said. With the use of the sustainability Web site and a newsletter written by Cadwell, the department hopes to attract more student involvement.

The question remains whether students care about environmental protection and sustainability. While there are on-campus groups, like NYPIRG, that work to educate students about environmental awareness, it does not seem to be a priority for students.

Jessica Engel, a freshman public relations major, said despite recycling and turning off her roommates’ lights when they aren’t in the room, she would not be attending the global warming teach-in.

‘I think students would be more environmentally active if it was convenient,’ Engel said. ‘Most people are just busy or lazy and need a reminder.’

Engel also said she thought targeting greek life on campus would cause more people to become active because of its large campus presence.

Allison Stuckless, a freshman policy studies and Spanish major, also said she was unaware of the teach-in and probably wouldn’t attend. Stuckless said if recycling and environmental initiatives were easier to take part in, more students would engage in campus green activities.

Lloyd and Cadwell said they’re currently focusing on recycling.

‘As of now, we are only recycling about 30 percent of our trash,’ Cadwell said. ‘We would like to see that number rise to 40 or 50 percent.’

The university’s numbers are extremely low, compared to the 60 percent recycled in Onondaga County. The university has taken steps to increase recycling, like putting recycling bins in all residence halls.

Cadwell said the sustainability program has grown by ‘leaps and bounds’ and hopes that students will take what they learn here and adopt it into their everyday lives.

‘This is a movement that starts here, but we hope it will lead from small steps towards collective sustainability.’

wlhalsey@syr.edu

Published on February 4, 2009 at 12:00 pm