A Matter of Principle

The first president of Brigham Young University, Karl G. Maeser, talked about honor as a matter of principle. The message below was sent out in the CURC listserve via Bill Rudy of BYU Recycling. I thought his were words worth sharing as our students here begin a new semester:

“I have been asked what I mean by “word of honor.” I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls—walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground—there is a possibility that in some way or another I might be able to escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first.”  Karl G. Maeser

“Our real challenge is to help people realize that care for the environment (whether you call it stewardship, conservation or sustainability) has a larger meaning and purpose than simply recycling a can or piece of paper. We have to engage brains and hearts so people, as a matter of principle, want to recycle.

Consistent colors help speed up your search for a bin when in an unfamiliar place, and signs can help inform those looking for information, but the underlying need we have is to find ways to educate people’s desires so they will add recycling and other environmental behaviors to the set of principles they govern their life by.

What’s impressive about schools that make environmental stewardship and waste reduction a central part of campus life is that they can significantly decrease waste. It will be interesting to see if graduates from such campuses maintain the conservation behaviors they learned at school once they move into the “real world”.

Bill Rudy, BYU Recycling

Start off this new semester by taking the Go Green Pledge to show your commitment to sustainability at the University of Rochester, and beyond. We ask that you take the pledge seriously and make every effort to live up to your commitments. Our hope is that you carry life-long habits that are incorporated into your own principles and values. We sincerely thank you for making these commitments!