Clean up our campus
The semester is coming to an end and the biggest tradition on campus, Dandelion Day (or D-Day), is upon us. Looking at the aftermath of past parties throughout the semester has made me realize that we can do better with cleaning up post-parties. From the red-solo cups on the lawn, to trashed paper all around the campus, we need to leave no trace after a party.
Extend fraternities’ responsibilities
Fraternities clean up the interior of their respective buildings after a party. In order to leave no trace after parties, fraternities should be enforced to clean the surroundings of their building within a 100 foot radius (or some reasonable distance). By doing this and placing a deadline to clean the area, it prevents littering and potentially runoff litter blowing away from the quad. Furthermore, this initiative would help make the campus a cleaner place and boost our sustainability.
Replacing Red Solo Cups with eco-friendly material
In the case of leftover litter, replacing red solo cups with eco-friendly, biodegradable materials would be beneficial in helping mitigate the negative effects of littering. If there was leftover litter left on campus fields, having biodegradable materials would be less impactful than having plastics lying around campus.
Reuse party decorations
Parties should reuse and repurpose old party materials in order to mitigate plastic waste. Streamers, decals, and other decorations should be repurposed for future events as it is not only cost-effective but also eco-friendly as it prevents more plastic from entering the landfills.
Written By Lugardo Marroquin ’24