Inspired by Bradley McDonald's "How interesting is your Notre Dame experience?" (March 25), I have devised my own highly sophisticated scoring mechanism for rating how "green" you've been during your time at Notre Dame thus far. From personal experience, I can assure you that it's entirely possible to score well on both of these tests. Hopefully my column on green alcohol proved once and for all that fun and the environment are not mutually exclusive. Since excelling at everything is our lifeblood as Notre Dame students, I challenge you to adopt any of the green behaviors below that you haven't already.
Food:
- Joined the "clean plate club" during Waste-Free Week/Waste-Free Wednesday [5 points per raffle entry]
- Eaten vegetarian on a day other than a Lenten Friday [5 points, 15 points if you're a committed vegetarian]
- Tried Greenfield's new menu [5 points]
- Been to the South Bend Farmer's Market [5 points per visit]
- Purchased fresh produce from the Purple Porch Co-op [15 points]
Transportation:
- Owned a bike [5 points]
- Had a Zipcar membership [10 points]
- Taken Transpo to/from a bar [5 points]
- Taken Transpo anytime other than to/from a bar [10 points]
- Carpooled home for a break with someone you'd never met before [5 points]
Water:
- Owned a water-filtering pitcher [5 points]
- Regularly used a reusable water bottle [5 points, 10 if you got it from the Office of Sustainability]
- Combined loads of laundry with a roommate to make a full load [5 points]
- Used a timer to limit shower time to 4 minutes [10 points]
Energy:
- Owned Energy Star appliances (TV, mini-fridge, etc) [5 points per appliance]
- Unplugged all appliances over breaks [15 points]
- Used only CFL bulbs [10 points]
- Participated in Earth Hour [5 points, -5 if you don't know what Earth Hour is]
- Lived in a hall that won the dorm energy competition (Knott, Cavanaugh, Walsh) [5 points]
Waste:
- Donated to Old 2 Gold [5 points per year]
- Owned a reusable coffee mug [5 points]
- Regularly used a reusable grab'n'go bag [10 points]
- Recycled more than you threw away in your dorm room [10 points]
Miscellaneous:
- Joined the GreeND listserv [5 points]
- Actually attended a GreeND or SEA meeting [10 points]
- Gone on a sustainability-related CSC break trip [10 points]
- Been to the roof of Stinson-Remick to see the solar panels [10 points]
- "Liked" the Office of Sustainability's Facebook page [5 points]
- Taken a tour of the power plant [10 points]
- Majored in Environmental Science or Geosciences [20 points]
"Brown" Points:
- Asked a professor to add money to your print quota [-1 point per dollar added]
- Always took a brown paper bag from grab'n'go [-5 points]
- Driven to Eddy Street [-10 points]
- Participated in Double Impact Week [-25 points]
Fewer than 50 points: Really? Stop killing the planet!
50-150 points: Decent. You're trying, but could make more of an effort to be green. Boost your score by visiting the Farmer's Market or donating your stuff to Old 2 Gold this year.
150-200 points: Awesome! You're rocking some very green choices – keep it up!
250+ points: You are 100% bona-fide hippie. Which really raises one question: why did you come to school here?
The GreenMan is an anonymous
eco-conscious observer of life at Notre Dame, providing environmental
commentary and advice to the campus community since 2010. Feel free to email your environmental living questions to the GreenMan at askthegreenman@gmail.com
