What’s in for 2007: Flora and fauna

Co-mingled. Paper only. Build green. Solar power. Wind energy. Is anyone else having flashbacks of the early 90s slogan, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle?”

Environmentalism is the up and coming trend of 2007.

What does it mean to be green? Green is a term describing something that is environmentally beneficial.

In order to stay ahead, businesses are being forced to consider the environment in their operations. Co-Op America has produced the National Green Pages, a collection of environmentally friendly businesses and services available online for free.

The annual Green Festival, held in Washington D.C., Chicago and San Francisco, has grown over the past several years. Over 10,000 people attended the conference in D.C. this past year, learning about the environment from 200 speakers and 400 green businesses and buying a range of green products from Fair Trade to sweatshop-free clothing.

Eastern is also part of the drive toward green: the school switched to 100 percent wind energy in November.

According to the website www.cleanair.org, the homepage of Clean Air Council, air pollution accounts for 60,000 premature deaths each year.

“When we use too much energy, someone’s choking on coal exhaust. It’s not just about long-term predictions on global warming; these issues affect our neighbors (and ourselves) now,” SPEAK member and senior Andrew Howe said.

Although the new building on campus will not be entirely green, Vice President of Student Development Bettie Ann Brigham said Eastern is taking steps to ensure it is as environmentally safe as possible. She said Eastern hopes to generate a Green Fund, organized by a core group of students that will help fundraise and facilitate the further greening of our campus.

“Choosing entirely green products and services will be a long process and will occur incrementally,” Brigham said.

Students can have a positive effect on the environment and on the living conditions of others through carpooling, using public transportation, turning off unnecessary lights and recycling.

From multi-million dollar corporations to individuals, everyone is walking the path toward environmental awareness.

Check out www.easybeinggreen.com for tips on living a greener lifestyle.