Ramapo and Sustainability

By BEN GOLDMAN and GWEN MUELLER

Ramapo College’s student body says that more action needs to be taken in order to protect the environment from pollution.

Students expressed their take on sustainability and protecting the environment, and what they are doing in order to make the campus a more sustainable and eco-friendly place to learn.

“I recycle, and when I go somewhere that doesn’t recycle, I hold onto my bottles until I get home and then recycle,” Bryan Baez said. Baez, 23, is a business major at Ramapo College. “The environment is important and so are the resources we get from it. It’s proven, whether people agree or not, that our actions affect the earth.”

According to a Unilever Study, 30 percent of consumers prefer sustainable brands. These include products that could normally be recycled, such as plastic bottles and paper products.

“I always recycle, and I don’t like to use plastic bottles so I always have a reusable water bottle that I always drink from,” Mike Higgins said. Higgins, 20, is an ITM major at Ramapo College. “If we don’t protect the environment, it gets ugly and there’s really not much more to look at.”

Ramapo College works towards achieving sustainability through the implementation of environmentally friendly resources and programs. All around campus, there are water fountain stations that allow passersby to quickly refill their water bottles on the go. These stations also come with a small counter that says how many bottles of water each station saved from waste.

Every room in each building also comes equipped with a recycling bin, and the dorms have their own recycling bin in each room, with regular weekly pick-ups. The campus also recently installed multiple sets of solar panels near the southern entrance and above the commuter parking lots.

The school’s environmental and sustainability club, Ramapo Green, also takes action to get students involved in sustainability-based activities through implementing fun events. The club will be holding its second annual “Jamapo Green” festival this Saturday, April 27 at 11 a.m. Activities include live music, DIYs, a clothing swap, drum circle, food, raffle prizes and more. “Jamapo Green” is also being advertised as a zero waste event, as the club encourages attendees to bring their own reusable plates, cups and utensils.