To have renewable resources for a sustainable environment is today one of the world’s main concerns. Worldwide campaigns to recycle, eliminate or reduce fuel usage, and generally just implement greener alternatives are encouraged on a daily basis. A variety of people and associations have been behind this, you name them: Greenpeace, Al Gore and other countless celebrities.
Still, despite these efforts, there is still a long way to walk before seeing real changes. The fact of the matter is, it doesn’t matter who endorses the idea if no one moves, if no one has the initiative to do anything at all. We should realize however, that these steps from opinion leaders are key to the reshaping of our behaviors. But that’s just it; we must be willing to do it and not just discard it as if it were a diet… “I’ll start on Monday, I promise” someone with a 4 lb-loss goal would say.
One of the huge steps I’ve seen taking place in my immediate surroundings is the fact that I no longer hand in projects or essays printed out on paper. Everything must be handed in through a clouding system built into the University System. Now that is a visible step that at least 5,000 alumni in my campus alone must do. Imagine all the trees saved on that one!
There are, however, campaigns that encourage not to forget paper (http://www.paperbecause.com/). This particular campaign points out how entire generations of people have had their lives, their education, their love relationships supported by this precious material. Now, I realize what nature has given us up until this moment; perhaps the greatest means of expression. However, times and imminent needs have changed. Our liberty of expression has not been diminished. On the contrary, it has been amplified by other means just like this blog. Our need, our imperative need to move on and protect our resources have changed. So next time you type something, at least try to think, To Print or not to Print? That is the question.