Plastic has become an indispensable commodity for us. However, do we really need five new bottles every day? Often it is our smallest actions that can have the biggest impacts on the environment. A second thought on many practices that we do involuntarily, because it has become a part of our lifestyle, can make a change that we did not imagine it could. Northeastern University’s student initiative “NU Day, Same Bottle” campaign hopes to address this problem of excessive plastic bottle usage in the university and make a green change for the future. The campaign is the brainchild of Alec Stransky and it asks of the student community to pledge a reduced use of single-use plastic bottles and eliminate the use of plastic bottles to offer drinks in student-organised events.
The campaign collaborates with Northeastern University’s Student Government Association, Husky Environmental Action Team, and international non-profit organisations like Bureo Skateboards. Stransky says that the campaign was initiated because it was a disturbing sight to watch people dig their own graves. This will help reduce the carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment. The campaign has a realistic outlook where they have a clear understanding of what can be done and what cannot. They hope to make small changes that wouldn’t be so difficult for the students that it is inconvenient and discouraging but, rather, urge them to be a little more thoughtful.
The first idea of the campaign came to him when the students were planning for an event and decided that they wouldn’t use plastic bottles to offer drinks for it. This gave Stransky the confidence that this idea could be turned into a campus-wide initiative effectively. He penned pledges that can be signed by student groups and individuals. “This campaign will hopefully educate the community on how simple, unceremonious daily routines have a large impact on the environment and our own health.”, he says.
N Malavika Mohan