Many of the essays we have read, discussed and written about so far this term (in my English 1102 classes) have focused in some way on an individual’s role/place in a community — relating in particular to the growth of technology. This emphasis on community involvment is, I think, an essential component of the 3D focus. Therefore, I invite the students in all three of my English 1102 classes (as well as others who want to share their ideas) to blog about how, as members of the College of DuPage community, they can become more environmentally responsible specifically in relation to the use of technology.
Professor Sue Frankson
Adjunct English Instructor
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For me, a big thing that I think can and should be changed in how much paper we are printing out. COD has taken initative towards limiting how much paper they are sending people from COD. Instructors are also cutting down on paper by limiting how much information they print and give to their students. Rather, you are seeing more and more instructors email documents to their students etc.
My opinion on this issue has always been first and foremost to start recycling. Until we do that there is nothing else we can really do. However, on a technological stand point, lets start with the fact that we can start emailing stuff to students and teachers. We should do everything we can to make paper almost obsolete. Emailing grades, assignments, bulletins, stuff of that nature would really help. adding to that, saving stuff on harddrives or emailing it to yourself, basically anything that will help us to avoid printers could really help in saving the enviroment. having said that, if we do need to use paper, if we are done with it, recycle it. Those are the starts we can make to help save the enviroment.
Throughout my day to day life at COD I realize a lot of different things that we can eliminate in order to help our environment. In one of my classes specifically we only use PowerPoint for our class lectures and this forces the teacher to hand out copies of the power point every single day. This packet tends to be about 5 or 6 pages long of unnecessary paper. I feel that a new system should be used such as note taking with different style presentations in order to save paper. My teacher walks into the classroom with stacks and stacks of this paper that we do not need. Other ways to save energy would be the use of solar power for simple procedures such as plumbing or the power for some of our classroom lights. I think that as students we can form a group in order to help control the recycle procedures and activism. This will allow us to use discussion, brainstorming, and action to better our environment within and around our school.
As many already know, COD has recently been asked to post the salaries, stipends, bonuses and more attached with every persons name and title. I believe that COD has the ability to be much more efficient with using energy and resources in moderation to make the school more environmentally friendly. If I understand you correctly Michael, you feel that COD could benefit from reducing the amount of papers that are printed out again and again with little regard to wasting it. If that’s the case, I couldn’t agree with you more. This is something that is solely up to the individual. Working in a computer lab for 20 hours a week; it saddens me to see how much paper is used and thrown away. However, on the idea of solar power, I have never heard of any schools that are fully powered by solar energy, or even partly powered by solar energy. I think that it’s a definite possibility, but one would first have to look at the costs of buying and installing solar panels on all of the buildings at COD. Also, if some how COD were able to buy all of this and get it installed, what would we do in the winter? Does solar energy work without the sun? One thing that we do in our computer lab to save energy is to shut off the computers when they’re not in use. By doing this we not only save power, but we also save much more. Computers generate a lot of heat, and the more computers that are on, especially in the summer, means that it will take more time and effort to keep the school air conditioned. Also, every computer connects to the COD network. The more computers turned on, the more bandwidth is used, the more money it cost to run. It’s up to each and everyone of us in the community to do our little part even if it is so simple as to use the blow dryers to dry our hands instead of paper towels. It all adds up, and with a little effort from everyone; it will make becoming more efficient as a community a much easier task.
When thinking of different ways that COD and its students could help out the environment, a couple of ideas came to mind. While this does not include the majority of COD’s students, students who live near campus such as myself could be encouraged to ride their bike or take public transportation on days that the weather permits. I also agree heavily with the above postings on the issue of wasted paper. Maybe a loose limit on how much paper a class can use could be set or at least some new ideas on how to conserve paper could be cirulated throughout the faculty. Also, eco-friendly events and efforts could be advertised around campus a little better. Maybe the school could go as far as encouraging the faculty to inform the students of such events and possibly even encorporate these events to the curriculum, or if not relevant, offer extra credit for participation in them.
Well as a studen and employee for the college I do see improvements that are being done to help the environment: the college doees recycle all the paper and also all the trash. In the warehouse they actually go through all of the garbage and separate all the trash that is recycleable, they are also using a new type of fuel that is cleaner used to fuel the campus vehicles these types of improvements will go a long way in the future. The college is trying to become a better school for the environment, but there are some teachers who overboard with paper they really need to pitch in.
A solution i could probably come up with is the settlement and building of green areas. With the new buildings being built on campus and wanting to expand the parking lots little green areas could be left. I think some space should be set aside for green areas because, basically other than the sports fields (which get damaged with use) and a couple trees and grass along the roads of the college, there aren’t as many green areas as in other places.Also us who live close to the college could try walking a little more often to the college.
The first step that COD can take in being environmentally friendly (which they somewhat have by going green) is e-mailing information to students instead of mailing stuff out to us. Every time we add or drop a class or have any updates COD will mail a confirmation to our homes, they should just send an e-mail confirmation. Another step is students and faculty need to always recycle which I believe that COD has made it very easy for us to do so we just need to take the initiative and do so. Some teachers are minimizing on handouts but all teachers should use mycod for handouts, syllabuses, announcements/updates, homework and everything else just like it is done in this class (English 1102). I find it more organized when it is done on mycod anyway. All in class lectures or anything else can be done on overhead projectors or PowerPoint. I saw that some other students had mentioned using solar power to save energy, I don’t know how possible this would be but it is definitely something that should be explored. If we all take action and act responsibly then we can make a difference.
There are many things we can do to improve the environment and contribute to it. For example if many students carpooled or walked, we would be able to reduce carbon dioxide pollution in the air.
Also by using electricity we make power plants and by using fluorescent lighting, we will prevent it, it will also save energy and your money!
Instead of using computers, TV’s, powerpoints as much, which results in major contribution to global warming, teachers instead can use the chalk board.
We could set up bulleting boards with importand information on it, instead of sending copies to every student, and encourage everyone to make copies with soy-based inks which is less toxic.
I agree that one of the biggest things that we could do at COD is cut down the amount of paper that is used. Emailing assingments and letters is a great way to do this. I think it is ridiculous how Michael said his one teacher prints out copies of the Power Point for every student in the class. There is no need for that when they can copy down their own notes from the slides. Another alternative that some of my teachers use is posting the slides on blackboard. This way everyone has access to them without wasting all the paper printing them or copying them down.
A couple people have also mentioned the waste that comes from so many people driving to school. I decided to carpool with my cousin this semester. I drive one week and then she drives the next. Now I only have to put gas in my car like twice a month. If everyone did this think of how much less fuel would be used up. Plus, I save so much money that I would have spent on gas that there’s no excuse why anyone wouldn’t be interested in carpooling!
One other thing we could do it recyle more. I know I’m sometimes guilty of throwing away bottles or papers that could easily be recyled. If everyone made the effort to recyle, it could make a huge difference.
Although not a recent technology, I think people need to be aware of, and use the revolving doors in the school. The revolving door has been around since 1888, why then do people not seem to be able to use them? This summer, I saw a countless number of people walking by the big red stop signs that ask us to use the revolving doors, and exiting out the doors to the sides. I googled how much power you save using revolving doors compared to swinging doors… which is 74%. With such a savings, I hope that all of us can learn how to use revolving doors.
Well, it seems that less and less professors are printing things out which is great, i mean just to think how many less copies are being made every year. I know sometimes it sucks taking down notes, especially if there’s a lot of them, but making compies for each student is ridiculous, and i still know some teachers that do that. And its like, umm hello, are we so lazy that we cant even write for 10-15 minutes, we have to have things handed to us? I also see more recycling garbage cans this year that werent around last year. I think its good that they are everywhere because if they werent people wouldnt recycle at all. But now, because theres a recycling thing next to the garbages, people are just making that conscious choice to put it in the designated garbage. I think on problem that COD can work on is the bathrooms flushing too much. I think like those sensors suck or something because theres some bathrooms that like will flush if you walk by or move in the bathroom. I think its wasting too much water and energy.
Ever since my first day at COD, I’ve noticed that the parking lots have been swamped with cars. I know I am not the only one that has noticed because from what I’ve heard from other students, attending cod, the parking situation is their biggest complaint. Each day, we enter the lot before class circling the lots like vultures, hoping we’re not late for our class. I’ve noticed on the south side of campus, COD is adding additional parking, which may be a good thing, but I think they should take another route to awake from our parking nightmare. Instead COD should invest in getting more buses and making them more convenient for students to use them. In order for me to take the bus each day, I have to drive and extra 10 minutes out of my way just to get to the bus stop. Can’t COD get more buses and add more routes?
Since I have attended COD, I have noticed a great deal of change that our school has been making. For some examples: COD is in the process of building several new builds such as, Nursing, Dental Care, and several others builds that I don’t know the names of yet. They are also working on different Parking lots, sidewalks, and even some landscaping problems. Theses are just some of the new and up coming projects that COD have and will be accomplishing from now until the fall. In my opinion I think that COD has an excellent technology program and the school should be made into a university.
I think that for the future, the key is for Americans to learn to live more simple and within their means. The issue with rising technology and its impact on the environment is sometimes skewed to present technology as the scourge of the environment. This is not the case. Where some technology does polute, we are the ones to blame for the degrading environment. Most people believe that what they do as individuals wont make a difference, so they continue to use resources in excess and take things for granted. But if enough people do this (and plenty do) then there is a big impact on the environment. The solution is moderation. This does not mean that we can’t live comfortably, only that we should live in consideration of how much we use and the need for it. If a store is close by, walk don’t drive, recycle, don’t throw waste anywhere, and simply ask yourself, do I really need this?
I think that a lot has been done at COD to reduce the use of paper for classes, like having students go on to My COD to get their assignments rather than handing out a huge packet to the students for their assignments throughout the semester. The only problem is that all of the teachers don’t require their students to use My COD. I know that out of the four classes that I am taking only two teachers actually use My COD. The other two teachers hand out papers every time that we have an assignment. This problem can be solved by requiring all teachers to use My COD to give out their assignments to students. Also, teachers could require students to email their assignments to them and then the teacher can grade and return the assignment all through My COD or even email.
Another good point that was brought up was the parking situation at COD. People can car pool which will decrease the amount of carbon in the air. But another issue with driving is the fact that there isn’t enough parking which means that instead of a student getting to just pull in to a parking space when they get to school, they have to drive around for 20 minutes when they finally get a parking spot. So COD needs to figure out a way to increase parking spaces or like Brandon said have more buses to pick up students or drop them off at home. Also, having to do with the parking space issue there are always rows of spaces blocked off by cones and no one is even working on that area of the parking lot. So the workers need to make sure that they aren’t blocking off tons of parking spaces when they are not even working on them at that time.
I think the best way to help the enviornment is to use less paper, and use less natural materials. But this is never going to happen. So I think the best way is to convert all school paperwork to online materials. Everything is typed and emailed to the teachers. For the students who do not own a computer, they are the only ones who can hand in paper assignments and the teachers tell them to buy a binder and give them all the handouts at one time. Just one copy, at the end of the term the teacher takes back all the handouts and RECYCLES them. All tests should be done online with timers for the length of the class period. This would help a lot, but many teachers are too old fashioned and won’t use the MYCOD. USE IT! Thats what its there for, to help the enviornment and make our lives easy. Many, many things have to be done to save the enviornment and technology can be a big help, if people are willing to use it and take the time to understand it.
As we may have already realized, Americans now more than ever are having to put their needs before their wants. Technology is a great thing, in my opinion, because not only gets us to where we want to be, but also is very resourcefull when it comes to talking about the environment. Although pollution is stilll an issue, it is not as big of a deal than it could be. The amount of paper that we save by simply blogging or writing emails is amazing. Although a lot would agree, having access to the internet does keep us from the basics such as reading or face to face communication. However, in terms of the environment it is a great thing, which may probebly take a lot of time for the majority of teachers to get used to. I think that MYCOD and Blackboard are great ways to communicate with teachers and students.
I like how the idea of carpooling was brought up as well. Parking is a big issue, and I think that carpooling is an idea that will take a long while for students to do, especially since it is a complicated situation. Realisticaly, students arent going to plan their school schedules around the carpooling time, and not every student gets to or from school at the same time. Howver, I think that this is a great idea for those who can.
When thinking about what COD students and faculty members can do to help out the environment a few things come to mind. I think the most important is using MYCOD instead of handing in hard copies of our assignments. This will help save a lot of paper. I know that most professors have adapted to this change, but some still have not. Not only will it save paper, I believe that it will be a lot easier for the students as well as the professors. For me, personally, it is less time consuming and more convenient to post a journal, homework assignment and even an essay using MYCOD. Also, I think that Jackson brought up a good point about the revolving doors and how much power they would help COD save. I believe that COD is taking a lot of these ideas in consideration and have done a lot to help out our environment.
I think COD is doing its best to make a more environmental friendly campus. COD may be taking small steps, but the small steps will certainly add up over time.
I think using less paper is one thing that COD should definetely try. I receive my class schedule and grades about flour times before and after each semester. I end up throwing away pages and pages of unnecessary and repetitive mail. Teachers can also help out by not handing out so many papers. Almost everyone has a computer and grades, schedules, notes, handouts, and announcements can be all communicated using the internet.
Another step toward a healthier environment is carpooling. COD is a large campus with many students. Even if we, as students, could trade rides with friends even a couple of times a week, it would still be a step toward not only saving gas, but also saving money.
I think COD has done a lot to stay environmentally friendly for example; Using the revolving doors helps save energy. I think what the college could also do is have more ash trays outside for the smokers because it seems as though there aren’t enough of them and smokers just throw them around everywhere. Also, like many others have mentioned I think using MYCod instead of wasting paper would be a good idea, there are still professors that don’t ever even log on to their mycod accounts. I personally wish they would try and learn how to use them.
I feel that COD is on the right track. As I am taking 4 differant classes here, all of my classes make it mandatory to receive my assignments as well as doing assignments online. I feel that this is a great way in helping our enviornment. Although I feel that the books that I have purchased for my classes, are really a waste. I hardly use them since I am able to get the same information online. (and since teachers change them almost every semester we waste A LOT of paper.) I believe that we should be able to view our books on-line (as I do for my workbooks for my classes.) You should pay for a code to go online, and then you can view it this way. And, I feel that everyone should use laptops in school versus writing your notes. Laptops would also make it possible to be able to view your books on-line. (this would also be a lot easier than lunging all your books and notebooks around.) These alone would significantly help out a lot. And I think that we should be able to have some classes via a Webcam. This would reduce the gas used and pollution put into the air. I would also have to agree with the idea of Solar power. It is definatly possible, and COD being an increasingly growing community college, I feel that we can set a great example for neighboring colleges, and business.
Again, we are very capable of these change. I am not saying that we haven’t changed at all, but I feel that we are doing so very slowly.
I feel that COD offers many ways for students and faculty members to be environmentally aware. There are bike racks available, online resources, online class capabilities, recycling bins, etc – but I don’t feel like we take advantage of the things we could do to help our environment. Teachers constantly hand out papers that are more or less useless to most students, when they are more than capable of making the hand out available online to students who would use it. I also see students walk right past clearly designated bins for recycling and throw away their recyclables.
The use of technology in classrooms would be a significant help in doing something for our environment. The use of online blogs, assignments, email, and laptops rather than notebooks or textbooks would greatly decrease the amount of paper the campus uses. There are also online textbooks that are now available and I feel that students should be encouraged to buy these instead of the expensive and heavy textbooks we all carry around with us.
I feel that COD offers many ways for students and faculty to be environmentally aware – and I think that we are all capable of helping in even little ways.
I think that COD is becoming environmentally friendly. I think that there are problems with COD though. One problem is the great amounts of paper being used. For every class you get so many papers for your syllabus and notes and study guides. I think it is wasteful because even though the teachers will print it out and hand it to us they will also post it online which means you can look at it online without having the paper form.
I think that the carpooling idea was good but i don’t know if students will actually do it. I think that its a good solution for the parking lot problem and the environment problem but i don’t think that students will do it. I also like the revolving doors to power some of the campus. I think that electricity is being used so much just because the lights are always on in the halls and the classrooms. COD uses a lot of electricity and that could be a problem for the environment.
As a student at the College of Dupage, i have seen many positive steps in making the college go green. Recycle bins in classrooms, hallways, the library, and in the academic computing center where i am currently at. By having recycle bins in most populated areas will help the college recycle more paper. Technology is certainly a positive these days by using myeconlab for students to view assignments, grades and to communicate to their professors. In classes more students are using Laptops to take notes. In my Economics class all of our homework and quizes are through myeconlab posted on the internet. These are all the positive steps colleges and universities are using to create a cleaner economy. Overall i see that the college of dupage is advancing by new buildings and purchasing more computers and new technologies and is on the right path of going green for our enviroment.