The visit to the sustainability office showed me how important that being sustainable is necessary for protecting Earth, and how hard OSU works to make sure they are helping out. Oklahoma State University has a furniture shop where they reupholster furniture so it can be used as long as possible. OSU also has a recycle and compost center where they bale cardboard to be recycled, and make compost for the landscapes around campus. On this trip I also learned many other things about sustainability. If these sustainability efforts at OSU did not exist the University would be paying a lot more money for energy they get from the windmills, and lower disposal costs. Without these efforts OSU would miss out on the improved human health, and improved quality of life. 

Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. I also learned that the three pillars of sustainability are people, planet, and profit. I also learned that all things on the Earth are connected and that there are consequences for all actions. I also learned that turning the light off for 23 seconds at the least makes a difference in energy consumption. Since the sustainability trip I have made a few changes in my life to the things that I have learned. I have started turning the light off every single time I leave a room, which is something I didn’t do before because I thought it wouldn’t make that much of a difference. I also now know that the recycling plant doesn’t count cereal boxes as cardboard, so I no longer put those boxes in the cardboard recycling bin. I also make sure to recycle all papers that i am finished with instead of throwing them away. 

My question for the class is: After this 8 week course ends how will you continue to change your life to be more sustainable?