It’s only been a week since visiting the Sustainability Office at OSU, but I already find myself changing my habits at home. I thought it was very interesting that if you’re leaving the room for only 23 seconds, it is worth turning off your lights. Because of this, I’ve been turning off the lights in my house more frequently. I was shocked to learn that some of OSU’s furniture has been there since the 1920s because it is repaired so well. This shows that OSU has made sustainability a priority for almost 100 years. If this program had not been started, there would be an exorbitant amount of waste from OSU’s campus that did not occur. 

            I also walked away with almost a greater sense of pride towards being a student at OSU because of the fact that we reuse all of our compost – so not only is it from Oklahoma, it’s from our very own campus. I also loved that 40% of the food comes from Oklahoma. Not only is the recycling program good for OSU and the planet, but it’s also a money source because the recyclables are sold to the highest bidder, that is being paid for others’ waste. How much waste could fill the exact compost area we visited if no one cared about sustainability and did something about it for our campus? Would waste be an irreversible problem at this point? What if the leadership in our country prioritized sustainability the same way that the leadership at OSU prioritizes sustainability? I love how sustainability is a priority for Oklahoma State and is only increasing as time goes on.