Maggie's Mind Mumbles: It's Easy Being Green

Contrary to popular belief, it can be easy being green. Sorry Kermit, but you had the wrong idea:

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Besides the literal interpretation of the word, "green" there is also a cultural interpretation. Now it has also been replaced with words like, "environmental," and "sustainable."

When I was in high school I was very passionate about the green revolution. There was an Ecology Club at my school, but at the time most of the students had graduated and only one remained. A friend of mine and my AP biology teacher, who was the club adviser, convinced me to join up. Slowly the club began to gain popularity again and my love for living green became an obsession.

Colorado State University, where I attend school currently, is committed to being the "Green University." They contribute to numerous programs and courses to promote sustainabilty on campus and in life. One of these programs the university offers, and in which I participated in, is to offset some of the energy you pay for in the dorms with wind energy, for a bit higher cost, one of very few universities, which do this (okay that's the end of my spiel about CSU).

My parents have also had a huge influence over my passion for sustainable living. They both possess the same passion and have simply passed it on to me, through the way they view the world and live their lives. I have learned that, in the same way we respect our home, and the people who live within those walls, we must respect the Earth as not only our home but a source of infinite beauty and we must respect all who share this planet with us, no matter their similarities or their differences to oneself.

When I first started studying at CSU, I was an environmental engineering student. After about a year and a half in this program, I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do. While I understand the importance of environmental engineers, they are civil engineers who are more focused on water quality and pollution control, I knew I would rather spend my life preserving, conserving, protecting and enjoying the great outdoors, rather than finding ways to mitigate the damage humans do to the world.

In the time I've spent in the Warner College of Natural Resources Aldo Leopold has become somewhat of an icon to me. In my imagination he is a serene man with a vision of a world where the actions of humans merge seamlessly with the natural environment in which we live.

My next "green" guru: Michael Pollan, is more focused on the food aspect of sustainable living. Really when it comes right down to it, food is the basis of living, without it, and water, we cannot survive. Therefore sustainable agriculture should be our top priority. Michale Pollan, well not him personally but his books, taught me the importance of knowing where our food comes from. We have become a nation of sleepwalkers, following blindly without thinking much about... well anything. This applies to both what we are eating and how we live our lives.