With the end to our first day in Zero Waste I feel like I have already learned a significant amount. The readings addressed issues such as consumerism and landfills, as well as illuminating different potential responses that we could have to the damage that is done to the environment. The key concepts that intrigued me the most are those that have to do mostly with waste control, which just so happens to be our big project with the class.

            So far, most of the in-class work and readings outside of class have discussed the issues with consumerism. They highlight some of the ways in which we can spark change, explaining that we need change not only on an individual level, but also on an institutional level. The changes we can make on a personal level include buying from places that treat both the environment and the workers well. I found it interesting that the material we have studied in this class links environmental problems so much with consumerism. This can be helped in some ways by us as individuals, but in order to get actual change, it seems that we also need change on an institutional level. The government should be held responsible for making rules and regulating how stuff is extracted from the earth, processed into goods, and disposed of. This however, calls for the people, us as individuals, to recognize the problems with our system, and to seek change. Right now, as the course material put it, the government is too busy fitting the needs of large corporations instead of protecting and taking care of the people. This is a problem that needs to be fixed in order for improvement to happen.

            Another big issue discussed in our readings is recycling. While each of the readings recognize that recycling is good and that we need to do this to be responsible citizens of the world, they also bring up the problems with it, which include the fact that recycling is not perfect. These limitations made me think about the goals of our Zero Waste class, as well as the other efforts at DePauw in general. Our focus in the class is waste disposal. Currently, DePauw seems to deal decently with waste disposal but there is a significant amount of room for improvement. For example, there are many recycling units spread throughout campus. In some buildings on campus, it is more difficult to find trashcans than recycling bins. Unfortunately, many of these are not clearly marked and can lead to confusion and frustration, as well as limiting the amount of waste that is properly disposed of.

            DePauw seems to have a green mindset, and although this is helpful, there are several things that the university does that can still be problematic. For example, we have ample recycling bins, but the labels cause unnecessary confusion. In addition, it seems that the dining halls and cafés on campus are striving to use greener materials in packaging, which, while helpful, still creates a few problems. For example, the plastic used in some of the containers is labeled as being compostable. At first glance, this seems great. Biodegradable plastic seems like a great solution to many of our pollution problems. Unfortunately, many of these packages are not as great as they seem. Yesterday, we found a package in the Den that was labeled as “compostable.” It was a plasticy material, which seemed odd for composting. Despite this, my roommate and I went on to be happy and proud of the campus for having green packaging. Although this seems to be (and is) a positive step, it can also lead to confusion. The label just says “compostable,” which according to “Compostable Plastics 101,” this means that they can degrade without leaving residue or harmful toxins. This is great, but the label also seems to confuse people. My roommate and I automatically assumed that the “compostable” label meant we could just throw the container in with some worms and that it would all be fine and dandy. This is wrong however, and “Bioplastics designed to be recycled need to be segregated for processing, and bioplastics designed to biodegrade in certain environments need to be delivered to the appropriate environments, such as composting facilities,” (California Organics Recycling Council, 5). Often, compostable plastics should be shipped off to big composting facilities, and although it seems like a nice idea, throwing a cup in a bucket of worms won’t make it decompose like magic. In addition, according to the CORC, biodegradable plastics are often confused and can lead to the contamination of other recyclable products, which does not really solve any problems. Despite this, the efforts made by DePauw to be greener are still helpful, and are good steps to making a greener environment, both on and off campus.