News

Brown leads green charge

Tech’s Sustainable Campus Committee has a new student chairperson this semester.

Senior Lydia Brown was officially elected at Wednesday’s meeting. The committee has 19 student members for the fall semester, including Brown. She is also returning as the recycling coordinator this year.  

Last semester, the committee’s largest endeavor was installing 6 solar powered charging tables. Most of them are outside of residential halls but there are also tables placed at the STEM center.

“The idea seems to be gaining popularity, as there are already requests for more to be purchased,” Brown said. Four more have been approved for purchase.

The committee also did several smaller-scale projects including installing motion-censored LED lights in the Johnson Hall stairways, replacing old light bulbs with new eco-friendly bulbs, and providing more funding for the Bike Share program.

This semester, Brown hopes to add more outside recycling bins around Tech’s campus. She said she feels people are not recycling as much as they could be. She also hopes to implement a form of recycling education.

“Our number one problem is that people say there’s not enough been placed or they don’t know where they are. The one that really gets on my nerves: why would I carry my garbage down a floor when I could just throw it away?” Brown said.

Though some students may be apathetic about going green, the committee’s projects could not be possible without student involvement.

To stay updated on Tech’s Sustainable Campus Committee and its ongoing projects, students can attend the committee’s open meetings. The first meeting is Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m. in the Student Affairs Office.