It is amazing to see the progress WKU has made towards becoming sustainable in its facilities and practices as well as in teaching the values of sustainability to its students, faculty, and staff. Such a push is being made towards ‘going green’ in the media now that the popular buzz word can be tagged to almost anything to make it seem more environmentally friendly, sometimes deceivingly so.
The work I saw as a student at WKU, and now continue to see as an alumni goes beyond just a buzz word though. WKU is putting into practice ‘green’ initiatives, but not just as a plug for good press. The people behind the changes you see are people who understand the driving factors behind sustainable practices, behind ‘going green.’ Those driving factors are about creating a quality of life that can
be maintained well beyond what our current levels of consumption will allow. It is not an easy shift though, and it is the hard work of all those involved that make any of this possible.
Of those striving for a sustainable future, I know many who can hardly bear to think about the disaster that is still poisoning our ocean waters. And the lasting damages from this are still far from over as oil bits enter the food chain and as others possibly migrate out into the Gulf Stream or into open waters. But there are some real reasons to smile too. Hidden amongst the clutter and debris of an over-consumptive lifestyle are a few bright spots that shine with the light of rejuvenation. I am glad to call WKU and my home one of them.
If you are compelled to help this great work as I was and still am, please donate your time and energy to any of the many initiatives happening on campus now. If you don’t have the time but are in a place to assist financially, the newly instated Green Fund helps to make much of this work possible. Support from the WKU community has helped bring us this far, and with the momentum ever rising, helping anew or renewing your ongoing drive to see a better future will bring
positive long term change.
Cheers
Seth Cude - WKU alum
