By Kayla Brown, Staff Writer
In honor of Susquehanna’s Earth Month, the Zero Waste Panel was hosted to discuss the challenges that come with living a low-waste life and tips to combat them on April 10 in Blough-Weis Library.
Sustainability Coordinator Derek Martin, Assistant Director of the Susquehanna Annual Fund Leslie Imhoof and senior environmental studies major Jennie Lien acted as panelists.
About 10 people showed up to learn more about living a low-waste life from people who have adapted it into their everyday life, even as college students or parents.
As a mother, Imhoof has focused on keeping not only herself but her whole family waste-free, which often means going the extra mile. She discussed her method of quitting all at once.
For example, Imhoof recalled multiple milestones including getting rid of her family’s trash service and a Gatorade challenge.
She decided one day that she was canceling the trash service, which meant her family had to make conscious decisions regarding the importance of the item versus the waste it would create.
Imhoof also recalled a recurring conversation she had with her son about his want for Gatorade. She allowed him to get one on multiple occasions with the stipulation that it was his job to figure out what to do with it next so that it did not become waste.
Lien, who believes she is near the beginning of her journey, provided many tips from a collegiate student’s perspective.
“Being a college student, there’s only so much I can do,” Lien said.
Lien has found numerous alternatives in her daily life to help her progress to a lower-waste lifestyle. In the way of toiletries, most people are accustomed to using plastic bottles and containers of body wash, shampoo and conditioner, tube toothpaste and many other things that people don’t automatically think of as waste.
Lien offered many alternatives to these necessities: bars of shampoo, conditioner and soap, “toothy tabs” and menstrual cups create less waste.
Martin, the final panelist to speak, admitted to being lured into buying something because advertisements made it seem so important.
He attempts to combat this by sticking to his low-waste lifestyle which is based on buying in bulk, using reusable bags and containers, composting and finding a balance between needs and wants. This could be as simple as buying a 24-pack of toilet paper instead of individually wrapped ones and using a reusable water bottle.
While this may sound challenging, especially for someone who has never been environmentally aware, Martin said, “Eventually, it’s not a change, it becomes a habit.”
This panel was part of Earth Month, an alternative to previous Earth weeks.
During the remainder of the month, there will be a couple of events each week including zero waste lunches in the Dining Hall, short plays to communicate and tell stories of low-waste lifestyles and DIY activities during the Maker’s Fair from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m on April 17 in Mellon Lounge.
The short plays will be put on by students at 7 p.m on April 26 in Issacs’s Auditorium and is not only the first of its kind at Susquehanna, but almost everywhere.
The sustainability department has also challenged Sigma Kappa to “kill the cup,” which means only using reusable cups and bottles for 30 days.
This has resulted in a campus-wide call to action that allows students to use their own mugs for their drinks at the various food locations. As the cups and mugs most frequently used can’t be recycled, it’s imperative to use them less and less.
A low-waste lifestyle and general environmental awareness takes time to adapt to, because as Imhoof said, “The fight is real.”
