So much work goes into Commencement every spring at Columbia, from the awkward bleachers built up over the steps to the hundreds of daffodils that magically appear a few days before Pomp and Circumstance starts playing over the loudspeakers.
It’s worth the effort. Commencement marks the end of a Columbia education, a liberal arts curriculum meant to teach us about ethics, justice, and responsibilities, which is worth celebrating. Of course, built into a major part of this curriculum is the fact that there are multiple ways to define ethics, justice, and responsibilities, and we must learn to debate these with one another.
However, one thing that we can probably agree on, amid all of the debates about what is right, is that the face of the earth is changing forever. Erosion, deforestation, industrial pollution, and other environmental evils are happening, and worsening, whether or not we play politics and call it climate change. Many Columbia graduates of 2009 will go on to address these global challenges. Sadly, some may contribute further to the problems. However, we must all live on this earth together and experience whatever is to come.
When I moved to New York at the age of 18, I had heard of El Niño and considered recycling my empty Diet Coke cans. But coming to Columbia has introduced me to individuals who are firmly committed to changing the world for the better, one tiny step at a time, so that future generations can enjoy the same resources and quality of life that we appreciate today.
I’ve been excited by the progress I’ve seen in the realm of conservation efforts and education about the environment during my years here. The Eco-Reps are extending their influence in student life, the Bhakti club has Indian cooking-class participants bring their own Tupperware instead of using paper plates, and the Earth Institute sponsors students who do outreach and research in environmental science. We now even have a Columbia College graduate in the Oval Office who is not afraid to address the threat of environmental problems.
I’m no activist, and I certainly fail to recycle a water bottle from time to time, but at the very least I have learned from the example of those around me that I can make positive changes in my life to contribute to conservation, even if those changes seem miniscule. I have learned to recognize some of the problems that I’ve contributed to and have begun to do my best to improve my actions, so that just as I learned from the small but worthy efforts of others, I may also change one other person’s behavior for the better.
One way Columbia could take a non-partisan stance on the crucial issue of our environmental future would be by not printing paper programs for Commencement or Class Day this year. Thousands of sheets of paper are used each year to print the names of students and events of the ceremonies. While these are lovely souvenirs for our parents and our scrapbooking activities, many are thrown away in the trash rather than recycled.
Wouldn’t graduation day be that much more meaningful if our University could use it as a platform to make a statement about all the subjects we have studied so dutifully as Columbians? The environment is a responsibility that our class will have to shoulder, and we shouldn’t shy away from it.
Shunning paper programs as a thing of the past would be an extremely easy and impartial way to make a statement supporting the health of our environment. It would also show that Columbia understands that ethics do not just apply to Socrates, but to our daily lives and our futures as global citizens. I would be proud to see my alma mater use technology—the big screens under the tents and the graduation zone Web page—to print Commencement information, rather than produce unneeded paper waste. We’d also save a few bucks, which could be used for other, more meaningful purposes.
One thing I love about Columbia is that we embrace change even more than we embrace tradition. Let’s set a good example when we celebrate our many successes this year and reject paper programs in favor of promoting an environmental conscience.
The author is a Columbia College senior majoring in psychology and anthropology. She is an intern at the Earth Institute Center for the Study of Science and Religion.