Share environmental responsibility

As Earth Day approached and passed for another year, we are reminded of our duty to do our part in saving our planet.

As Americans each year we throw out more than enough trash to fill a 24-lane highway about one-foot deep from Boston to Los Angeles.

Each day, every one of us produces 3.5 pounds of trash.

We produce enough diapers every six hours to fill a barge half a city block long. Think about it: gazing at a serene, flowing waterway as some monstrosity floats by, followed instantaneously by an all-out olfactory attack of digested mashed carrots and peas.

We use one-third of the world’s paper, and 27 percent of the aluminum.

But trash is not all we dump. Each year, we generate enough hazardous waste to fill the New Orleans Superdome, a stadium that boasts a diameter of 680 feet and a capacity of 100,000 people for conventions, more than 1,500 times.

The University of La Verne is not independent of America’s trash problem. We are as guilty as the rest of our nation.

In the month of February, Leopards walked out Davenport’s door with more than 2,450 to-go containers and sipped from more than 3,100 disposable cups.

Students in the dorms leave their lights and computers on all day simply because they can.

Well, it is time to help out. Our landfills are overflowing, our water supply is constantly suffering and our fossil fuels are dwindling.

It is time to better our world, starting right here, at ULV.

Even though the 33rd anniversary of Earth Day has passed this year, the proverbial slogan, “everyday is Earth Day” must ring true here, on our campus.

Water can be conserved. When brushing your teeth, never let the water run. This can save up to four gallons each time you brush. If each person does this, brushing twice a day, that is eight gallons per person per day. With 522 students on campus, we can, as a community, save well more than 4,100 gallons of water per day.

We can also cut paper usage nearly in half by simply using both sides of a sheet of paper and reusing scrap paper.

For those who drive cars, there is a plethora of options for helping out.

First off, maintain your vehicles as much as possible. Money is not always a luxury college students have, but make vehicle maintenance a priority. Your cars will run better and it will help the environment.

For instance, one simple way to help out is maintaining properly inflated tires. This will increase fuel economy.

Also, carpool when possible. Go with your friends to cosmic bowling and on your late-night trips to Jack in the Box, Carl’s Jr. and Del Taco.

When sitting in the perpetually annoying Los Angeles traffic, shut off your car if you are idling for more than 30 seconds.

This cuts down on vehicle emissions.

Sodexho also provides tips for conserving trash and other items.

To cut back on the number of to-go containers, just dine in.

Do not hoard nor waste napkins. If you are eating ribs, OK. But if you are eating a salad with no dressing, you are not going to need to take your weight in napkins.

Take only one cup for each meal.

Sodexho is also running a Recycle Mug Program next fall, where students can purchase a mug for discounted prices on coffee and soda. 15 cents of each mug purchased goes to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Finally, one of the easiest ways is through recycling. It only takes two-thirds the amount of energy to manufacture a glass bottle from a recycled bottle rather than from scratch.

In fact, glass bottles can take up to one million years to decompose in our nation’s landfills. Aluminum cans take up to 80-100 years to waste away, so recycle your Coors Original cans, ULV.