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One of the primary goals of ESW/MOSS is to increase the level of student awareness toward environmental issues. We try to impart the importance of such issues as energy and water conservation, protection of biodiversity, and conscious use of resources. This has taken many forms, ranging from field trips and hikes to on-campus movie nights. A full list of these projects is given below.
Reusable Mugs and Compostable Cups
One of the principal problems noticed by ESW/MOSS during the first meetings of the club was the presence of styrofoam cups on campus in the dining hall and at all complimentary coffee machines. Seeing this as an unwise use of resources, the club worked with HMC Dining Services to have these styrofoam cups replaced by eco-friendly compostable cups. The new cups decompose much more rapidly in a landfill environment, and could be thrown into a compost pile along with organic wastes to create mulch for gardening.In addition, ESW/MOSS, along with the HMC Center for Environmental Studies and the HMC Office of Student Accounts, sponsored the purchase of reusable mugs for all students. The mugs were distributed during financial registration, an event when all students are present. This measure was enacted in order to promote reduction of waste among the students. By using the reusable mugs in place of the compostable cups, the amount of waste discarded by students and faculty could be greatly reduced. Movie NightsFilms provide a medium for addressing large issues succinctly and in an understandable format. Since it is easier and more enjoyable to watch a movie than read a pamphlet, one of the main ways ESW/MOSS fosters a sense of awareness of global issues is through on-campus movie nights. These are designed to alert students to topics such as the importance of biodiversity, wise resource use, and the crisis of global warming. To this end, films such as Planet Earth, Who Killed the Electric Car?, and An Inconvenient Truth have been shown.
These events are usually held once or twice a semester, either to coincide with another activity, such as Earth Week or the Dorm Energy Competition, or by themselves as movie nights where students are encouraged to come out and join us. At these events, food is provided and discussion is fostered by ESW/MOSS members. We are always looking for more suggestions as to films to show or for other venues or media outlets through which we can increase awareness of these issues.
Field Trips and Hikes
The third awareness initiative focuses on local challenges and how they relate to the global environment. Through ESW/MOSS-sponsored hikes in the local San Gabriel Mountains and the neighboring Bernard Field Station, HMC students can get in touch with nature and experience the wonders around them. In addition, field trips to LEED certified buildings such as the RAND Institute in Santa Monica and to nearby water treatment plants offer opportunities to see new solutions to problems associated with resource management. During Earth Week in 2008, ESW/MOSS also sponsored a beach cleanup in Orange County. We hope that these trips help students understand how actions within the local community affect problems facing the globe as a whole. Further, we hope this understanding will lead students to act and expand upon the lessons they have learned in the field.
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