Present Day
Today, because the University of Illinois has made so many great strides in making the university a plcae of enviornmental friendliness, activism nowadays has decreased in its necessity. Although it is still important to keep up activsm to maintain pressure on the university so the trend of positive environmental decisions will be made, activism was much more necessary at a time when green improvements were hardly being made like they are today. Fortunately, our university has taken on a role at the helm of becoming a green university and has pledged to become carbon neutral by te year 2050. With this pledge, the university has begun to commit a lot of money to bringing the univreisty into the 21st century and prove it is a national leader in positive forward thinking environmental decisions.
The Students for Environmental Concerns continue to push UIUC to move past coal by ending its continued usage at the Abbott Power Plant and divest the $5.1 million currently invested in coal companies with the universities endowmment. Protests are still held by students in opposition of the choice to not divest even after voting has shown both faculty and students approve of divestment. The biannual Green Observer continues the work done by the Resources periodical published so many years ago. Activism against bad energy practices by the university is still fully alive and well. Although many of the issues of thirty years ago are gone, there is still a need for hardworking students to make sure UIUC is not cutting corners and is one the right track toward becoming a carbon neutral campus.
Critical Conclusion
In making conclusions about this topic, it is obvious that UIUC is on the right path toward becoming a leader in environmental ingenuity and developing positive environmental policies. As a student I'm thrilled to attend a university so dedicated to eliminating its effect on the environment as global warming becomes more of a threat. Student Activism on campus regarding energy has become far less of a neccesity than it was several decades ago. After researching this topic one can conclude that the University of Illinois is on the correct path and that student activism at this point is needed only to make sure that this trend continues. Some may disagree, but I believe that student activism on today's campus needs to be focused on groups and organizations outside of the unviersity. By engaging the university's clubs, greek houses, organizations, and everything in between, the effectiveness of the activism will be far higher. It is difficult to engage the students and groups on campus in this manner, but time spent on curbing the use of energy and increaasing other green practices in houses, apartments, and dorms could have a far more profound effect than continuing to hammer away at an administration that has shown it is committed to the environment. While it is still necessary to keep a watchful eye on the university and work toward a divestment in coal, student activists should begin to turn some of their attention toward the people who make up the university.
As a member of a greek organization, and one who lives in a fraternity house where environmental friendliness is near the bottom of the list of priorities I can attest that there is plenty of work that can be done to educate and push groups like these toward making better environmental decisions. Some steps that could be made would include having philanthropy events aimed at creating a more earth friendly environment, whether through recycling or simply raising money for these environmental efforts. Another tactic could be to encourage those in apartments or houses to ask their energy provider or landlord about switching to energy generated renewably, instead of from a non-renewable source. Many students and groups could also work towards being more efficient with their energy or updating buildings to higher environmental standards. These are only several suggestions in attempting to make the UIUC campus a more earth friendly place, which can be done by educating students, knocking on doors, or through many other tactics. In summation, as a student I am happy with the way the University of Illinois has taken on the environmental challenges that face society, now it is time to shift some attention to the students that are apart of this great institution.
