“Let’s save the turtles,” said someone smart one day, and the whole world reduced their usage of plastic straws.
“That’s not enough,” yell climate change protestors around the world.
“What can we do next?”, asked everybody willing to change.
“Help reduce avoidable single use items,” answered Hannah Dry, the University of Stirling’s Sustainability Officer.
Dry, driven by the dedication of University of Stirling’s Sports clubs, as well as the 752 students and staff member who signed her water fountain petition, is fighting to make our green university even greener.
The road to reducing our university’s plastic footprint and helping to save our planet, starts with one small step according to Dry: “refill [your] own bottles instead of [buying] a single use plastic one”.
What’s more, is that you need to “always be prepared,” she advises. “Bring your own bottles, coffee cup, reusable Tupperware. Challenge those around you, who aren’t engaged. Become more environmentally friendly in everything you do not just reducing plastic water bottles. Engage with the green and blue space and local green campaign groups,” simple as that she says.
Dry’s fight isn’t over yet. While her petition was a clear success , she does not stop there and is already planning what to target next – plastic used in the labs and its recycling, as well as single use coffee cups around campus.
“Change is coming, whether you like it or not,” insists Greta Thunberg.
And you can help. All you need to do is “reconnect yourself back to the natural world and understand that everything we do has an impact on it,” adds Dry.
Featured Image: Pexels.com
Film, Media and Journalism student at the University of Stirling. Sports editor @ Brig Newspaper. Bylines in Edinburgh Evening Times and the SPA National Magazine.