Post by Lydia Nickolas

Today, October 31st of this year, the global population hit a total of 7 billion. In my short lifespan, I’ve passively borne witness to the addition of nearly two billion people to our globe. As the population continues to increase at an exponential rate, more people will lead to a greater amount of pressure on a limited number of resources. This strain can only be ameliorated through a sweeping paradigm shift that leads to a permanent change in our beliefs and behavior as a community.  It is exactly this type of change that I see Dr. Fisher and his student/intern staff facilitating on our campus and in the broader community. The creation of the Office of Sustainability is something long overdue, and because of this fact I believe there will be a large amount of obstacles to overcome in terms of cooperation between the groups required for the implementation of various goals, projects, and changes. Many of these obstacles and much of the hesitancy that may be encountered is something that can be easily dispelled through education and discourse, as Dr. Fisher suggested at the Green Bag Lunch last Wednesday. Due to the rather fluid nature of the definition of sustainability, instituting sustainable actions means different things for different individuals; larger entities and a vast degree of opposition that is voiced in response to a movement towards sustainable practices is based on a failure to see that these practices reduce both cost and impact in the long term. I feel ecstatic about the energy and enthusiasm that is being spread through both the Office of Sustainability of Green CofC and hope to continue to be a part of it.