Red, Green, & Blue

The Colors of Ole Miss

Rising electric bills and the cost of gas are not the only things making people want to start saving energy. It pays off to reduce, reuse, and recycle. And at the University of Mississippi, students celebrate this idea with Green Week and their Green Initiative.

Stated as part of the University’s policy on conserving energy, “We will look for opportunities to collaborate with the community, the state, and the region because we can achieve more by engaging in partnerships than we can achieve by our individual efforts in the pursuit of environmental progress.”

During UM’s Green Week, Oxford and the Ole Miss community have come together in an attempt to “go local” and better the community. Buying food and goods locally puts money back into the pockets of the town and its residents.

Recycling bins are scattered across the Ole Miss campus, as well as various drop off locations throughout town. Programs such as Rebel Pedals, Power Down for the Planet, and the Green Grove Campaign encourage students to contribute in reducing waste, power, and pollution on and near campus.

Ole Miss has recently partnered with energy company, SmartSynch, in efforts to monitor and utilize energy throughout campus in several buildings such as The Lyceum and J.D. Williams Library.

UM director of campus sustainability Jim Morrison says, “Being environmentally responsible is an integral part of the Ole Miss culture and having SmartSynch on board with our sustainability efforts by supplying its SmartMeters significantly strengthens our ability to optimize our operational efficiency.”

Studies show in 2010 that the city of Oxford had an air pollution index of 94 compared to the national average of 92 in Mississippi and 100 in the United States.

This year’s Spring 2011 Green Week inspired students and faculty to be conscious of our waste. Many pledged to start practicing habits that make a difference such as riding a bike to class, turning off the water while brushing teeth, or even putting a rain barrel outside your house.

Many people today carry the stigma that their individual effort to be green will go unrecognized. But it is the actions of individuals that form the bigger impact on our communities and our ecosystems.

The smallest actions are the biggest actions.

Going green doesn’t have to mean changing your life. Ole Miss knows going green means changing for the better.