Kory Babcock

3:35-5:35

Project

Environmental Studies Program

            Colleges around the country strive for powerful environmental ethics. Schools at all levels try to influence and make a difference for the living world. Inspired, motivated students volunteer their time in believing what is right. The environmental studies program has been around different colleges for awhile trying to make changes to better their campus. If the program wants to be created, students need to join and make a difference. The environmental studies program would give Fort Lewis a name and show that students care about the environment. The ethical and social implications give the students a feeling of emerging property. If the students of the environmental studies program create a project that changes the face of the environmental center, it will show power, and caring of the program. Which will influence students and create more members.

            Students can enhance the program throughout campus by reaching out to the students. Get people more involved and keep reminding the students about the environment. We need to influence the students to create numbers so the higher authority will recognize how important this program will be for the members. We need to have students be notified and concerned about our campus. Ball State University has a club called the "Green for Green" involving environmental education. They incorporate the club into class rooms of history and English over the summer. I believe students need to escape the class room and learn outside in the trees and grass. It won't seem like much but it will have an affect on those who don't really care about the environment. By surrounding them with nature, over time they will realize the essence of what nature brings. They will soon start to realize and go out of their way to make that extra step of

throwing away their trash or cigarette butts instead of littering. This will bring a great inspiration throughout the student body and will bring a huge promotion to the environmental studies program. If we get most of the current FLC students to just care and do a little bit towards the environment than that will increase the productivity from 22 environmental members to around a couple hundred students. The only thing stopping this great potential is the higher authority of FLC. We live in a town surrounded by spiritual nature and that is way most students come to FLC. With a program that supports our surrounding, students will be more encouraged to come and be part of Fort Lewis College.

            Bringing up the subject and actually going forth with is a different task. The hardest task is persuading the members of the school board to agree with our project. We need to state to the president of FLC, ‘getting students involved in the environment will make the campus a cleaner, healthier atmosphere. It will bring better publicity to our Liberal Arts school.' For the students, we need to make them recognize the affects humans have on the environment. Make the students realized that this is all we have by handing and posting fact sheets around campus. Also, have seminars or activities in the middle of the quad to get students attention. Like during orientation week have a giant ball game going on to bring in the students then tell them about the program and how each student can make a change. With the persuasion of the higher authority and showing students that the environmental center is working hard and trying to make a change, people will recognize the success and will want to be part of the group. People want to be part of something that is powerful and well recognized. People around campus and Durango will support something as great as helping the environment. Reyes Garcia would proudly support this idea. The environmental center would have full support as with the Campus Green Party, and Habitat for humanity led by Keener, Lauri. Also, the Service tree and Sociology Club led by Kyle Conrad.

            The situation the school has encountered is the lack of involvement to the ecology of the campus. People need to open their eyes and realize the essence of our campus community. A club has the power to do anything within limits if it has the right people and influence. The key is to making a change to influence and create an image to where people will listen and take action. We need to get people involved by showing them the power nature brings to us. This could happen by having classes outside or having a summer session with English or history credit and preach the significant of the environment. This can be a possibility through the power of the students. We need to persuade the current students by showing them the greatness of our campus so we can have full effort by each individual instead of just the people in the clubs. Our campus is a beautiful place and by preserving this greatness we need to get every student to realize and have a say in our ecological community.