Grand Valley State University is continually recognized and awarded for its sustainability efforts. From environmentally-friendly windows in the library to sustainability stations positioned around all on-campus cafeterias, the university seems to be making sustainability a priority. Now, it’s time students at GVSU value this practice as well.

In the Lanthorn article “Cleaning up from the tailgate season,” the Zero Waste Initiative was addressed. Through this program, GVSU competes with other universities to record the least amount of waste that is sent to the landfill after football games. At the last game, volunteers sorted through over 1,000 pounds of trash in the name of sustainability.

The majority of the trash collected at football games comes from the designated tailgate areas. Tailgate participants often leave unwanted materials, like beer cans, on the ground without thinking about who cleans up after them.

Students can contribute to sustainability efforts at GVSU through extremely easy practices. When you throw trash and recyclables away, make sure to put it in the right place to make it easier on the environment, as well as the volunteers who organize recyclable materials. If you are unsure of where something goes, take a couple additional seconds to look at the pictures on the stations to make an educated decision.

For students that want to get involved past the football season, GVSU’s campus dining helps add to sustainability efforts. They offer various bins where you can place recyclables, landfill items and compostable things. Each bin has pictures on the side that show which items to place in which one. Taking a few seconds to read these not only helps make the university a more environmentally-friendly place, but it also aids the workers who have to sort out all of the trash at the end of the day. It’s as simple as reading a picture book, but some members of the GVSU community are so lackadaisical that even that seems to be too much effort. All Lakers can at least put forth the time and energy to match their trash with the pictures on the proper receptacles. Additionally, all campus dining locations offer $1 coffee refills to those who bring their own cup. Reusing cups also reduces waste.

These efforts to keep the university up to the aesthetic and environmental standards we have come to expect should be something students participate in on a regular basis. Even if you cannot attend scheduled clean-ups and other events, every student can do their part in the sustainability effort by being engaged with the aim of the university in this matter.

After all, students do make up the largest population at GVSU. This is our home. Let’s treat it as such.