On the warmest day in weeks, with just a few clouds spotting the blue sky and the sun’s rays shining down, I decided to take a walk to the Meadows. Leaves crunched under my feet, a Busch Light can glistened in the stream, a colorful cardinal hopped along a broken tree limb, and two shiny Purple Haze raspberry wheat beer bottles sparkled beside a clump of grass.

So began my tally of the trash accumulated in the Meadows.

In less than an hour, I found 22 beer bottles, 21 beer cans, four cups and 22 large pieces of assorted trash, including three flower pots and a lawn chair, as well as three wine bottles. Our Meadows are a mess.

But then again, not just the wooded fringes of our campus are covered in litter. Cigarette butts make cancerous trails to our classrooms, rusted bottle caps are scattered in parking lots and torn, swollen trash bags lean against dumpsters.

We have all heard the stereotype that Guilford is a “hippie haven.” It’s said that all Guilford students wander barefoot (or in the event of cold weather, in Birkenstocks) across campus, their dreadlocks bouncing as they sing folksy melodies about peace, love and environmentalism.

Obviously this is not the case. Students wear hip footwear, style their hair in innumerable ways, and more times than not, our campus’ trashiness overshadows environmental-consciousness.

Several factors are at play with this lack of love for Mother Nature, including many eco-apathetic students and also pseudo-environmentalists who often don’t practice the green politics they preach.

“A lot of it is hypocrisy or just focusing on one thing, like solar power or recycling, while forgetting everything else,” said sophomore Anne Marie Drolet. However, Guilford is trying to be a conservationist campus within the classroom and on the grounds.

“There are far-reaching efforts extending from classes like Environmental Studies 101, all the way to the facilities department,” said Kim Yarbray, former director of sustainability and current interdisciplinary leadership for social change coordinator.
Guilford’s sustainability department is responsible for passing out blue recycling bins and trash bags, offering reusable items for students’ use in the Green Room (King B7), and allowing free usage of the potluck kit.

Sustainability’s recycling slogan is “Close the GAPPS,” referring to recycling glass, aluminum, plastic, paper and steel. But the theme goes beyond the blue recycling bins to involve and encourage the whole community to play an active role in environmental progress.

“Seeing your power as people to actually make change is how we bridge the gaps,” Yarbray said.

To actually make change regarding Guilford’s garbage issue, the college could employ several strategies. Other colleges such as Warren Wilson in Asheville and Berea in Kentucky teach students environmental consciousness by making them responsible for everything from housekeeping to grounds maintenance.

While creating a Guilford student work force and having mandatory attendance to grounds cleanup days are effective tactics, campus cleanliness can be achieved more easily.”You’ve got to have peer pressure,” said Yarbray. “You absolutely must have peer pressure.”

Guilford students already do their fair share of peer pressuring. After months of research, meetings and discussions, we now have a different soda provider for our school and are working on contracting a more environmentally and socially conscious food provider. Our next step is just to start pressuring individuals who continue to toss their trash on our grounds.

So the next time you and your friends head down to the Meadows for a calming nature walk or for a wild outdoor party, bring along a trash bag.