Are you suffering from green guilt?
Nowadays, we are constantly reminded of the need to 'Go Green'
Amy Perkins
Issue date: 3/16/10 Section: Opinion
I have a problem. It's what I call "green guilt." It's not that I turn green because I feel so guilty, it's that I feel guilty for not being green enough.
From March 29 to April 3, Downtown Campus celebrates Nature Awareness Week. The week is full of events focused on nature, our environment, and our community. This is Downtown Campus's 3rd annual event, which started in 2007 as a response to the fact that the campus is an urban campus. Students do not get to enjoy the natural surroundings found at South, North and even Kent Campus.
Restricted access to natural environments may have major consequences according to Richard Louv, in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods. The nature deficit disorder Louv describes results from a lack of time spent outdoors in natural environments. As green spaces decline, parents worry that their children are no longer playing outside because computers, video games, and other electronic media further lure them back indoors.
So what's the big deal? The impact may affect both the individual and the community. Obesity is one widely discussed result of inactivity. Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign was launched because childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. According to letsmove.gov, nearly one-third of US children will eventually suffer from diabetes. The outlook is worse in the African - American and Latino communities, where the ratio is almost one in two.
Many Florida State College at Jacksonville students have grown up experiencing the same issues described by Louv. Other students that are parents are exposing their children to those issues.
Aside from health risks to children there are health risks to the planet. We don't appreciate the resources we have, like the St. Johns River, and we aren't taking care of them. We waste resources and we pollute our planet. "Reduce, reuse, recycle" is a catch phrase that really needs to catch on.
Are we as a state college community suffering from nature deficit disorder? The college constantly promotes the technology available to students in computer labs and online and even requires that students develop information literacy. What we might need most is to work on our environmental literacy and hold class outdoors or study under the tree growing outside the classroom. Let's try reducing screen time and increasing green time.
My green guilt runs deep for lots of reasons. I drive to work everyday. When I forget my water bottle, I drink from a Styrofoam cup. My 3-year-old son loves playing video games. I think about it each day, what can I do today to help this planet, my family, and this community? I hope the college can develop some green guilt too, and that we decide to do something about it.
From March 29 to April 3, Downtown Campus celebrates Nature Awareness Week. The week is full of events focused on nature, our environment, and our community. This is Downtown Campus's 3rd annual event, which started in 2007 as a response to the fact that the campus is an urban campus. Students do not get to enjoy the natural surroundings found at South, North and even Kent Campus.
Restricted access to natural environments may have major consequences according to Richard Louv, in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods. The nature deficit disorder Louv describes results from a lack of time spent outdoors in natural environments. As green spaces decline, parents worry that their children are no longer playing outside because computers, video games, and other electronic media further lure them back indoors.
So what's the big deal? The impact may affect both the individual and the community. Obesity is one widely discussed result of inactivity. Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign was launched because childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. According to letsmove.gov, nearly one-third of US children will eventually suffer from diabetes. The outlook is worse in the African - American and Latino communities, where the ratio is almost one in two.
Many Florida State College at Jacksonville students have grown up experiencing the same issues described by Louv. Other students that are parents are exposing their children to those issues.
Aside from health risks to children there are health risks to the planet. We don't appreciate the resources we have, like the St. Johns River, and we aren't taking care of them. We waste resources and we pollute our planet. "Reduce, reuse, recycle" is a catch phrase that really needs to catch on.
Are we as a state college community suffering from nature deficit disorder? The college constantly promotes the technology available to students in computer labs and online and even requires that students develop information literacy. What we might need most is to work on our environmental literacy and hold class outdoors or study under the tree growing outside the classroom. Let's try reducing screen time and increasing green time.
My green guilt runs deep for lots of reasons. I drive to work everyday. When I forget my water bottle, I drink from a Styrofoam cup. My 3-year-old son loves playing video games. I think about it each day, what can I do today to help this planet, my family, and this community? I hope the college can develop some green guilt too, and that we decide to do something about it.
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