English 150 P.

Fender

Tyler Havel

10/9/13

Live Green! Initiative Sweeping the Campus

Going Green is a concept that has been sweeping the nation for the past ten years now. People have been trying to find different ways to save the environment and promote a greener Earth, whether that be from conserving energy, recycling, or just keeping the Earth clean from trash and debris. There are many different organizations that try and promote the Going Green lifestyle, but none of them do it better than Iowa State Universitys Live Green! Initiative. Although it has a very short history, it is a rich one. Iowa States Live Green! Initiative was founded in 2008 by ISU President Gregory Geoffry. The Live Green! Initiative is the latest of a long line of efforts to maintain sustainability on Iowa States campus. The University was founded in 1858. Since
(Live Green! Initiative Website, ISU)

then they have done many things to combat

environmental destruction. ISU has been involved in lowering power plant emissions, the incorporation of green buildings, alternative transportation, and many more programs that promote the Live Green concept. With ISUs history of helping to make this a greener planet it is easy to why live green was created. The Live Green! Initiative works very hard to implement programs to keep the campus as clean and energy efficient as possible. Their mission statement is, Encouraging all faculty, staff and students to be fully committed to and engaged in making our campus, its operations, and initiatives as green as possible (Live Green! Initiative,web). In reality it is a pretty simple mission statement. It doesnt ask for a lot, just that faculty, staff, and students engage in
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making the campus green. It seems like a pretty simple concept at first glance, but Live Green! Initiative has taken it way further than just recycling papers. They work to implement core environmental strategies throughout the curriculum, campus operations, and construction projects. They also continue to do research on ways they can improve the environment. Live Green! does so much for the environment, but why? The goals of the The Live Green! Initiative are; to be a leader in sustainability among land grant institutions, and to recognize that the involvement and dedication of every member of ISU community is critical to achieving this goal. President Geoffry knew this was going to be a tedious process, so he created a tool to help people succeed in fulfilling his goals. President Geoffry created the four pillars: establishment of the Presidents Advisory Committee on Energy Conservation and Global Climate Change, establishment of a Living Green! Revolving Loan Fund, hiring a Sustainability Director, and completion of a Sustainability Symposium for all university staff, faculty, and students. These four pillars were implemented to ensure that everyone on
Represents the four pillars

Iowa States campus had the resources available to them to succeed in the Live Green! Initiative. The program ties in really well with the Iowa State Universitys mission statement and the Land-Grant status of the university. The Live Green! Initiative provides as a backdrop to the goals of Iowa State University by providing a positive environment for students to learn. It helps

English 150 P. Fender

Tyler Havel

10/9/13

to attract the brightest students to campus. It also provides a place for personal growth and development of students which leads to success in the future. It helps to uphold the Land-Grant status of the university by sharing the knowledge of preserving nature and living green throughout the university and outside communities. The Live Green! Initiative also works to keep Iowa States campus as one of the top three in the country. This helped me, along with many other students, decided ISU was the place they wanted to go to school. When I came to Iowa State on a college visit I knew it was the place for me. One of my big deciding factors was the fact that I loved the beauty of the campus. It provides an excellent place for a person to grow as a student and as an individual. I feel very strongly about the Live Green! Initiative because it makes a huge difference for everyone on campus. I enjoy how they give you simple changes that you can implement into your life to help the campus go green. It takes very little effort and you can make a big difference on campus. Getting involved in the organization is very easy to do and is something that everyone should consider. It is not a huge time commitment. It is as simple as shutting off the lights when you are not home or recycling papers instead of throwing them away or unplugging your phone charger when its not being used. The Live Green! Initiative gives many tips on how a person can make simple changes to their everyday life to benefit the Earth. These tips can easily be found on their website. Another way, a person can get involved includes joining a student group or campus organization that supports the Live Green! Initiative. A person can also sign up to do volunteer work. The organization is always looking and thrilled to have volunteers that are willing to serve to protect the environment.
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In conclusion, the program does nothing but good things for the Iowa State Universitys campus. Over the past ten years many positive changes have been made to the campus to make it a cleaner and more energy efficient university. The Live Green! Initiative will continue to work hard to keep ISU as one of the top campuses in the nation. Now it is up to you to do your part.

Work Cited
"Live Green! Initiative ." Iowa State University . N.p., 1 October 2013. Web. 7 Oct 2013. <http://www.livegreen.iastate.edu/>. Live Green! Initiative . N.d. Photograph. Iowa State University , Ames, IA . Web. 7 Oct 2013. <http://www.livegreen.iastate.edu/marketing/>.

Working Toward a Sustainable Future. N.d. Photograph. Iowa State University , Ames, IA . Web. 7 Oct
2013. <http://www.livegreen.iastate.edu/marketing/>.