Cabrini University’s newly revived student-run organization, the Green Team, seeks to implement positive change to Cabrini’s current environmental practices.
The organization had previously been active on campus, but it went into a dormant stage for several years when its seniors graduated.
It was not until the Fall 2018 semester when The Green Team began to see signs of awakening.
Transfer student Chardonnay White, junior political science major, expressed interest to Dr. Ray Ward, director of the Wolfington Center, about the then-defunct Green Team.
At her previous college, she was involved with the environmental sustainability club. White mentioned that they planted trees, held clothing drives to reuse clothing and visited recycling plants to learn how they operated.
“My whole life I’ve been just like interested in the environment,” White said. “And like a believer in climate change and trying to find ways to combat that.”
As a transfer student, White wanted to take a semester to get settled before pursuing on-campus endeavors. At the inception of the Spring 2018 semester, White approached Ward to learn more about the Green Team’s efforts.
After finding out, that the organization was no longer active and lacked leadership, White took the initiative to lead The Green Team.
White sees many practices on campus that are not eco-friendly and hopes that The Green Team can change that.
In addition to improving the amount of recycling done on campus, they also have plans to begin a garden and a compost pile on campus. However, the actual location and placement of the garden have yet to be been determined due to the construction on campus.
Another goal is to move away from styrofoam products and switch to biodegradable products for single use food containers.
According to Naturally Savvy, RecycleBank, expandable polystyrene foam, commonly known as Styrofoam, cannot be recycled and takes almost 500 years to decompose. Since it ends up in landfills, the styrofoam can become litter or infiltrate rivers and oceans. Often animals will eat the styrofoam clogging their airways.
White admits that it will be difficult for the school to make the switch since the eco-friendly alternative is more expensive. According to Clean Water Action, the cost per unit for a foam 10 oz cup is $.0020 while the plastic cost for the $.0023. Even though the difference is marginal cost, it does add up in the long run.
“There’s a lot of teaching about care for the earth in Catholic Social Teaching,” Ward said. “Because of the mission of the school that is something that The Green Team can hold up as the standard that we should hold ourselves to.”
Ixchele Ortiz, freshman pre-K to 4th-grade education major, is optimistic about the future of environmental sustainability at Cabrini.
“I’m most excited about the changes we’re going to bring at school,” Ortiz said. “And the ways we encourage other people to do the same thing; help taking care of Mother Nature.”
How can students get involved? Do they need experience?
No, students do not need any experience or prior knowledge. The Green Team is working to increase awareness of the Cabrini community on recycling, sustainability and greenery. Meetings will be held at 1:15 P.M on Mondays in the Wolfington Center.
Questions? Contact Chardonnay White at cew88@cabrini.edu
