As this freshman class gears up to elect its new class board and Undergraduate Assembly members, what student government can and should do will be on the minds of many students.
We recognize that there are hundreds of things the UA can devote its energy to; last year it passed proposals for smoke-free dorms and co-ed housing, among others. However, there is one program that would both be effective and have a positive outcome for everyone. The UA should work to extend Penn's on-campus recycling program to off-campus residents.
There are several reasons we believe this would be effective. First of all, the simple fact is that a tremendous number of Penn students, especially graduate students, live off campus. The large amount of recyclable material that these students produce is, for the most part, being throw away. While the most dedicated of environmentalists may walk their recylables to one of the small on-campus recycling cans, the reality is a lot of that material simply gets tossed.
As off-campus students tend to be not only older but also out from under the watchful eye of the college house system, it is also safe to say that as a group they tend to generate a fair amount of cans and bottles.
All Penn really needs to do is add a few strategically placed, large recycling dumpsters near concentrations of off-campus housing and add those locations to the pick-up route.
While it would mean an increase in manpower, it hardly seems a devastating one, and the return would be of great benefit. Although it may seem that Penn would be imposing by adding recycling bins to what are technically off-campus properties, the reality is that Penn owns enough of the off-campus real estate that it could do this effectively.
While people may differ on environmental issues related to the election, recycling remains a simple and effective way to help the environment, regardless of how much help you think it needs. The UA would take a strong step forward early in the year by approaching the administration about this issue.
