With the second week of the semester coming to a close, most returning students will have roughly outlined a routine for their days ahead. Freshmen, at least a majority of them, will have safely tucked away their campus and  Wolfline  maps and discovered how hectic their semesters will be. Quite a few of you might even be thinking of dropping some classes by now.  

As you get ready to settle down into this semester, let me bring back to your attention a global issue which may not be in vogue with the media anymore, but still impacts every one of the nearly 7 billion people on our planet: climate change.

Yes, that’s right–it’s still happening. Climate change is as real today as it was during the Copenhagen and Cancun summits in the past two years. While discussions about climate change are extinct in the media today, researchers around the world are busy trying to find solutions to avert the crisis.

N.C . State isn’t far behind in the quest to find solutions. The interest in climate change at the University is heartening. According to the University’s Sustainability Office, close to 60 percent of the research currently taking place is related to energy in some way or the other. This is a reassuring figure indeed. Alternative energy technologies are going to play a key role in any economy in the foreseeable future. It is good to see the University devoting this sizeable chunk of its resources on researching the technologies of the future.

Some of you might believe that climate change is a scientific or environmental problem, but believe me, whatever college you are in, every single one of us can contribute in some way in saving the environment. For instance, the College of Management can focus on management practices that define an efficient and more resource-friendly workplace in the 21st century. Similarly, students in the College of Design can think about the materials they use: can existing products be tweaked to incorporate more environmentally friendly components?  Can natural settings play a bigger role in improving the  aesthetics of an architectural project? We can all take part in protecting the environment.

If all of this sounds a little too much, for starters, you can join a relevant student organization and meet people who are concerned about sustainability. Groups like the  WolfPack Environmental Student Association are a good place to begin. Just meeting a group regularly will help you become more aware of the situation. You can also attend or organize a few events relating to sustainability with your student organization and help spread the word.

If you’re interested in making a serious contribution, try to get in touch with a professor who has a research interest in some aspect of climate change.  As students we have the enviable opportunity to be able to devote ourselves to an area that is totally of our own choosing.  If you choose to help in this cause, you’re bound to find someone researching at the University who shares your interest.

As you prepare for a relaxing weekend ahead, let me ask you to take a few moments and think about ways you can protect the environment—it still needs our help, and more so with each passing day.