With the second week of the semester coming to a close, most returning students will have roughly outlined a routine for the days ahead and freshmen, atleast a majority of them, would have safely tucked away their campus and Wolfline maps. They have probably discovered how hectic this semester will be for them. Quite a few of you might even be thinking of dropping some classes by now.
Following the politically charged summer, with the nerve-wracking drama in Washington matching the intensity of the sun outside, preparations for an even bigger spectacle—next year’s presidential election—are already underway. For anyone even remotely interested in world affairs and politics, 2011 has been a most eventful year already.
As you get ready to settle down with 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 single one of the 6 billion on our planet: climate change.
Yes, that’s right–it’s still happening. Climate change is as real today as it was during the ‘Hopenhagen’ and Cancun summits these 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 for its part is also not far behind. 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, and it is good to see the University devoting this sizeable chunk of its resources on the technologies of the future.
While most of the research in the University is carried out by the faculty or doctoral students, as students we have the enviable opportunity to be able to devote ourselves to an area of study which is totally of our own choice. Or to even change and develop new areas of interest.
Some of you might believe that climate change is essentially 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 21 st century. Similarly, students in the college of design can think about the materials they use: can existing products be tweaked to incorporate more environment-friendly components? Can natural settings play a bigger role in improving the aesthetics for an architectural project? And so on and so forth.
If all 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, or WESA , are a good place to begin. Just meeting a group regularly will help you be 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.
And if you’re really 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—you’re bound to find someone at the University.
As you prepare for a relaxing weekend ahead, let me ask you to spare a few moments thinking about ways to protect the environment—it still needs our help, and more so with each passing day.
