Striving to be eco-friendly is not just about attaining a trendy, chic status for aesthetic reasons. Sustainability is a crucial quality that all institutions should seek.
The proposal to create a green roof above the Graduate Students’ Association’s (GSA) lounge is exactly the type of initiative that Carleton should be supporting in order to make progress in this area; green roofs reduce the amount of energy buildings consume.
But the students spearheading this project say administration is holding back support and failing to tell them why.
If the GSA’s green roof proposal is flawed, these students deserve to know what the obstacles are.
It’s not like these plans were thrown together spur-of-the-moment; they have been deliberated and drawn up through much effort and the students seem to be ready to get the project started. Yet the university is not rewarding these students for the forward-thinking initiative they’ve taken — rather counterintuitive for an educational institution, wouldn’t one think?
By standing in the way of this group of students’ desire to construct a green roof, Carleton is damaging its image as an innovator. The school is also hurting its reputation among ecologically-conscious graduate students. If the administration were to support the students’ endeavour, the university would attract more green-minded students; this would better equip the school to tackle future projects aimed to improve campus sustainability.
Sustainability is a shared responsibility between all members of the university community. If students are showing an eagerness to do their part, administration should welcome their efforts and treat them as partners