Earth Day has come and gone, and many on campus are thinking about ways to make themselves and their respective greenspaces more eco-friendly and anti-omission in the hopes of lowering their carbon footprint. What the masses don’t know is that these sustainable steps have only a minimal effect on the overall system. 

College students may struggle to think beyond convenience in their daily lives due to their busy schedules, and this has led to an increase in unsustainability on campuses. ISB Global describes unsustainable behavior as doing commonplace tasks like picking up something from a vending machine, grabbing a drink from Starbucks, buying a new outfit online, or anything else in that general realm. In ‘doing what is the most convenient,’ there may be a participation in a global epidemic of, as ISB Global explains, “instant gratification and short-term convenience over long-term sustainability.” This, however, does not mean change cannot be made to offset these environmental footprints, especially with the resources available on the SUNY Geneseo campus.

After 50 years of operations, the last running coal plant in New England, Merrimack Station, is set to conclude all operations in 2028. On Mar. 28, Granite Shore Power—a New Hampshire-based company that “sells capacity and electricity to the ISO New England wholesale electricity market”—announced that they are advancing by shutting down any coal-fired generators at the Schiller Station in Portsmouth by 2025. 

On the morning of Feb. 7, 2024, the neighboring Trinidad and Tobago — countries found off the Northeast border of South America’s residents— awoke to a mysterious sight: their coast was “blackened” by an oil spill from a mysteriously capsized ship. This ever-present ecological issue has left scientists and officials stumped. Currently, there is no exact quantity of oil excreted, no party being held responsible, and no known intention behind the act. The impact of this event on the area’s marine life is clear. 

On Nov. 3, 2023, the parliament of Panama convened and vetoed a private business decision—a deal made with the Canadian drilling company First Quantum Minerals—after being subjected to a month of civil protests, with activists taking the streets, a decision which shows the true power of the civilian voice. This veto terminated a 20-year, possibly extending to 40-year, contract that would give First Quantum Minerals complete control over the extraction and selling of copper found in the country’s largest copper mine.

Over one month ago, on Sept. 11, 2023, the city of Derna, Libya, alongside adjacent towns, experienced the full frontal effects of “Tropical Storm Daniel” in a way that no one saw coming: an area-wide mass flood. This flood resulted from two central dams’ infrastructure failing, not built to withstand the force it was experiencing and broke under the weight, sending over 24 million tonnes of water hurtling toward several unevacuated, densely populated areas, leaving over 4,000 dead and 10,000 missing to this day.