Opinion: Is UVM As "Green" As They Claim?
The University of Vermont’s sustainability practices are widely focused upon and a major selling point for the institution. Despite a front of eco-friendly buildings, loose green initiatives, and compost bins scattered across campus, the university still has a long way to go in terms of sustainable practices. The environmental program at the school is heavily endorsed and provides a wide array of opportunities to students, but life on campus makes it difficult to be sustainable. Due to budget cuts in certain categories, many students now have to exchange for two out of three meals a day, producing insurmountable quantities of single-use plastics. The University of Vermont does aim for sustainable practices in most categories but a large amount of its efforts are greenwashing. Especially when it comes to food on campus, change must be made.
Greenwashing is a term used when companies use misinformation to sell their products as environmentally friendly in order to capitalize on individuals trying to go green. 46% of consumers globally reported being more inclined to buy a product if it was deemed eco-friendly. This stays the same for affiliations; people are more likely to be a part of an institution that reflects their morals. The University of Vermont frequently boasts about its sustainability practices for this reason, recruiting thousands of students looking to make a difference. While the work of the university in sustainability so far should not be discredited (especially considering UVM’s recent 2030 carbon neutrality pledge) incoming students should be aware of this angling of information to make the campus appear more environmentally-friendly.
One of the largest factors of on-campus life is the food, with nearly all students living in the dorms attending dining halls multiple times a day. The dining halls have sections to properly dispose of waste through composting and recycling but people often are not educated enough to do this properly, especially after compostable packaging was removed. This results in large amounts of food waste or trash in the compost. Additionally, because UVM cut dining staff budgets, the dining halls cannot open all the time- leaving meal exchanges as an alternative. Each meal swipe gives you four items, all pre-packaged. This means that using the two allotted meal swipes a day leaves you with eight items and when this is distributed to the thousands of students that live on UVM’s campus, that means a lot of avoidable plastic is used.
The University of Vermont has the means to get rid of these wasteful programs while still feeding the student body healthily and sustainably. While individuals can make a difference, institutions also can be a powerful mechanism for change. It is important that people are aware of greenwashing and how it can influence our decisions, even when it comes to applying to schools. While UVM has employed sustainable behaviors like bike initiatives, some locally-sourced foods, sustainable buildings, and more, progress is crucial for an eco-friendly future.
