Day 10: Education is the Solution

Pretty average day – the day after meal prepping is over.

Brought my Mediterranean salad lunch to the library, no microwave needed!

For dinner, I just popped my food in the microwave and put the sticker from the apple in my trash bin.

In the last two days, I kept forgetting to take those napkins and chopsticks from the restaurant to a compost bin. However, I did remember today as I left to go to the Michigan Union for a small meet-up. Surprisingly for a brand new building with a food court, there was no compost bin. Seems like the outside restaurants, in the food court, do not participate in the same sustainability efforts as the rest of the University. I do wonder how long it will take for it to become commonplace to have compost bins next to trash and recycling bins, but I am very glad to be on a campus that is big on sustainability. According to this study comparing a school with a composting program and one without, students with compost knowledge was positively correlated to positive composting and environmental attitudes, as well as environmental beliefs that individual actions matter. The study also found that students gained more compost knowledge throughout college, which is promising because it shows passive educational efforts, through signs and booths, do effectively relay compost knowledge. This is why it is so important to develop the knowledge of the general public, not only about composting knowledge, but also about how to be a well-rounded environmental steward.