School of Management senior Matt Messer said the best way for Boston University students to spark conversations about sustainability is to join together and educate each other.
“BU is such a great place for so many people to learn so many things that all of us have a small amount of expertise in a lot of different things,” Messer, a member of the Net Impact e-board, said.
A group of 16 Boston University students met for the latest meeting of Sustainability Sundays at the Blue State Coffee house Sunday night to explore energy-related issues in the United States.
The meeting, hosted by BU’s Net Impact chapter and the Student Union Environmental Coalition, engaged students in dialogue about why U.S. energy policies pale in comparison to those in other countries.
Students compared the process for receiving and renewing tax breaks in the country to those in countries such as Germany and Australia. A number of U.S. energy companies let their tax breaks expire, renewing them only after they see a decline in their businesses, students said.
This meeting marked the third of Sustainability Sundays, during which the student groups lead debates about environmental issues.
“Our goal is to prepare them for the feedback they’ll hear when they talk about these subjects with their friends,” Messer said.
Other topics that have been discussed include the Keystone XL pipeline and worldwide government policy on investing in new technologies.
With Sustainability Sundays, the groups aim to take people beyond the usual presentations about sustainability and engage them in debates that can raise awareness about why these issues exist.
The student groups choose to work with Blue State Coffee because of its commitment to promoting sustainability, said SMG senior Jaime Silverstein, vice president of Campus Affairs for Net Impact.
Blue State Coffee hosts sustainability events, recycles and donates 2 percent of its profits to charity.
Ryan Ludwig, manager of Blue State Coffee, said he works to ensure everything is done with consideration to its environmental impact.
“Every spoon, every cup is recyclable,” he said. “We also compost the coffee grounds, which a lot of other coffee shops don’t take the time to do.”
Sustainability Sundays has garnered attention from not only students, but also people outside of BU, Ludwig said. The number of attendees has grown since its launch.
Net Impact used to meet weekly on its own, but discontinued the meetings due to a low turnout. Although the club struggles to increase its official membership, Messer said participation in events has increased partly due to its cooperation with the Environmental Coalition and Sustainability Sundays.
“It’s nice to see more interaction between green groups on campus because they’d become pretty isolated,” said College of Arts and Sciences junior Courtney Carroll, a Net Impact member. “It’s nice to see them getting together and sharing ideas.”
CAS alumnus Brian Sharkey, who has attended Sustainability Sundays regularly, said the meetings allowed him to not only educate himself, but also involve himself in these issues.
“There were some statistics put out there that I never heard before,” he said, “and it’s a good opportunity to engage yourself.”
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