2008 Woodie Awards
Guest column: Tikkun olam
Miriam Boer
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Opinion
It's easy to talk big and promise radical change; implementing it is another story entirely. But here's a real ideal to create real change: tikkun olam.
Tikkun olam, which translates from Hebrew to "repairing the world," states when everyone takes full responsibility just for him or herself, the bigger problems are gradually solved. Is any one person responsible for the garbage strewn around on Route 1? Of course not, but every time you decide to keep the candy wrapper in your car to throw in a garbage can instead of carelessly tossing it out your window, you're doing your part to solve the problem.
So what, besides dutifully recycling, turning off lights and not wasting water, can we do? Those are small things, and we don't see a return (although they do matter). Let's review some university issues that can be solved to simultaneously benefit the university and have an impact on the world.
We are all aware of the housing situation. For those of you who have housing arrangements - well, I'm honestly not sure where, but if you've got extra space, please contact me - the problem is our university being short several thousand beds. Coincidentally, there are huge expanses of blacktop alternately freezing and roasting out by the Comcast center. Why not build apartments similar to University View on top of Lots 9 and 11, expanding the lots above and/or below ground to provide ample housing and parking? While we're at it, why not install green roofs?
As the name suggests, green roofs are roofs with plants growing on top. Think breezy, green, shady park - on a roof. Not only do green roofs compensate for the footprint of the building, they insulate better than traditional roofs. In this case, the buildings would actually increase the amount of verdure in the area, taking Lots 9 and 11 from barren asphalt wastelands to a far more efficient use of space. The university wouldn't have to purchase more land, the actual amount of green space would increase, the housing crunch would be relieved, there would be more parking and the buildings would be more efficient than traditional dorms. (Nota bene: If anyone could spot any negatives, please let me know, because I'm missing them.)
This brings us to another major issue that not only concerns the university but the surrounding Washington metro area: traffic. With the second-worst traffic in the nation, our carbon footprint must look as if Bigfoot passed through. The thousands of students excluded from on-campus housing still have to get to school, and they drive because public transportation is awful. Let's take the bull by the horns. The administration's attitude toward public transportation needs revision. Public transportation must be convenient to as many people as possible on a daily basis. To beat an already dead horse into glue, the Purple Line needs to run through the middle of campus, serving all parts equally. That's how the largest number of people will be able to take advantage of it. It will not only get people off the roads, easing congestion on the Beltway, but it will make the campus available to those who cannot afford a car or housing in the area.
In honor of tikkun olam, visit www.rethinkcollegepark.net/blog to sign the Purple Line petition. Visit every so often, read the entries, argue a little and have your voice heard. Come on kiddies, there's more than 235 of us who can find it in ourselves to support reducing our carbon footprint as a university community. Being a terrapin and having ownership of this campus and our university's identity is not about wearing red on a designated day or rubbing a giant metal turtle. And yes, trying to solve world hunger is a daunting task. Let's compromise; in lieu of solving the world's problems all in one go, think about how we relate to ourselves and the world. Are we here to accept the status quo because it's passable? Or can we take responsibility for our actions both as individuals and part of the university community and set a tangible example of progress?
I'm going to pose one last thought, with the hopes of attracting some administrative attention. This is a campus full of talented people with advanced degrees in economics, environmentalism, business and engineering. What if we took it upon ourselves to literally build something better using what we already have right here? Green building design competition, anyone?
Miriam Boer is a graduate student in biochemistry. She can be reached at mboer@umd.edu.
Tikkun olam, which translates from Hebrew to "repairing the world," states when everyone takes full responsibility just for him or herself, the bigger problems are gradually solved. Is any one person responsible for the garbage strewn around on Route 1? Of course not, but every time you decide to keep the candy wrapper in your car to throw in a garbage can instead of carelessly tossing it out your window, you're doing your part to solve the problem.
So what, besides dutifully recycling, turning off lights and not wasting water, can we do? Those are small things, and we don't see a return (although they do matter). Let's review some university issues that can be solved to simultaneously benefit the university and have an impact on the world.
We are all aware of the housing situation. For those of you who have housing arrangements - well, I'm honestly not sure where, but if you've got extra space, please contact me - the problem is our university being short several thousand beds. Coincidentally, there are huge expanses of blacktop alternately freezing and roasting out by the Comcast center. Why not build apartments similar to University View on top of Lots 9 and 11, expanding the lots above and/or below ground to provide ample housing and parking? While we're at it, why not install green roofs?
As the name suggests, green roofs are roofs with plants growing on top. Think breezy, green, shady park - on a roof. Not only do green roofs compensate for the footprint of the building, they insulate better than traditional roofs. In this case, the buildings would actually increase the amount of verdure in the area, taking Lots 9 and 11 from barren asphalt wastelands to a far more efficient use of space. The university wouldn't have to purchase more land, the actual amount of green space would increase, the housing crunch would be relieved, there would be more parking and the buildings would be more efficient than traditional dorms. (Nota bene: If anyone could spot any negatives, please let me know, because I'm missing them.)
This brings us to another major issue that not only concerns the university but the surrounding Washington metro area: traffic. With the second-worst traffic in the nation, our carbon footprint must look as if Bigfoot passed through. The thousands of students excluded from on-campus housing still have to get to school, and they drive because public transportation is awful. Let's take the bull by the horns. The administration's attitude toward public transportation needs revision. Public transportation must be convenient to as many people as possible on a daily basis. To beat an already dead horse into glue, the Purple Line needs to run through the middle of campus, serving all parts equally. That's how the largest number of people will be able to take advantage of it. It will not only get people off the roads, easing congestion on the Beltway, but it will make the campus available to those who cannot afford a car or housing in the area.
In honor of tikkun olam, visit www.rethinkcollegepark.net/blog to sign the Purple Line petition. Visit every so often, read the entries, argue a little and have your voice heard. Come on kiddies, there's more than 235 of us who can find it in ourselves to support reducing our carbon footprint as a university community. Being a terrapin and having ownership of this campus and our university's identity is not about wearing red on a designated day or rubbing a giant metal turtle. And yes, trying to solve world hunger is a daunting task. Let's compromise; in lieu of solving the world's problems all in one go, think about how we relate to ourselves and the world. Are we here to accept the status quo because it's passable? Or can we take responsibility for our actions both as individuals and part of the university community and set a tangible example of progress?
I'm going to pose one last thought, with the hopes of attracting some administrative attention. This is a campus full of talented people with advanced degrees in economics, environmentalism, business and engineering. What if we took it upon ourselves to literally build something better using what we already have right here? Green building design competition, anyone?
Miriam Boer is a graduate student in biochemistry. She can be reached at mboer@umd.edu.
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