The ecological butterfly...and the hurricane

The other day, I was walking out of a class, and I became aware of all the people around me, and I realized something: many of these people who now are so proud of their ecological awareness will grow up to be parents, businesspeople, and professionals. I imagined one particularly rugged-looking student with dreadlocks ten years down the road, as a bleach-blonde soccer mom, driving everywhere in her SUV and showering every day. At this moment, it dawned in me that anything we do now, at college, could be completely forgotten, but always remembered in the consequences it has.
I, for one, do not shower every day. I refuse to. I do not own a car, and prefer to walk somewhere than take a bus or even drive. I bring my own reusable bags to the grocery store. Now, I may look weird with sometimes greasy hair, have a bit of trouble getting around town, or have to carry around extra bags sometimes, but in several weeks, months, or years, no one will care, or even remember. What they will remember, however, is those thousands of gallons of water still there, those millions of carbon molecules not in the atmosphere, and those hundreds of plastic grocery bags not floating in the ocean. Any change we make now is something we don’t have to feel bad about later. It’s some tiny way we can save the earth every day.
And apart from my actions (or any other Goucher student’s for that matter) directly affecting the earth, they can have an indirect effect as well. I’m sure I have convinced someone to skip their daily shower once or twice, or walk somewhere instead of drive, or let them borrow a reusable bag for shopping. And maybe those changes will stick, or they’ll spread the same idea to someone else.
College is a time when you find out who you are. And who you are is affected by and affects in return who you’re with. Providing an environment in which people can come to the conclusion that meticulous personal hygiene may not really be that great, or that walking is more fun anyway, without being judged is one way that I feel Goucher contributes to the ecological integrity of many individuals and the institution itself. We carry what we learn here into the rest of the world, and if I, as one person, can make a difference, how much can thousands of people change?