People have contaminated Earth to the point where the government had to build a giant spaceship as an alternative to living on earth. This is the description of Disney’s “Wall-e,” but according to Bill Mckibben’s talks about sustainability, we aren’t that far away from this being our reality.
Our planet has been battling with global warming for years and it continues toget worse. We have recently seen on the news that bees are on the verge of extinction and our Great Barrier Reef is almost dead due to high amounts of stress from our environment.
According to Bill McKibben, author and environmentalist, it’s too late to put an end to global warming, but we can keep it from getting worse. His website states that the biggest problem facing our planet is the fossil fuel industry.
The industry is the wealthiest industry and because of that they have control over our government. For years the industry has been using Earth irresponsibly, and if they keep doing so, the will destroy our planet.
McKibben wants more people to be aware of the problem so they can be part of the solution.
McKibben is very passionate about sustainability and is the founder of the 350.org campaign; the first world-wide climate change movement. He has written several books about climate change, and in 2014 McKibben was awarded the Right Livelihood Prize.
There have been at least 20,000 ralliesaround the world and more are being planned.
The goals for the campaign are to keep carbon on the ground, help build a low carbon economy and pressure the government into limiting the emissions released into our atmosphere.
McKibben will be at Sonoma State University Oct. 18 to kick start the Sustainability Day campaign.
Sonoma State has also been involved in sustainability measures. The campus has installed refillable water bottle stations all over campus and uses recycled materials.
“This is the third year Sustainable SSU will be putting on Sustainability Day,” said senior and communications major Riley Nichols. “To bring awareness to climate change and sustainable steps, Sonoma State is taking to create a brighter future for our world.”
Sustainability Day will take place on Oct. 19 in the Student Center, Recreation Center and Seawolf Plaza.
“Sustainability Day is an event where students can get informed about how our Earth is changing in a negative way and how we can change our lives to keep Earth healthy,” student Julianna Ponce said.
For more information on Sustainability Day students can visit the website at http://www.sonoma.edu/sustainablessu/.
