▲ voice on campus

 Picture the Earth half-submerged in water, with typhoons raging and lightning striking what little ground is left. There are no existing life forms, except for the viruses and bacteria in the air, water, and soil. This is not the prehistoric past. This is the impending future, taken to the extreme, if current environmental problems continue. Korea University (KU) students though, are taking the initiative to help avoid such a future.

 Going green. Saving energy. Recycling. These current buzzwords are about preserving the environment. With many related problems and conflicts spawned from people’s past indifference towards the environment, it is no wonder why such an issue has been brought to popular attention. As a part of this overall movement, The Granite Tower (GT) interviewed a few select students about their daily efforts to preserve and protect the environment.

 Shim Min Ji (’11, Psychology)

“This is quite obvious, but I like to turn off the electricity when I am not at home. This way, I can save any loss of unnecessary power. In addition, I like to use adapter plugs that save energy. These shut down the flow of electricity when the devices I use are inactive. I guess my efforts are geared toward saving electricity.”

 Lee Joon Soo (’13, Business)

“Well I do have several ways I do this. I try not to use the air conditioner when possible, because it uses a massive amount of electricity. I also use water saving taps. These are taps that have high air pressure, so they use less water and save on the electric energy needed to pump the water up. I also use energy efficient windows ―which I believe are called thermal pane windows― that minimize heat loss. Finally, I try to walk more often and refrain from taking my car. I think this is a great way to exercise and save energy at the same time.”

 Yoon Sungwon (’12, Healthcare Management)

“My efforts are focused on the smaller aspects of preserving the environment. I try to save on paper by keeping a stack of scrap paper at home. I usually use the saved up paper for printing. I believe this is a quick and easy way to help preserve the environment. Also, I turn the lights at my house off if I find that the sun is bright enough.”

 Rhee Jae Sang (’13, College of Sciences)

“I carry a water bottle with me so that I do not have to use a lot of paper cups. I also try to save on air conditioning by setting the target temperature to 26 or 27 degrees Celsius or by turning it off and using a fan. In addition, I tend to purchase the most energy efficient electric products. For example, instead of using an incandescent light bulb I would use an LED light source because they save up at least ten times as much electricity; and obviously, I use the public transportation when moving from one place to another.”