[su_youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkuK-ay-mjg” width=”480″ height=”480″]

When it comes to sustainability, Jacqueline Phaneuf has a fresh outlook on the topic that students need to know about.

“Honestly there isn’t one thing that’s better than all the others,” she said, referring to methods of going green.

Phaneuf, president of the campus based “Go Green Team,” gave a presentation at Quest titled “Keep Calm and Go Green.”

Her best tips for going green included using reusable shopping bags, bringing containers to restaurants instead of using styrofoam, buying locally and using reusable water bottles instead of plastic.

During her presentation she also discussed a build up of trash called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Located in the central north Pacific Ocean, the patch contains about 100 million tons of waste. This was formed due to the ocean currents pushing the marine waste into a large mass.

Pollution has affected the animal population in more ways than one.  Jacqueline talked about how animals can not tell the difference between the plastic waste and actual food.  They also get caught up in the plastic netting from soda cans and bottles, as shown in pictures from her presentation.  To help these animals out start cutting the netting apart so they do not get stuck in it.

As a way to go green on campus, Phaneuf recommended avoiding using the paper to-go cups from the dining halls.  A little known fact is that the cups are not biodegradable- so if you put them in the ground they will not break down.  They are also not recyclable or made from recycled products.