The actions that are made today will cascade into the future and the Linfield Office of Sustainability wants to try to make those actions more sustainable.

“Learning about sustainability is important to start the conversation,” said Duncan Reid, Sustainability Coordinator at Linfield.

The group hosted an informal event on Tuesday night that started in Fred Meyer Lounge then moved outdoors as their conversation continued. Cookies and Ice cream were also provided by the students.

This is an issue that is affecting the whole planet, Reid explained, “I am very passionate about sustainability and it’s something that I strive to do in my daily life.”

Linfield offers composting, recycling and water fill stations as ways to complete their Zero Waste goal.

The example that Reid uses is that our civilization grows and spreads like a disease. The lack of communication about the subject makes it even more detrimental.

As the conversation continued Reid broke the big group up into smaller ones and had a question for them to answer, “What do you associate with sustainability?”

Many students said that they associate sustainability with the environment. They think of the health of the environment.

The notion of sustainability can sometimes be seen as a “hippie movement,” said Marisa Specht, ‘16. Specht has been working for the Office of Sustainability since it opened.

Specht said that she feels that sustainability is something that people should already feel excited about because we are connected to the environment in so many ways.

Reid urged students to ask themselves three questions: What are the ways that we are creating damage, and how can we stop doing that? What are the alternatives? What is the fundamental relationship that needs to change?

If students were to ask themselves these questions, he said, it can result in surface level changes.

Acknowledging what is happening and what can be done can lead to even more positive changes for sustainability.