Hillary Harper ’08 caught green fever when she started working as an intern for APU’s Center for Research in Science two years ago. “Over the last couple of years, and through Professor Wickman’s Earth Science class, I’ve been on an incredible journey that opened my eyes to just how wasteful I’ve been,” said Harper. “I’ve also realized that this is the world that God has allowed us to steward and take care of–that just  hits me hard.”

Harper’s environmental perspective was further enhanced through a trip to Tours, France, where she visited family last year. “Tours is a quaint town located in the Loire Valley, and definitely has a slower vibe than Paris,” said Harper. “But what surprised me was how eco-friendly the entire town is. Everyone recycles everything, they only use what they need, and everybody maintains compost piles. I wasn’t expecting  this from a small town in the French countryside. So, it got me thinking that if this small town in France can go green, what’s my excuse?”

Such soul-searching has led the theater arts major to make many lifestyle adjustments, including using her bike as her primary means of transportation, refilling a Nalgene bottle instead of using multiple  plastic water bottles, and using a  tote instead of a store bag when she goes grocery shopping. “I’m so keenly aware of how much I waste, from the amount of gum I chew to the paper towels I use in public bathrooms,” said Harper. “I feel that being so disconnected from nature has played a huge role in how we live our lives. Our attitude is kind of like, ‘No one’s dying because I’m not recycling, so what’s the big deal?’”

This laissez-faire attitude does not sit easily with Harper. “I often wonder what people are going to think of my generation,” said Harper. “Are we going to be known as the generation that wasted the most and tipped the balance in the wrong direction, or are we going to be the ones responsible for helping to turn things around, so that in 50 or 100 years, our great-grandkids will thank us for our efforts? I’m fighting for the latter option.”

Meko Kapchinsky is a freelance writer in Southern California.
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