By KAYLEE HARRIS
Student Reporter
C.O.R.E, which stands for Conserving Our Ranger Environment, is the environmental activism group on the Northwestern campus. It focuses on ways to keep students informed about how to reduce waste, as well as pushing Northwestern to be as “green” as possible.
Jeffrey Martin, president of C.O.R.E, said that the group is very student-led and always welcomes new members. “We are unique in where we are,” said Martin.
Martin, a Northwestern senior, has been a member of C.O.R.E since his freshman year.
This semester, there are four ways that you can be a part of what C.O.R.E is doing for Northwestern. The first will be on April 21. C.O.R.E will show an environmentally sustainable energy documentary, “Cowspiricy,” and hold a Skype session with the director. The film focuses on the impact of the farm industry on global warming. This event will be on two campuses, Alva and Enid.
The second opportunity will be at the end of the semester. C.O.R.E will be holding a book drive to send books that would otherwise be thrown away to impoverished areas. The group will accept any unwanted textbook.
The third opportunity is scheduled for May 7, 8, and 9. During this time, if you are moving out of the dorms, or just trying to downsize, C.O.R.E will be accepting donations of all kinds. Any clothes, cleaning supplies, books, non-perishable food, etc. will be donated to local charities such as the domestic violence shelter.
The next meeting is scheduled for March 25 in the Science conference room. Martin described the group as a collection of “all sorts of people” who “share the same underlying belief that doesn’t get a lot of attention.” The meetings are held over Skype with C.O.R.E members in Enid, and held in an “open forum” style, said Martin.
For those worried about their individual impact on the environment, Martin offered some tips on how to reduce the amount of waste produced.
“My big thing is two-sided printing,” said Martin noting that printing on both sides of the paper reduces paper usage by 50 percent. Other ways are to only print syllabi when needed, purchase reusable water bottles and forgo using plastic utensils and paper plates.
For more information on C.O.R.E., contact Place at 580-327-8673 or ajplace@nwosu.edu or Associate Professor of Education Steven Mackie at 580-213-3121 or swmackie@nwosu.edu.