Colleen O'Connor
"a very faustian choice is upon us: whether to accept our corrosive and risky behavior as the unavoidable price of population and economic growth, or to take stock of ourselves and search for a new environmental ethic." —edward osborne wilson
About Colleen
Colleen is a member of the class of 2010, majoring in Sociology and German, and has a minor in Environmental Studies. She is very committed to environmental issues at Boston College and has assumed a leadership position in EcoPledge (a student-run environmental club). In addition to all this, Colleen is employed by the Flynn Recreation Complex (known as The Plex), and volunteers taking pictures for The Heights and also as a member of Fenway Park’s recycling team. She recognizes the importance of recycling and of reducing consumption and waste in her daily life.
Colleen and the Plex
“I think it’s nice that The Plex provides the option to purchase Powerade, but I think we really need to encourage people to bring their own water bottles. People obviously need water when they work out, they just forget about it. When they get to The Plex, it’s just an easy swipe of their cards to get a plastic bottle full of water. The water in The Plex is cold. It’s good. We need to encourage people to bring their own water bottles.”
Colleen knows firsthand the ins and outs of The Plex, specifically the Intramural Office. She hopes to increase recycling awareness at The Plex. In her few years there, they have reduced much of their paper waste by moving to an online system for intramural team registration.
Colleen and Sustainable Workouts
Colleen believes there are ways other than bringing your own water bottle to make your workout sustainable. Instead of going to The Plex to use a machine (and electricity) to run, The Plex provides Walking & Jogging Routes and Group Aerobics Classes. Can’t make it to The Plex? Try using the stairs to get to class instead of an elevator.
Colleen and Recycling
“I’m a really big proponent of recycling. I forced my 8-man last year to set up two separate receptacles, one for trash and one for recycling. When it wasn’t working, I made signs to help my suitemates. Not everyone in the room recycled before, but now, even when I’m not around, they still keep doing it.”
Colleen started recycling in her childhood, so it comes as second nature to her. Do what you can to recycle! It’s easy to get in the habit.