4 Monday, August 11, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu JASON MAHAKIAN E-MAIL MAHAKIAN AT MAHAKIAJ@UMICH.EDU EMMARIE HUETTEMAN EDITOR IN CHIEF GARY GRACA MANAGING EDITOR KATE TRUESDELL EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect thesofficialposition of the Daily's editorialboard. Allsothernsigned articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. FROM THE DAILY Making the (green) grade What the 'U' can - and should - do to up its environmental marks Across the nation, the faces of eager college-bound high schoolers lit up two weeks ago when the Princeton Review released its annual publication "The Best 368 Colleges" rankings. But this year, it wasn't just dorm food or class- room space being sized up. For the first time ever, campuses were also graded on just how "green" they are. The University of Michigan earned a solid score, but that's no excuse to rest on its laurels. The release of the rankings provides the perfect opportu- nity to reassess the state of the University's earth-friendliness, searching for ways to improve old problems while simultaneously looking to top scorers for innovative ideas .. " ". / - 5 905 tOAT 55J:XSR' .7 4 pg a To.. MIE A r- ail" WS II ELISE BAUN The American way 4 for improvement in the futur Schools were judged accord- ing to the health and quality of life of students on campus, how well the school trains students to work and live in environmen- tally responsible ways and how responsible the school itself is when it comes to ecologi- cal impact. In an increasingly eco-conscious age, it's good to see that companies like The Princeton Review are begin- ning to recognize that factors like a school's carbon footprint are important to students. Like- wise, while the amount of faith that should be put in rankings like these is still up for debate, publishing this data undoubt- edly goes a long way to hold schools accountable for their environmental practices. The University earned a grade of 83, a respectable showing considering marks ranged from 60 to 99. But that still leaves it 14 points short of the top score and deprived of a spot among the top eleven schools on the Green Rating Honor Roll. What's more disappointing than the Univer- sity's score is the fact that it very easily could have done better. There are a lot of easy changes that people have been asking the University to make for years. The University could, for example, easily be more proac- tive about moving to more ener- gy-efficient lighting, reducing energy use during off-hours and changing the type of lighting being used. It should unques- tionably be committed to green building measures in all of its construction and renovation projects and listen to student environmental advocacy groups that encourage participating in programs like LEED certifica- tion. It's also important to look for new ways to improve. For instance, schools like Oberlin College have created sustain- able living projects in which students can take part. In these communities, students can learn about and incorporate into their lifestyles practices like timed showering, water reuse and composting. The University of Michigan already has a number of resi- dence-based learning and living communities, providing a blue- print that would make adding a sustainable living community a snap. Students are increasingly looking for conscientious cam- puses. Making these changes and providing these kinds of opportunities, then, not only does good things for the plan- et; it helps keep the University competitive in the battle for tuition dollars. It's also a chance to demonstrate its commitment to environmental issues in a tangible and useful way. The University prides itself on being one of the leading research institutes in the world, prods cing only the highest cali- ber of citizens. If it wants to maintain that reputation, it's important not only that it be the birthplace of major advance- ments in the areas of climate change, energy-efficiency and cleaner technology but also the testing ground for sound envi- ronmental practices as well. As the adage goes, the best way to teach is by example. I want to be surprised that the candidates for the American presidencyhavetaken something as important as a national elec- tion and turned it into something that more closely resembles a high school student council cam- paign. Unfortunately, I'm not. That's why when I turned on my television last week and lis- tened to John McCain compare Barack Obama to Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, I was hardly stunned. Nor was I taken off- guard when Obama lashed right back (though I'll admit that I never thought that I would wit- ness Paris Hilton's own personal attacks.) Mud-slingingin politics is an age-old tradition. In fact, I don't even really hold participating in these kinds of ad wars against them - McCain and Obama are goiig to employ the techniques that will most likely find them a seat in the Oval Office. In fact, I would expect no less from any American run- ning for president. You use the strategy that works - even if that means resorting to name-calling and finger-pointing. It has become both trite and cliche to suggest that a politician is not upstanding, and it is con- sidered naive to believe that any- one running for office is not at best a manipulator of words and at worst an outright liar. "Cam- paign promises" is a term synon- ymous with "empty dreams." Yet every time one of these officials will get voted into office with very little controversy. In other words, these types of "dirty" politicians are widely accepted by most Americans as just "the way things are," dirty politics the expectation not the anomaly when election time rolls around. It's become almost endearing to many Americans that "Ameri- can Idol" draws almost as many votes as the number cast in the national election. We say that's a sad statistic, but since nothing ever changes, we have more or less accepted it as American tra- dition at this point. Even for those who do find their way to the poll, most need only what they see in TY com- mercialseand party affiliation to cast their ballots. As such, John McCain isn't going to waste his time with lengthy television commercials outlining his plan for Iraq. Instead he's going to do his best to tell you that Obama is not nearly as good of a candidate as he is. And this strategy will prob- ably work. Then in four years, everyone will suggest again that we have a nice clean campaign while accepting the fact that this is not a realistic suggestion. Maybe once Americans care enough to vote, dirty election propaganda will stop. Unfor- tunately, at this point that goal seems like a pipe dream. Elise Baun is an LSA senior and a member of the Daily's editorial board. 4 4 9 EditorialBoard Members: Elise Baun, Anindya Bhadra, Harun Buljina, Robert Soave